Associate Director of Graduate Admissions Operations

The Associate Director of Graduate Admissions Operations provides strategic, operational, and technical leadership to support graduate student recruitment, application management, and enrollment at the University of Indianapolis. Serving as the primary functional resource for graduate admissions within the University's Slate CRM, the Associate Director partners with graduate academic programs, faculty, University Marketing, and Enrollment Management leadership to develop efficient admissions processes, implement technology-enabled solutions, and advance institutional graduate enrollment goals.

REQUIREMENTS / MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Education

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution required.
• Master's degree in higher education administration, business, information systems, or a related field preferred.

Required Experience and Qualifications

• Minimum of two years of progressively responsible experience in higher education admissions operations, enrollment management technology, CRM administration, or a closely related area.
• Demonstrated experience supporting, configuring, or optimizing CRM systems and associated business processes.
• Understanding of higher education admissions processes, application management, student recruitment, and enrollment operations.
• Demonstrated ability to evaluate operational processes, identify inefficiencies, and implement effective technology-enabled solutions.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, including experience developing reports, interpreting data, and using information to inform operational decisions.
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively with academic and administrative stakeholders, translate business needs into technical solutions, and communicate technical concepts to nontechnical audiences.
• Strong project management, organizational, and communication skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities and work independently.

Preferred Experience and Qualifications

• Two or more years of hands-on experience administering or configuring Technolutions Slate CRM, particularly in an admissions environment.
• Experience supporting graduate or professional admissions and enrollment operations.
• Experience configuring Slate applications, Reader workflows, forms, rules, queries, automated communications, and reporting.
• Familiarity with Slate query development, data structures, conditional logic, and CRM integrations.
• Working knowledge of SQL, HTML/CSS, or other technologies relevant to CRM configuration and data management.
• Experience with Banner, Axiom, or comparable higher education student information systems and data integration processes.
• Experience supporting recruitment communication campaigns, audience segmentation, enrollment analytics, or marketing automation.
• Experience consulting with faculty, academic program directors, or other stakeholders regarding admissions operations and enrollment strategies.
• Demonstrated knowledge of enrollment funnel management, admissions conversion strategies, and continuous process improvement.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES

The position provides functional leadership, technical guidance, training, and project coordination to university personnel involved in graduate admissions processes but does not have direct supervisory responsibility.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

• Graduate Application Management and Slate CRM Operations (40%)

• Serve as the primary functional administrator and technical resource for graduate admissions operations within the University's Slate CRM, collaborating with institutional CRM administrators and other system stakeholders to ensure consistency, data integrity, and effective system performance.

• Design, build, configure, test, and maintain graduate admissions applications, including program-specific requirements, application cycles, supplemental materials, conditional logic, and associated workflows.

• Develop and optimize Slate Reader workflows to support application evaluation, faculty review, admissions committee processes, and decision management.

• Configure and maintain automated communications, application status updates, decision notifications, document collection processes, and other applicant-facing functionality.

• Collaborate with graduate academic programs to identify inefficiencies in application and admissions processes and implement solutions that improve operational efficiency, applicant experience, and enrollment outcomes.

• Support the maintenance and enhancement of Slate data structures, including fields, rules, forms, queries, permissions, and integrations, in coordination with appropriate institutional system administrators.

• Participate in the testing, implementation, and documentation of Slate upgrades, new releases, and additional functionality.

• Support data exchange and integration between Slate and other university systems, including Banner, Axiom, and other relevant platforms, in collaboration with appropriate technical staff.

• Maintain appropriate data security, confidentiality, and compliance with institutional policies and applicable regulations.

• Graduate Program Consultation and Enrollment Strategy (25%)

• Serve as a strategic and operational partner to graduate academic leadership, faculty, and other university stakeholders in support of graduate recruitment and enrollment goals.

• Consult with academic programs to understand their unique recruitment needs, application requirements, admissions processes, enrollment challenges, and opportunities for growth.

• Assist in the development and implementation of program-specific recruitment and enrollment strategies informed by institutional priorities, market conditions, and enrollment performance.

• Evaluate existing graduate admissions practices and recommend improvements to application processes, prospect engagement, admissions workflows, and enrollment conversion.

• Identify opportunities to standardize and streamline graduate admissions operations across academic programs while accommodating appropriate program-specific requirements.

• Collaborate with academic leadership and Enrollment Management to establish effective operational practices, recruitment timelines, application cycles, and admissions communication strategies.

• Provide guidance regarding graduate enrollment management best practices, the effective use of CRM technology, and strategies to improve the prospective student experience.

• Facilitate collaboration among graduate academic programs, Enrollment Management, University Marketing, and other administrative offices to support coordinated recruitment and enrollment efforts.

• Graduate Enrollment Communications and Marketing Support (15%)

• Collaborate with University Marketing and graduate academic programs to develop and support targeted recruitment and communication strategies for prospective graduate students.

• Design, implement, and maintain automated and personalized communication campaigns within Slate to support prospective students throughout the inquiry, application, admission, and enrollment process.

• Utilize CRM segmentation, audience targeting, and communication workflows to enhance prospective student engagement and improve enrollment conversion.

• Partner with University Marketing to identify recruitment audiences, inform messaging strategies, and coordinate the implementation of graduate program marketing initiatives.

• Support the development of graduate recruitment campaigns by providing enrollment data, audience insights, CRM functionality, and analysis of campaign performance.

• Evaluate the effectiveness of recruitment communications and recommend adjustments based on engagement, application activity, and enrollment outcomes.

• Promote consistency in graduate enrollment communications while supporting appropriate differentiation among academic programs.

• Graduate Enrollment Analytics and Reporting (15%)

• Develop, maintain, and enhance Slate queries, reports, and dashboards to monitor graduate recruitment, application activity, admissions decisions, enrollment conversion, and overall enrollment performance.

• Provide graduate academic programs and university leadership with timely, accurate, and actionable enrollment data to inform recruitment planning and operational decisions.

• Analyze graduate enrollment funnel performance, including inquiries, applications started, applications completed, admissions decisions, and enrollment outcomes.

• Identify trends, operational challenges, and opportunities to improve recruitment effectiveness, application completion, decision turnaround, and enrollment yield.

• Collaborate with Enrollment Management leadership to support graduate enrollment forecasting, goal setting, and performance monitoring.

• Ensure the accuracy, consistency, and appropriate use of graduate admissions data through established data management and reporting practices.

• Training, Documentation, and Continuous Improvement (5%)

• Provide training, guidance, and technical support to graduate academic program directors, faculty, admissions personnel, and other Slate users.

• Develop and maintain documentation of graduate admissions processes, application configurations, workflows, reporting practices, and system procedures.

• Establish and promote consistent operational standards and best practices for graduate admissions technology and processes.

• Identify opportunities to improve the efficiency, effectiveness, and scalability of graduate admissions operations.

• Manage multiple projects and competing priorities while maintaining effective communication with stakeholders regarding timelines, implementation requirements, and progress.

• Stay informed of emerging Slate capabilities, graduate enrollment management practices, and technologies that may enhance institutional recruitment and admissions operations.

• Perform other duties and special projects as assigned in support of Enrollment Management and institutional priorities.