The salary of the finalist selected for this role will be set based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to departmental budgets, qualifications, experience, education, licenses, specialty, and training. The above hiring range represents the University's good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of posting.
Position Summary
Reporting to the Assistant Director of Recruitment, the Admissions Counselor also works closely with other members of the admissions team to develop actionable goals and execute strategies that drive application growth and support the goal of yielding the most highly qualified students and providing exemplary support throughout the enrollment process to the students for the School?s diverse portfolio of programs. These offerings currently include cross-disciplinary Master?s Degree Programs, Pre-Graduate and Graduate Certificate Programs, Structured and Unstructured Certifications of Professional Achievement, take-a-class options for bachelor?s degree holders and visiting students enrolled at other institutions, High School Programs, and the American Language Programs. While the Admissions team will support all SPS programs, each Admissions Counselor specializes in a few programs, providing backup support for others as needed. Admissions Counselors also serve on the Committee for Admissions for the programs they support, evaluating applications for admissions consideration.
Responsibilities
Research, recommend and execute for program-specific and School-wide recruitment opportunities to increase the number of highly qualified applications to assigned portfolio of programs
Represent programs and SPS by attending local, regional, and national graduate recruitment and career fairs, disciplinary conferences, campus events, face-to-face and online informational sessions
Schedule, manage and execute all logistics for information sessions and recruitment events for assigned portfolio of programs including but not limited to coordination of speakers, hosting session, communications and event analysis
Design and cultivate an exceptional prospective student experience across from initial point of contact (proactive and reactive) through commitment by leveraging SPS and Columbia wide resources and developing a strong communications plan
Track, analyze and report on prospective student engagement utilizing the CRM and templates to identify trends, collaborate with other teams on necessary and new initiatives to enhance the prospective student experience and increase conversion across the admissions pipeline
Maintain a close collaborative relationship with academic and marketing team members to ensure that recruiting, admissions, and communications initiatives align with program, department and School goals
Track and provide feedback regarding the effectiveness of recruitment and marketing efforts in attracting high quality prospective students and applicants, and the overall quality of the prospect and applicant pools to relevant admissions, marketing and academic team stakeholders
Ensure prospect-facing content for the assigned programs is clear and drives the desired action. Proactively recommend content changes to the website, communications, and collateral based on the synthesis and analysis of prospect and applicant questions and feedback
Serve as a member of the Admissions Committee for assigned programs, reading applications and making admissions decision recommendations to the academic directors for the programs in their portfolio, and back-up programs (as needed)
Partner with the advising team to create effective yield management plans for assigned programs, and assist in coordinating and participating in yield events
Assist with student events such as orientation and graduation
PERFORMS OTHER DUTIES AS ASSIGNED OR REQUESTED
Minimum Qualifications
Bachelor's degree or equivalent required
Two years related work experience required
A resume and cover letter with salary requirements must be submitted to be considered for the position
Preferred Qualifications
Experience in admissions, recruitment or academic advising
Familiarity with SPS program offerings
Other Requirements
Strong communication, interpersonal, and presentation skills (verbal and written), and experience presenting in small group and large group settings, and to a variety of audiences, including individuals in positions of influence
Intellectual curiosity, sound problem-solving and decision-making abilities, and strength in creative and innovative thinking
High energy and passion for recruiting
Proficiency with Windows, Microsoft Word, Power Point and Excel required
Ability to work mornings, evenings, and weekends, as needed
Ability to travel up to 25%
Exceptional attention to detail, strong organization and time management skills, and the ability to perform non-routine work with changing priorities
Ability to handle confidential information in a mature, professional manner
Must be able to work with a diverse student body, faculty and administrators
Experience in a fast-paced student or client service-oriented environment
Ability to work independently as well as in teams in a highly-matrixed environment, receiving direction from and providing support to multiple sources
Sound problem-solving and decision-making abilities, both as an independent entity, and as part of a team
Proficient in MS Office/systems (MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran
Columbia University is committed to the hiring of qualified local residents.
Columbia University is one of the world's most important centers of research and at the same time a distinctive and distinguished learning environment for undergraduates and graduate students in many scholarly and professional fields. The University recognizes the importance of its location in New York City and seeks to link its research and teaching to the vast resources of a great metropolis. It seeks to attract a diverse and international faculty and student body, to support research and teaching on global issues, and to create academic relationships with many countries and regions. It expects all areas of the university to advance knowledge and learning at the highest level and to convey the products of its efforts to the world.