Associate Director of Systems and Data

Associate Director of Systems and Data

The Undergraduate Admissions Office (UAO) at Cornell University seeks a collaborative, strategic, and innovative professional to serve as Associate Director of Systems and Data. This position plays a critical role in advancing the strategic goals of the office through project/change management of a wide range of projects, with a deep focus on our CRM, Slate. This position supports optimizing business processes, ensures the successful implementation of cross-functional initiatives, all within the greater vision for systems used across the unit.

The incumbent will support the work of the Deputy Director of Admissions Strategy and Optimization to foster a culture of innovation, continuous improvement, and operational excellence.

Key Responsibilities

• Project & Change Management:
• Lead strategic projects and change initiatives, ensuring alignment with institutional priorities and successful stakeholder adoption.
• Drive project planning, risk management, and cross-functional collaboration to achieve organizational goals.
• Slate System Strategy & Design:
• Serve as a Slate subject matter expert, designing scalable solutions, workflows, and system enhancements that support admissions and institutional strategy.
• Guide long-term system planning, including architecture, integrations, and process optimization.
• Operations & Quality Assurance:
• Ensure data integrity, compliance, and operational excellence through quality assurance, process standardization, and continuous improvement.
• Develop and maintain documentation, testing, and governance practices to support effective and efficient admissions operations.

About the Department

UAO provides leadership for prospect management, student recruitment and communication, admissions social media, application processing, the prospective student visit experience, yield strategy and coordination, market research, long-range planning, and admissions volunteer engagement. UAO also directs university-wide enrollment efforts for special populations, including the recruitment, selection, and enrollment of recruited athletes, underrepresented minority students, and international students.

What We Need

For full consideration, applicants must include both a resume and cover letter with their application.

We seek a collaborative and results-driven professional who can manage complex projects, drive continuous improvement through data-informed solutions, build strong cross-functional partnerships, lead change effectively, and communicate complex information clearly to diverse audiences.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in data science, information systems, business administration, higher education, or a related field and a minimum of 5 years of professional experience in data analysis, informatics, project management, higher education, preferably admissions and/or enrollment, or a related area, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Advanced, hands-on experience with Technolutions Slate.
• Experience modeling values that support inclusion, belonging, and wellbeing.
• Experience configuring and managing Microsoft 365 tools, including SharePoint, Teams, One Note, and One Drive, to support organizational collaboration and information sharing.
• Experience with project management tools (e.g. Smartsheet, TDX, or Jira).
• Demonstrated ability to lead and manage complex projects with multiple stakeholders.
• Knowledge of change management frameworks and best practices.
• Strong organizational and time management skills with attention to detail.
• Ability to cultivate and develop inclusive working relationships with students, faculty, staff, and community members.

Rewards and Benefits

• This position is eligible for a hybrid work arrangement. Employees typically perform this role remotely 4 days per week and on-campus 1 day per week. The university reserves the right to modify, suspend, revoke or terminate the hybrid work arrangement at any time.
• Cornell receives national recognition as an award-winning workplace for our health, wellbeing, and sustainability.
• Our benefits programs include comprehensive health care options, generous retirement contributions, access to wellness programs, and employee discounts with local and national retail brands. We invite you to follow this link to get more information about our benefits:
  Understand Your Benefits | Working at Cornell.
• Our leave provisions include health and personal leave, three weeks of vacation and 13 holidays:
  Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and the day after, and an end of the year winter break from December 25-January 1. To offer greater flexibility for observing faiths and traditions we also offer two additional floating holidays. Learn more about our generous leave provisions:
  Holiday and Accrued Time Off | Working at Cornell
• Cornell's impressive educational benefits include tuition-free Extramural Study and Employee Degree Program, tuition aid for external…