Executive Director of Admissions

Port Angeles, and Poulsbo. Western is recognized nationally for its successes, such as being named one of the top public master's-granting institutions in the Pacific Northwest for 25 years in a row by U.S. News & World Report.

Western Washington University is committed to achieving excellence through advancing inclusive success, increasing our Washington impact, and focusing on transformational education grounded in the liberal arts and sciences and based on innovative scholarship, research, and creative activity. Western's greatest strength is the outstanding students, faculty, staff, and alumni/ae who make up its community. Western supports an inclusive governance structure for all and provides a learning and working environment in which everyone can thrive. In pursuit of this excellence, individual employees are expected to establish and maintain productive and effective inclusive working relationships amongst diverse populations including staff, faculty, administration, student, and external constituents. Further, individual employees are expected to have the ability to operationalize sustainability concepts (economic, societal, environmental) into all aspects of performing their job duties.

About the Department

The Admissions Department supports Western's mission, which states that together with our students, staff, and faculty, we are committed to making a positive impact in the state and the world with a shared focus on academic excellence and inclusive achievement. We encourage applications from women, people of color, people with disabilities, veterans, and other candidates from underrepresented backgrounds and with diverse experiences interested in this opportunity.

The mission of WWU's Office of Admissions is to identify, attract, admit, and help enroll today’s brightest scholars and most promising future leaders. We will counsel and evaluate prospective students as individuals with unique strengths, needs, and paths as we build an increasingly diverse, talented, and dynamic student body.

About the Position

As part of the Division of Academic Affairs and reporting to the Vice Provost for Enrollment Management, the Executive Director of Admissions leads a team of about 30 permanent staff and a large team of student staff and is charged with developing and executing Western Washington University’s admissions and recruitment strategies. This role demands strong leadership, exceptional communication skills, technological fluency, a deep dedication to excellence in higher education, and a commitment to student success and development.

The Executive Director is an integral part of the Enrollment Management Unit and a critical player in developing enrollment strategies for the university. In addition to leading the admissions team and being an effective manager, this leader will foster meaningful relationships across campus and in the community, always with a student-centered approach. The Executive Director will lead recruitment efforts in alignment with the university’s vision and strategic plan, working in partnership with campus stakeholders to attract and enroll a diverse and talented undergraduate student body—including first-year, transfer, international, visiting/non-matriculating, returning, and dual enrolled—for the Bellingham campus and other WWU locations.

In addition to leading an efficient and effective admissions and recruitment operation, the Executive Director will be a collaborative leader and a diplomatic communicator who excels at bringing stakeholders together to support effective and data-driven decision-making in the search, outreach, recruitment, and yield of new students.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic Planning and Recruitment: Develop and implement a comprehensive and data-informed recruitment strategy including segmented recruitment plans, utilizing market data and enrollment trends to target prospective students effectively.
• Admissions Process Oversight: Manage the day-to-day operations of the admissions office, including application processing, review, and the final decision-making process.
• Team Leadership and Management: Build and lead a high-performing admissions team, cultivating a culture of collaboration, accountability, and continuous professional growth.
• Outreach and Events: Oversee the planning and coordination of on-campus recruitment events, including campus tours, information sessions, group events, fall preview events, and admitted student days. Also, guide the work of coordinating participation in events such as college fairs, high school visits, receptions and all outreach and events that promote the institution to prospective students and their families.
• Marketing and Communication: Collaborate with University Marketing to develop and distribute effective promotional materials and communication strategies across various channels (print, web, email, text, social media).
• Data Analysis and Reporting: Collect, analyze, and interpret enrollment data to evaluate the effectiveness of recruitment strategies, identify trends, and provide regular reports to senior leadership.
• Operational Excellence & Technological Fluency: Leverage deep expertise in Slate CRM and a strong understanding of the enrollment management lifecycle to enhance systems and processes. Collaborate with IT, institutional research, and administrative units to optimize outcomes.
• Collaboration and Liaison: Work closely with other university departments, including Financial Aid, Academic Advising, Orientation & Transition, University Residences, the Registrar’s Office, academic units, and Athletics, to ensure a seamless and supportive experience for new students.
• Policy and Compliance: Provide recommendations and guidance in the development of state and university policy. Develop, implement, and enforce admissions policies and procedures, ensuring compliance with all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations as well as institutional rules and policies.
• Budget Management: Plan, develop, and control the departmental budget, ensuring effective utilization of financial resources.

Duties / Responsibilities:

Leadership of Recruitment and Admissions- 40%

• Practices sound modeling, assessment, and strategic planning to support the university's vision, mission, and strategic goals;
• In collaboration with university partners, builds recruitment plans, develops timelines, and executes admissions and recruitment plans;
• Stays current with national and regional trends in university admissions and in high schools;
• Serves as a key contributor to enrollment management planning for the university;
• Develops strategies and plans to recruit new students in a changing enrollment landscape, with attention to changes in high school graduation volumes, community college enrollment levels, and shifts in student demographics and geography, among other factors;
• Researches industry practices and implements procedures consistent with best practices;
• Reviews applications for admission—often providing decisions on the most complex files;
• Oversees the design of processes to ensure the clear, efficient tracking of application review from beginning to end;
• Serves as the final authority on appeals of admission and scholarship decisions;
• Works with Enrollment Management and others to establish the scholarship model for recruitment;
• Identifies and implements effective awarding strategies for Admissions scholarships and tuition waivers in collaboration with the Vice Provost for Enrollment Management and Admissions and Financial Aid colleagues;
• Collaborates with Enrollment Management colleagues in aligning the work of the Admissions Office in supporting campus enrollment goals, including increasing access and diversity;
• Researches, assesses, and prioritizes the university’s positioning on College Search platforms; and
• Guides and provides expertise in the development of communications strategies for admissions and as a part of enrollment management efforts (print, media, and web content), ensuring that they are clear, accessible, inclusive, and represent the university well.

