Wakefield, Massachusetts
Nationwide
Northern & Central California , California
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Sacramento, California
Alexandria, Virginia
Central, South Carolina
Santa Barbara, California
Posted: 28-Nov-22
Location: Santa Rosa, California
Type: Full Time
Preferred Education:
OVERVIEW
Sonoma Academy (SA) is a grade 9-12 day school in Sonoma County, which enrolls 330 students with over 30% self-identifying as students of color. The stunning campus
comprises 34 acres surrounded by 1,000 acres of protected open space adjacent to Santa Rosa's picturesque Taylor Mountain. The school’s location lends itself to a vibrant and diverse community of students from 30 cities and towns across Sonoma, Marin, and Napa Counties. The tuition assistance budget exceeds $4 million and roughly 50% of families receive assistance.
Sonoma Academy students are joyful and inquisitive which aligns with the school’s belief that learning occurs best in the context of a connected community. SA prides itself on creating a culture of unbridled inventiveness and self discovery. Diversity, equity, and inclusivity are essential to an education in which all members of our community thrive. Sonoma Academy is committed to cultivating a diverse community that is conscious and welcoming of difference, dedicated to investigating and advancing equity, and engages with our local and global community.
Sonoma Academy is seeking a Director of Enrollment Management (DEM) to begin July 1, 2023. Reporting to the Head of School, the DEM is a member of the Senior Leadership Team and is responsible for leading the strategic and operational components of enrollment, developing the research necessary to inform decision-making, as well as the oversight of student recruitment, financial aid, and enrollment efforts. The DEM leads enrollment management discussions and manages the Admission Office’s two additional full-time employees. Working closely with admissions colleagues, the Director of Advancement, Chief Operating Officer, Director of Marketing & Communications and Assistant Head of School, the DEM guides all processes that support the School’s enrollment and reenrollment efforts.
The Director of Enrollment Management plays a vital role in the Academy’s community and will be expected to strengthen the enrollment management infrastructure, starting with the existing strengths of the Admission Office, along with providing leadership in the facilitation of an enrollment management mindset throughout the SA community. They will conduct research and implement strategies to ensure that the school achieves the enrollment goals set by the Head of School and Board of Trustees.
If you would like to join Sonoma Academy, we welcome your application. As we are deeply committed to having a staffulty (staff and faculty) and student body which reflects the rich diversity within the North Bay, we strongly encourage candidates from underrepresented groups to apply.
SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES
You will lead a personalized admission and enrollment process, and play a vital role in the school community, expanding the community’s understanding of enrollment management through implementation of positive engagement, recruitment, and retention practices. You will provide input to drive decisions in support of marketing, academic, and student life programs and develop productive partnerships with internal school-wide departments and key external referral sources (parents, alumni, consultants, etc.) to achieve annual enrollment goals and implement growth strategies to meet future enrollment targets. In addition, you will:
- Provide leadership in enrollment management and the enrollment process and set the tone and vision for attracting, enrolling, and retaining a strong, diverse, mission appropriate student body to Sonoma Academy.
- Set annual enrollment and admission goals, in accordance with the School’s mission, to promote the essential elements of diversity in the student body, based on enrollment goals set by the Head of School and Board of Trustees.
- Work with the Head of School and Chief Operating Officer to create and oversee the school’s enrollment and financial aid budgets and strategies. Communicate with the Board of Trustees about strategy and progress on these goals.
- Organize and administer the school’s financial aid program and budget in conjunction with the Chief Operating Officer.
- Manage new student enrollment and the reenrollment of current students by working in close connection with school leadership.
- Understand and inform the Leadership Team, admission staff and community about research, demographics, and other relevant enrollment trends, ensuring that changes and challenges are anticipated, understood, and addressed. This includes collection of survey data (NAIS).
- Develop and implement strategic marketing ideas designed to enhance enrollment, in collaboration with the Marketing and Communications Team.
- Build sophisticated data models and statistical information regarding the School’s enrollment trends and utilize them in decision-making about enrollment strategy, resource use, and planning efforts.
- Manage a professional, efficient, fast-paced, nimble, creative, and welcoming office.
- Be involved in the day-to-day work of admissions, working directly with families in coordination with the Admission Office staff.
- Represents the School at public events, on and off campus, which includes domestic and international outreach.
- Maintains and encourages relationships with feeder schools, counselors, and consultants.
- Represents Sonoma Academy at NAIS, CAIS, AISAP, EMA and other professional communities.
- Engage in the life of the school in a way that is aligned with skills and interests.
- And most importantly, play a vital role in the Sonoma Academy community and serve as a model of the school’s culture and core values.
WHO ARE YOU?
You have excellent people skills, you listen well, and have strong communication and public relations skills, both written and spoken. You have a personal and professional commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice and have experience creating an inclusive admissions process.
You are an experienced educator with a willingness to learn and your commitment to learning extends to all you do. You bring creative ideas for helping address systems of bias in the admissions process and experience reducing barriers to access. You are facile with data and technologies that will support student record management and analytical reporting.
You are comfortable thinking strategically, and possess strong interpersonal, organizational, and managerial skills. You have a high level of energy, creativity, flexibility, and a sense of humor and have outstanding judgment and maturity. You can lead and execute and have a proven ability to work with colleagues and stakeholders at all levels. You are a team builder who knows how to motivate others to help achieve goals together.
You possess a minimum of five years of experience in admission and enrollment management in an independent school or college, which must include prior leadership experience and a strong understanding of the budget drivers that impact school finances. Ideally, you will possess a master’s degree; however, candidates with a bachelor’s degree as well as direct experience with admissions work
will be closely considered.
You love challenges, thrive in collaborative environments, and find joy in working in a grade 9-12 school setting. And lucky for us, you will bring your sense of humor and an element of fun to our collective work at Sonoma Academy!
INFORMATION TO APPLY
Please submit in an electronic file, a current resume, letter of interest, statement of educational philosophy and names and contact information of three to five references directed to: Christine H. Baker at: cbaker@thebakergrp.com. Please submit materials by December 15, 2022.
Sonoma Academy is an equal opportunity employer. Sonoma Academy does not discriminate in employment opportunities or practices on the basis of race, color, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, age, or any other characteristic protected by law.