Associate Dean Enrollment Strategy and Growth

Position: Associate Dean for Enrollment Strategy and Growth
Position Overview

The University of Virginia's School of Continuing and Professional Studies (SCPS) seeks a strategic, data-driven leader to serve as Associate Dean for Enrollment Strategy, Management, and Growth. Reporting to the Dean and serving as a member of the Senior Leadership Team (SLT), the Associate Dean sets SCPS's enrollment growth strategy and oversees the management of admissions, financial aid, the registrar, and student success operations.

The Associate Dean leads the end-to-end enrollment strategy for SCPS's credit and noncredit portfolio, translating market demand into enrollment plans, revenue targets, and operational execution. The role partners closely with academic and student success teams to support persistence, completion, and post-completion outcomes and operates as a central integrator across marketing and admissions. The Associate Dean's direct reports span the full enrollment function, including admissions, financial aid, the registrar's office, and student success.

This role combines portfolio-level strategy with hands-on execution, requiring both vision and operational discipline.

Scope and Accountability

The Associate Dean is accountable for the following outcomes, with progress reported regularly to the Dean and SLT:

* Annual and multi-year enrollment growth across the SCPS portfolio, measured across program, population, and modality, with targets aligned to school priorities.

* Accountability for optimizing net tuition revenue and full-funnel performance, including discount strategy, financial aid leveraging, conversion improvement, persistence, retention, completion, and post-completion outcomes-acked and benchmarked by population segment against best-in-class standards.

* High standards of forecast accuracy at the portfolio level, supported by regular data refresh and performance monitoring.

* Marketing and enrollment efficiency, measured by LTV:

CAC (lifetime value to customer acquisition cost) with targets set by program maturity.

Success in these areas requires close coordination with marketing, academic, and technology partners, with shared accountability for performance across the enrollment lifecycle.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership

* Own the development of a comprehensive multi-year enrollment growth strategy across SCPS's full portfolio.

* Partner with academic leadership to align program offerings with workforce trends, employer demand, and learner needs.

* Lead early-stage enrollment strategy initiatives (e.g., Credit for Prior Learning (CPL), accelerated pathways, micro-credentials, and stackable credentials).

* Lead the transition to a more predictive, research-based enrollment model, drawing on market research, labor market data, and competitive intelligence.

Operational and Performance Management

* Set and oversee enrollment budgets, performance dashboards, and KPIs across the full enrollment cycle.

* Establish and manage performance against key metrics, including conversion, LTV:

CAC, cost per enrolled student, persistence, and forecast accuracy.

* Oversee compliance with institutional, accreditation, and regulatory requirements (SACSCOC, FERPA, Title IV, etc.).

* Lead through functional leaders across academic compliance and financial aid, ensuring aligned execution from enrollment operations through aid strategy.

Team Leadership and Culture

* Lead and develop a high-performing team across admissions, financial aid, the registrar, and student success, building a culture of data-informed decision-making across the enrollment function.

* Build professional development and retention strategies that strengthen team capabilities in a competitive talent market.

* Foster a culture of continuous improvement and experimentation to enhance performance and student experience.

Enrollment Marketing and Technology Integration

* Partner with Marketing with shared accountability for funnel performance, lead quality, and enrollment outcomes.

* Provide strategic direction and management of the enrollment technology stack (CRM, marketing automation, AI tools, SIS), ensuring data integrity and seamless applicant experience.

* Set and monitor response time standards leveraging AI-assisted outreach and human engagement.

* Evaluate and apply emerging trends in enrollment management (e.g., AI, predictive analytics, automation) to improve enrollment performance.

Academic and Cross-Campus Collaboration

* Partner with program directors and faculty to co-create and refine programs based on market data, employer demand, and enrollment feedback.

* Collaborate with Institutional Research, Financial Aid, and Student Services to align admissions, aid, and onboarding with student success outcomes.

* Engage with University leadership and peer schools to advance cross-Grounds initiatives and shared analytics infrastructure.

Student Experience, Retention, and Success

* Lead the design and continuous improvement of the prospective student experience from inquiry through matriculation.

* Partner with advising, career…