Management of Staff – 15%

• Models, supports, and holds others accountable to the university’s values of integrity, dedication, excellence, creativity, and teamwork;
• Provides overall direction and supervision of staff with very different job responsibilities and skillsets, while demonstrating effective leadership in training, motivating, and counseling;
• Works with a variety of stakeholders to assess change readiness and provides direct support and coaching through transitions;
• Sets strong example and sets standards for excellent customer service;
• Ensures the training of new employees and provides leadership and management best practices to develop a strong sense of teamwork, equity, and investment among the admissions team;
• Sets clear performance expectations and holds employees accountable;
• Exercises supervisory authority, including hiring, coaching, transferring, suspending, promoting, managing conduct and performance, discharging, assigning, rewarding, disciplining, and/or approving hours worked for at least 3 direct reports within the department; and
• Communicates regularly with leadership team and all staff about issues impacting operations.

Represent the Team and the University—20%

• Serves as spokesperson for admissions at recruitment events (on campus and off) as well as at other events;
• Represents the office professionally and effectively among university and external constituents;
• Serves on campus and external committees, boards, and/or task forces;
• Establishes and maintains strong collegial relationships with students, families, faculty, administrators, and community members;
• Actively participates in professional meetings, conferences, and workshops;
• Meets and communicates regularly with colleagues in similar positions/roles at other institutions;
• Consults with deans, directors, staff and faculty throughout campus on matters relating to admissions and recruitment;
• Serves as the campus point of contact for admissions related matters;
• Serves as a resource for all academic departments;
• Routinely makes admissions presentations and participates in events related to admissions; and
• Performs other duties as assigned by the Vice Provost for Enrollment Management.

Reporting and Data Analysis - 15%

• Approves all reporting on admissions to external organizations and/or national surveys prior to submission;
• Compiles and distributes year-end reports on trends and patterns in recruitment as well as outcomes;
• Leads annual assessment and strategic planning efforts for the office;
• Develops strategies to track key performance indicators through the admissions cycle;
• Anticipates problems where data/trends provide indications of issues and develops mitigation plans;
• Routinely reports on progress to goals and on admissions activities to the Vice Provost and others;
• Prepares reports for leadership, Board of Trustees, high schools, community partners, and others;
• Analyzes data for long range and short range planning;
• Understands and utilizes systems effectively to optimize the work of the team;
• Analyzes data to determine effectiveness of outreach and marketing efforts and makes informed adjustments; and
• Formulates and applies research in developing admissions policies and procedures that promote recruitment, retention, and student success.

Compliance, Policy, and Budget- 10%

• Monitors statutory, regulatory, and policy changes affecting recruitment and admissions in higher education;
• Develops plans for implementation of changes to regulations and policies;
• Advises leadership on implications of legislative policy proposals;
• Takes steps to improve process efficiencies through the implementation of new technology and process enhancements;
• Ensures the highest ethical standards of the profession are upheld by the team; and
• Has fiscal responsibility for the office operating budget including salaries and expenditures, providing long-term planning and budget projections to ensure operational stability.

Required Qualifications

• Master’s degree;
• Minimum of 8 years of progressively responsible experience in college recruitment and admissions; and
• Minimum of 5 years’ experience supervising professional staff in higher education admissions.

Preferred Qualifications

• Demonstrated knowledge of the admission process, including recruitment/yield, application review, application processing, and applicant communication strategies;
• Knowledge of higher education recruitment landscape;
• Fluency in best practices for college recruitment;
• Demonstrated leadership supporting diversity and multiculturalism and sensitivity to academic, socioeconomic, cultural, and ethnic backgrounds of applicants;
• Excellent communication skills;
• Understanding of innovative technology and media in recruitment and admissions processes, including knowledge and effective integration of CRM, student information systems such as BANNER, Parchment, etc.;
• Demonstrated budget management experience;
• Demonstrated understanding of the role of scholarships and other financial aid in achieving enrollment goals;
• Demonstrated ability to establish collegial relationships with students, family members, faculty, administrators, staff and the community;
• Experience analyzing and interpreting data to support decision making for building recruitment strategies; and
• Strong record of successful team-building and management of staff.

Conditions of Employment

All employees must comply with our Immunization policies, including Proof of Rubeola Measles Immunity within 60-days of hire. Please reach out to HR@wwu.edu if you need information regarding medical or religious exemption and applicable accommodations.

Salary Hiring range is $137,968 - $158,664/year. Through longevity position tops out at $179,359.

Benefits Information Benefits Overview for Administrative Professional Position.

Application Instructions

Application materials should address your experience related to the position responsibilities and the required and preferred qualifications.

Application and Nomination Process

Confidential inquiries are welcomed and nominations are invited.

To apply, submit:

• A letter of interest
• Current resume
• At least three references with full contact information. References will not be contacted without consent from applicants.

Closing Date Notes Application review begins February 17, 2026; position is open until filled.