Position Summary

Reporting to the Executive Director of Admissions and Financial Aid at the Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA), the Associate Director plays a key role in managing the administrative and technical functions of the office. The incumbent works closely with the Executive Director to develop policies and procedures related to SIPA’s admissions operations. They also work closely with the Executive Director to uphold and strengthen the integrity of the admissions process flow from application through enrollment for SIPA’s programs. The Associate Director will gather and analyze data and research. Along with the Assistant Director, Systems, the incumbent serves as an administrator for various Admissions Office systems, This position is a key decision-maker for the Office of Admissions and will involve long-term strategic thinking and planning as well as key oversight of the Slate CRM system. The Associate Director of Admissions Operations also assists with application reading.

Responsibilities

The Associate Director will assist in the management of the administrative and technical functions of the office. Key responsibilities include the following:

Collaborate with the Executive Director to develop new policies and procedures related to admissions operations;
Develop, design, test, implement, and maintain enrollment services processing in SIS and SLATE;
Oversee the process to identify, build, and manage audit queries to reconcile student records throughout the applicant life cycle;
Work with both internal and external stakeholders to review data and application imports and exports;
Work with the Assistant Director, Systems to ensure accuracy and consistency of data across various systems;
Maintain a thorough working knowledge of all aspects of the online application system;
Oversee preparation of student materials for initial admissions decisions, student acceptance packages, and the initial deposit process.
Proactively create tracking tools and processes to audit data and ensure data integrity across all systems.
The incumbent will be responsible for providing data analysis for enrollment management, assuming primary responsibility for data analysis, including data cleaning, data management and statistical analysis tasks, identifying and solving data issues, and tracking, organizing, and maintaining data and metrics.

The Associate Director will work with the Assistant Director, Systems, in monitoring over 3,000 applications annually. They will manage Slate-related reporting and data requests, providing statistical analysis and summaries of enrollment data.

The Associate Director will work with the Admissions team to manage and contribute to content updates for the Admissions & Financial Aid web site.

The Associate Director will promote and facilitate staff development and training in areas related to office operations such as new technology and software, innovative process redesign, etc. They will manage the onboarding process for new employees, including the creation and routine updating of welcome and instructional memoranda, as well as the short- and long-term training of employees.

The incumbent will engage with and collaborate with other departments as necessary to meet the goals of the office.

The Associate Director will represent SIPA at various recruitment events as needed.

They will assist with fraud and compliance reviews during peak admission cycle, identify the completeness of applications, oversee the application file review process, and read applications during the peak admissions cycle.

The position supervises two unionized support team members. Duties include maintaining support team daily and weekly schedules, approving timesheets and sick time and vacation requests, and ensuring the office is properly staffed and supported throughout the various admissions cycles. The Associate Director provides guidance and training to the support team to ensure team members are working seamlessly on various projects and cross-trained on various responsibilities for proper coverage at all times.



Minimum Qualifications

Bachelor's degree or equivalent required.
Must have a minimum of three years of related professional experience such as in CRM configuration, implementation and administration, or as a senior business or marketing analyst in an IT environment with experience in the administration of customer relations applications.
Demonstrated experience in systems analysis, designing specifications, data segmentations, 4GL report writing, workflow tools, relational database management systems, SQL Server, word processing and statistical databases, debugging, data extraction, and an ability to work productively in highly collaborative environments that maximize autonomy and decision-making.
Ability to interact effectively with a culturally and ethnically diverse population of students, faculty, and staff.
Ability to be flexible and work effectively under pressure to meet deadlines.
Experience working in a fast-paced environment.
Ability to handle confidential information in a mature, professional manner.
Sound problem-solving and decision-making abilities, both as an independent entity and as part of a team.
Preferred Qualifications

Experience working with a CRM in higher education environments.
Experience working with SLATE highly desired.
Programming knowledge is helpful.
Proven record of successfully managing projects, working independently, analyzing data and meeting deadlines.
Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran

Columbia University is committed to the hiring of qualified local residents.