Head of Admissions

Position Summary

The Head of Admissions is a member of the Admissions Office within the Office of the Provost of the

University.

The role of the Head of Admissions is to deliver the operational management of the Admissions Office,

with a focus on customer relationship management, developing efficient processes and procedures,

monitoring and meeting admissions targets and objectives, managing new initiatives and requirements,

ensuring compliance with all external and internal regulations, identifying system and reporting

enhancements and liaising with relevant teams to ensure their smooth and timely implementation, and

providing effective line management for the admissions team.

The Head of Admissions works closely with the Director of Admissions and Student Affairs, and

contributes to policy development and the formulation of new initiatives.

Major Responsibilities

General

• Manage recruitment and performance of Admissions Office staff, setting priorities, managing

workload distribution and providing training and development as needed.

• Create and maintain relationships with Program Chairs, Program Admissions Chairs, and Associate

Deans for the effective delivery and development of the admissions process in adherence with

admissions policy and process guidelines.

• Liaise with Office of the Registrar, Operations, Faculty Affairs, IT Services, and Education

Partnerships and Student Recruitment, to ensure the smooth passage of prospects, applicants and

students through relevant stages of the student lifecycle, building synergies and resolving barriers.

• Liaise with other offices of the University as appropriate on special initiatives to ensure their

smooth delivery.

• Plan and manage expenditure annually against the agreed admissions budget, and produce such

returns regarding resource as are required.

Admissions

• Support the Director in setting and delivering upon admissions targets and KPIs based on historical

data and University directives.

• Set the admissions calendar for the year, ensuring that application and processing deadlines are

optimal, achievable and timely for all relevant parties, including applicants, the admissions team,

faculty and downstream services such as Onboarding and the Office of the Registrar.

• Work with faculties and reviewers to ensure that the process and decision workflows for all forms

of admission (which include full time degree admissions, visiting and exchange student admissions,

and admission to free-standing courses) are coherent, consistent and optimal.

• Organise and manage the admissions review team to effectively manage workload, respond to

incoming enquiries from prospects, applicants and faculty, process and progress applications

according to the agreed calendar, deadlines and agreed service standards, support faculty involved

in the admissions process, and ensure that there is sufficient cover at all times throughout the year.

• Develop a high-quality applicant communications schedule so that all applicants understand the

process, their place within it, and receive timely advice and decisions according to their status.

• Hold meetings with relevant faculty at program and Divisional level at least twice annually to set

and review the admissions process and foster understanding, commitment and collegiality. Build

relationships between admissions reviewers and the programs for which they are responsible.

• Ensure clear operational rules and guidance pertaining to the evaluation of Saudi and International

academic credentials, English proficiency requirements and any other internal or external

regulatory requirements.

• Provide initial assessment of academic admissibility of candidates and monitor appropriate

procedures for the submission, completion, filtering, and review of applications, any arrangements

for testing, and notification of admissions decisions.

• In close liaison with relevant offices, manage relationships with external sponsors and university

partners to achieve strategic objectives in relation to admission.

• Prepare reports, proposals and data for management and the Student Admissions Committee as

required.

• Ensure compliance by the team with all policy and regulations

• Make evidence-based recommendations to the Director on enhancements to policy and process.

• Engage in professional networking to ensure that the admissions process continues to meet

relevant standards of professional practice.

• Provide updates and recommendations to faculty and leadership by continually assessing and

identifying, through the compilation of statistics and reports the reporting of applicant data for all

admissions data. This includes the preparation of an annual report for review by the Student

Admissions Committee.

Systems, Data and Reporting

• Review the process and propose means of developing systems, process and reporting to improve

the quality of the service and reducing manual workload. The role holder will liaise with IT services

regarding the most appropriate solutions for admissions, and their prioritization and

implementation, ensuring that full integration with upstream and downstream systems is achieved

• Ensure that a suite of dashboards, reports and queries exist which enable the admissions team,

Program Admissions Chairs, Associate Deans, the Director and colleagues delivering related

services showing admissions data in a format and at a granularity that meets the needs of the

stakeholders and supports sound decision making.

• Ensure that the Admissions Office is in full compliance with institutional and national data and

information security regulations and legislation, in particular in relation data collection, retention

and access.

• Create protocols for dealing with systems issues and taking feedback from the admissions review

team and faculty to improve provision.

Other

• Any other duties as may be required by the Director of Admissions and Student Affairs or by the

Vice President for Education and Academic Affairs.

Person Requirements

Competencies

• An understanding of international higher education (essential).

• Able to manage, lead, guide, direct, and influence people. Exhibits strong strategic and operational

decision-making skills (essential).

• Experience of working in higher education admissions or a related field, with detailed knowledge

of selection processes (essential) and international educational systems (desirable).

• Experience of managing and developing systems in admissions or a related field (essential).

• Strong and effective communication skills, both written and verbal, and the ability to interact

effectively and build relationships with individuals within and outside the University (essential).

• Ability to work within both a team and independently, recognizing the importance of time-

sensitive deadlines and meeting the demands of a high-pressure office environment (essential).

• Culture sensitivity and strong knowledge of international education. Ability to articulate the

distinct qualities of science and technology in a global context, including an appreciation for

KAUST’s contribution to Saudi Arabia (desirable).

• Creative approach to problem solving and delivering effective engagement (essential)

• Ability to plan and develop contingencies around different scenarios; attention to detail (essential)

• Customer-service oriented ethic and approach in working with faculty, students, and staff

(essential).

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree (required) or master’s degree (preferred)

• Strong English language skills (essential); conversational proficiency in other languages (desirable)

Experience

• At least 10 years of experience higher education admissions or a related field (essential)

• Familiarity with admissions or related systems (essential