Assistant Director of Graduate Admissions and Outreach - Graduate Admissions - UTK

The Assistant Director of Graduate Admissions is responsible for application processing and student outreach for the Office of Graduate Admissions. This new role ensures that all applications move efficiently from submission to decision, monitors funnel activity, and leads strategic outreach initiatives. The Assistant Director will be responsible for creating a series of outreach activities and events to engage and communicate with students to aid logistical matters to ensure application completion and successful matriculation. The Assistant Director will also help train new admissions staff and collaborate with leadership to optimize admissions operations.

The responsibilities of the Assistant Director of Graduate Admissions include:

Application Processing & Evaluation

• Managing an assigned portfolio of graduate applications from diverse populations, ensuring timely and accurate review for completeness and compliance with university and Graduate Catalog policies.

• Communicating with applicants regarding missing materials, application status, and next steps, using Slate CRM to track all interactions.

• Collaborating with faculty and departmental contacts to resolve application issues and facilitate timely decisions.

• Providing oversight of the application life cycle from submission to decision.

Outreach & Engagement

This position will lead and implement office-wide outreach campaigns and recruitment strategies for students in every area of the funnel, including targeted call campaigns, emails, or texting to connect with prospective students, applicants, and admitted students according to best practices. Additionally, the position will:

• Utilize Slate to create workflows, portals, dashboards, widgets, or any data sharing among the admissions team to participate in outreach activities and events.

• Lead and create virtual events, formal presentations, informal sessions, and potential on-campus events, to aid students through the admissions funnel to their first day of class; develop and deliver information on the graduate admissions process, application tips, and logistical support.

• Design and coordinate communication workflows in Slate, such as automated emails for incomplete applications, status updates, and decision notifications.

• Develop and maintain tools that build consistent engagement with prospective students, applicants and admitted students

• Utilize Slate to serve as an event management tool for registration and attendance, and to track, measure, report on events and outreach.

• Gather, compare, and analyze event, outreach, and admissions data to make recommendations for future event and outreach efforts.

• Suggest new ideas for improving student experience and engagement

• Research outreach trends in higher education.

• Partner with the Outreach & Recruitment Coordinator with recruitment and events to serve as the admissions partner.

• Coordinate with the Communications Manager on marketing campaigns and website information regarding events and admissions information.

Training & Team Support

The Assistant Director serves as a team lead to foster a supportive and inclusive work environment by providing direction to funnel activities, motivating, serving as a resource for troubleshooting application and process issues for the Admissions Specialist team. They will also:

• Assist in onboarding and training new admissions specialists, in partnership with the Senior Admissions Specialist.

• Provide ongoing support and guidance to admissions staff regarding policies, procedures, and CRM usage.

Continuous Improvement & Project Work

This position is expected to participate in the yearly admissions and application update cycle with autonomy by meeting with campus partners regarding their admissions requirements and program evaluation, and utilizing professional judgement and best practices to help design the admissions process and application for each program.

The Assistant Director will:

• Conduct data clean-up processes by working directly with campus partners, such as Institutional Research and Strategic Analysis, and delegating clean-up tasks to the Admissions Specialists as appropriate, and monitoring completeness by the Admissions team.

• Serve as team lead and project manager for special admissions and recruitment projects, as well as semester-based, weekly, and daily operations tasks, including conditional admissions processes, final document clearance, English proficiency waivers, and application updates.

• Responsible for creating and organizing admissions process manuals, checklists, and training resources.

• Supports development and operates within designated budget for events and outreach efforts.

• Directs the financial activities related to events and outreach, with final approval by Associate Dean & Director of Graduate Admissions.

• Submits proposals to secure funding when appropriate

Miscellaneous

The Assistant Director will represent the Graduate Admissions Office in campus meetings and on committees as assigned. Other miscellaneous duties include:

• Providing office coverage and cross-functional support during peak periods.

• Assisting the Graduate School with large scale events, such as orientation, campus community fair, etc.

• Performing other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor’s Degree
• Experience: at least one year of professional admissions experience
• Knowledge, Skills, Abilities:
  • Strong organizational and analytical skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities.
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
  • Proficiency with Slate CRM, Microsoft Office Suite, and Ellucian Banner.
  • Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively in a team environment.
  • Experience with student outreach, admissions, and project management

Preferred Qualifications

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities:

• Previous Virtual Event Coordination
• Previous Communication and outreach coordination

Work Location

Location: Knoxville, TN

• On-campus position

Compensation and Benefits

• UT market range: MR10
• Anticipated hiring range: $65K – 67K
• Find more information on the UT Market Range structure here
• Find more information on UT Benefits here

Application Instructions

To express interest, please submit an application with the noted below attachments.

• Resume
• Cover Letter providing and introduction and indicating qualifications for the position
• List of 3 Professional References

About The College/Department/Division

The Graduate School at the University of Tennessee Knoxville is a dynamic, innovative, and collaborative partner in shaping graduate education, and a dedicated advocate for attracting and developing a diverse student population. Applying a people-centric approach to all we do; we lead the University in providing support to ensure our programs are among the best in the nation and inspire students to be catalysts for change in the evolving global society.

The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, has shaped leaders, changemakers, and innovative thinkers since its founding in 1794. The university is home to more than 38,000 students and 10,000 statewide employees—the Volunteers—who uphold the university’s tradition of lighting the way for others through leadership and service.

UT Knoxville offers over 900 programs of study across 14 degree-granting colleges and schools. As Tennessee’s flagship land-grant university, its footprint spans the entire state. The university holds the highest Carnegie classification for research activity and has deep partnerships with industry leaders and the US Department of Energy’s largest multidisciplinary laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

The Knoxville campus serves and recruits for UT Knoxville, including the Institute of Agriculture and the Space Institute, as well as the UT Institute of Public Service.

UT Knoxville considers its employees its number one asset. With values that focus on work-life balance, compensation, and innovation leadership, all Vols are supported to advance professionally. Employees have access to career development and coaching, continued education, and an extensive list of development and training possibilities. The Volunteer employee experience implements structures and practices that attract and retain a diverse community and that support a culture where everyone matters and belongs.

The university holds a strong commitment to its land-grant mission of learning and engagement, with a tradition of service and leadership that carries that Volunteer spirit throughout the state and around the world. It has been ranked nationally as “Best Employer for New Graduates,” “One of America’s Best Large Employers,” and “Best Workplace for Women,” and has been designated as “Best Place for Working Parents” by Forbes Magazine.

Apply today and join the Tennessee Volunteer community!