OVERVIEW

Position

Head of Student Recruitment and Admission

Job Code

Reports to

Senior Vice Provost for Student Success

Direct Reports

International Recruitment Manager, Recruitment Operations Coordinator & Recruitment Lead

Division/Section

NEOM U

Department

NEOM U Admissions & Enrollment

Sector

ERI

Job Family

Student Success/Student Affairs

NEOM U

NEOM U will be a world class education, research, and innovation hub, which inspires and empowers the best minds: technology to better the world, innovation through the "lab of the future” and life-long personalized development. It will be focused on the fusion of the liberal arts with digital thinking, computing, and technology to solve humanity’s most pressing problems. Faculty and students at NEOM U, through immersive, synergistic relationships and partnerships with the NEOM community, its sectors, and The Line, will serve as the creators and stewards of the “living laboratory” NEOM aspires to be, to imagine, inspire and enable the groundbreaking discoveries and breakthrough innovations the world needs to advance and to thrive. Their innovative approaches in technology-enabled, personalized experiential learning across disciplines, and their bold research pursuits to conquer pressing societal challenges and to define new scientific frontiers, will be supported by exceptional facilities and laboratories which, augmented through immersive partnerships with the NEOM sectors, their industrial partners, and the Line, will enable and foster an unmatched ecosystem for purposeful collaboration, life-long learning and creative exploration at the service of society. As such, the NEOM U boundaries will extend beyond its physical facilities, to encompass NEOM and The Line, and to establish NEOM U as an institution for disruptive education and purposeful innovation’ for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the world.

Role Purpose

The Head of Student Recruitment and Admission will be responsible for developing and implementing comprehensive recruitment strategies to attract a diverse and talented student body to the university and be responsible for student enrollment and admission. This position requires a strategic thinker with a strong background in student recruitment who can lead and manage a team of professionals to achieve recruitment goals while also developing and implementing innovative strategies to enhance recruitment efforts. In addition, the position requires the candidate to be able to manage all the enrollment and admission processes including using innovative approaches for interaction, interview and selection of potential students. The Head will work with the Senior Vice Provost for Student Success to set up the Student Recruitment and Admission Office timely for admitting the first batch of students.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES & ACTIVITIES

• Develop and implement a comprehensive student recruitment plan that aligns with the university's strategic goals and objectives, and incorporates innovative recruitment strategies.
• Lead and manage the operations of the Office of Student Recruitment and Admission, ensuring that innovation is incorporated into all aspects of recruitment efforts.
• Collaborate with academic units to develop and implement effective recruitment strategies to attract a diverse student body, utilizing market research and data analysis to inform decision-making.
• Oversee the development of marketing and communication plans to promote the university to prospective students, utilizing innovative communication methods and technologies.
• Provide leadership and supervision to staff in the Office of Student Recruitment and Admission, encouraging and supporting the development of new and innovative ideas.
• Develop and monitor budgets for the Office of Student Recruitment and Admission and ensure that resources are allocated efficiently and effectively, with a focus on funding innovative initiatives.
• Stay current on trends and best practices in student recruitment and implement innovative strategies to enhance recruitment efforts.
• Engage in outreach activities to build relationships with high schools, community colleges, and other organizations to promote the university and recruit prospective students, utilizing innovative outreach methods.
• Serve as a member of the Enrollment Management team and work collaboratively with other enrollment management professionals to achieve the university's strategic goals and objectives.
• Develop innovative approaches to identify potential students for engagement and subsequent application to NEOM U. This includes using AI-solutions to better engage the potential students in social medias, at the outreach programs and events, and with collaborative partners such as high school, scholarship agency and organization etc.
• Develop creative processes and platforms to select potential students (who are truly passionate and interested in NEOM U, or meet the NEOM U’s student profile) from the initial application pool. This includes virtual AI-assisted selection, interview, and profiling, and identify them for further scholarship opportunity.
• Work with the Digital Transformation Team at NEOM U to develop innovative solutions like chatbot and AI-buddy to respond to queries during admission process.
• Provide the senior academic leadership real-time statistics on the student recruitment and admission progress so that prompt action can be taken. The analytics would be used for finetuning and enhancing student outreach and recruitment strategies.
• Work with colleges to develop unique programs such as campus-builder program, University experiential learning program etc. for the admitted students who are keen to pursue campus life earlier.     

BACKGROUND, SKILLS & QUALIFICATIONS

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• A minimum of 5-7 years’ experience in student outreach, recruitment, enrollment management or admissions processes and practices.
• Bachelor's degree in a job-related field. Master’s degree is preferred.
• Equivalent to five years of progressively responsible professional/administrative experience; with two of the five years in a managerial role preferred.
• Extensive experience in strategic planning and executing outreach, recruitment and enrollment programs and experience in collaboration with representatives from other colleges and universities is a plus.
• Familiarity with marketing and recruiting for online programs.
• High level of experience with Student Systems, Business Intelligence, and other similar products.
• Effective communicator at all levels within a complex and culturally diverse organization, including top level senior management, Board members and external stakeholders and constituencies
• Ability to demonstrate a strong orientation and commitment to customer service.
• Project management expertise including change management in complex environments and implementing continuous quality improvement.
• Strong analytical skills and ability to direct and resolve ambiguous problems.
• Proven negotiation and influencing skills.
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate with diverse user groups, including faculty and administrative staff, students, external resources and professional peers and success in maintaining high levels of user satisfaction in the provision of technology and related digital and support services.    

• Lead diverse teams to support the operational mission and vision of employers by fostering an ethical, inclusive and collegial work environment.
• Demonstrated ability to support ongoing improvement through courageous, resilient, and catalytic leadership.
• Lead varying initiatives through a collaborative, service-oriented and communicative approach.
• Demonstrated commitment to employee development, recognition, and accountability to further operational goals.
• Have a good and relevant understanding of Saudi culture and mindset of students in relation to pursuing of a degree (Bachelor, Master and PhD) at higher education. 

COMMUNICATION - MAIN STAKEHOLDERS

Internal

External

• ERI Sector and other NEOM sectors.

• Interaction with national and international perspective students, parents, teachers, staff from other universities, academic research communities, formal and informal educational organizations, schools, government entities companies and partners.