Assistant Director of Recruitment and Admissions - Professional Graduate Programs, Smeal Colleg

Position: Assistant Director of Recruitment and Admissions - Professional Graduate Programs, Smeal Colleg[...]
APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS:

CURRENT PENN STATE EMPLOYEE (faculty, staff, technical service, or student), please login to Workday to complete the internal application process . Please do not apply here, apply internally through Workday.

CURRENT PENN STATE STUDENT (not employed previously at the university) and seeking employment with Penn State, please login to Workday to complete the student application process. Please do not apply here, apply internally through Workday.

If you are NOT a current employee or student, please click “Apply” and complete the application process for external applicants .Approval of remote and hybrid work is not guaranteed regardless of work location. For additional information on remote work at Penn State, see Notice to Out of State Applicants .POSITION SPECIFICSAssistant Director of Recruiting and Admissions Office of Professional Graduate Programs – Smeal College of Business, Penn State University Penn State’s Smeal College of Business seeks a dynamic, results-oriented, and collaborative professional to serve as Assistant Director of Recruiting and Admissions for its residential one-year specialty master’s programs.

This is a highly visible, fast-paced role focused on strategic recruitment, frequent travel, event planning, and high-volume prospective student engagement.

For full consideration, applicants are asked to provide a resume/CV and Cover Letter to include a brief description of their connection to, or interest in, specialized master’s programs and how that perspective would inform their approach to recruiting and admissions.

Key Responsibilities Lead recruitment efforts for Smeal’s specialty master’s programs, with a heavy focus on domestic travel, Penn State campus recruitment (University Park and Commonwealth Campuses), classroom and club presentations, career fairs, and external university visits.

Plan and execute engaging presentations, events, and information sessions virtually and in person, including frequent on-campus visits and periodic travel to major U.S. cities and international locations.

Support digital recruitment initiatives by creating targeted recruitment content to be distributed across email, social media, digital advertising, and web-based channels; collaborate with marketing and program teams to increase program awareness, engagement, and lead generation.

Serve as the primary point of contact for prospective students throughout the recruitment and admissions cycle—delivering personalized guidance via email, phone, Zoom, and in-person meetings.

Build and maintain relationships with internal and external stakeholders to expand recruitment pipelines, including faculty, staff, alumni, and key partners at Penn State campuses and surrounding colleges.

Manage application follow-up and yield communications, ensuring timely, effective engagement with prospective students through Salesforce CRM, GRADS ATS, and other systems.

Monitor and utilize recruitment data and CRM analytics to evaluate campaign effectiveness, identify prospective student engagement trends, and recommend strategies to improve inquiry conversion and enrollment outcomes.

Provide operational and logistical support for admissions processing, onboarding, and international student documentation, ensuring alignment with University policies and timelines.

Evaluate applications and credentials to determine admissions decisions, financial aid eligibility, visa documentation needs, and transfer credit approvals, as appropriate.

Collaborate across departments and programs, including marketing and communications partners, to ensure consistent messaging and an excellent prospective student experience across both in-person and digital recruitment channels.

Support and occasionally lead evening and weekend events, including open houses, webinars, and partner events.

Competitive candidates will have...Familiarity with graduate business education environments—such as exposure to specialized master’s programs, cohort-based learning models, or student engagement within a business school setting (e.g., through academic experience, professional collaboration, or alumni connections to programs like the Smeal…