Senior Associate Director, Predegree Advising and Admissions Policy Management

Job Summary:

Lead admissions operations and planning that may include applicant recruitment and evaluation, event planning, data analysis and policy and workflow development.

Job-Specific Responsibilities:

The Senior Associate Director oversees the consistent interpretation and administration of predegree advising and admissions policies and processes and supervises the advising team. The role provides leadership on complex student matters and institutional risk; manages key departmental operations; and uses data to inform policy, planning, decision-making, and continuous improvement.

Other duties and responsibilities:

• Ensure compliance with School and University admissions and academic policies and applicable legal requirements.

• Research, analyze, interpret, and resolve policy questions, providing accurate and timely guidance to department, School, and University staff and leadership.

• Identify, monitor, and mitigate potential risks to School and University administration, operations, community, and reputation arising from admissions-related policies, practices, and student matters.

• Maintain departmental procedural resources, records, and databases to support consistent practices, informed decision-making, and continuous improvement to policy understanding and administration.

• Ensure the consistent and appropriate application of policy by the advising team through initial and ongoing training, guidance, and quality oversight.

• Manage and administer the policy petition process for all predegree students, including evaluating complex requests, issuing communications, and preparing materials for escalation to the Administrative Policy Committee and Administrative Board.

• Evaluate and resolve complicated predegree student concerns and complaints, engaging with students in a helpful, respectful, and accessible manner.

• Directly manage predegree and admissions advisors and the Assistant Director of Predegree Advising and Admissions Policy Management, providing coaching, performance management, professional development, and operational guidance; model and reinforce departmental values to support a collaborative, accountable, and student-centered work environment.

• Participate as a member of the OPA&A leadership team in annual and seasonal departmental processes for managing degree program changes, application and admission eligibility reviews and reporting, and student communications.

• Integrate, extract, and analyze quantitative and qualitative data from multiple HES systems and external sources, developing clear and concise reports, dashboards, presentations, and other data visualizations that communicate findings, trends, implications, and recommendations to stakeholders in an accessible and actionable manner.

• Serve as a strategic thought partner to OPA&A leadership and a policy and operational resource for peer and senior DCE colleagues, informing stakeholders  and participating in relevant meetings and cross-functional initiatives as needed.

Working Conditions:

This position will be based in Cambridge, MA. Hybrid workplace models in place at DCE with a minimum of 2 days per week on campus. DCE or department may adjust these as necessary or appropriate.