VP for Recruitment Marketing and Enrollment

The University of Olivet, a private liberal arts institution located in Olivet, Michigan, seeks an experienced, innovative, and growth-oriented leader to serve as Vice President for Recruitment Marketing & Enrollment. Reporting directly to the President and serving as a member of the President’s Cabinet and Executive Council, the Vice President provides executive leadership for the University’s full recruitment and enrollment enterprise, with particular emphasis on recruitment marketing strategy, admissions execution, and AI-enabled growth systems.

This role serves as the University’s chief architect and accountable leader for recruitment growth across traditional undergraduate, online undergraduate, graduate, adult, and emerging markets, with clear responsibility for outcomes at a pivotal moment in the institution’s trajectory. The Vice President is responsible for aligning recruitment marketing strategy, admissions operations, enrollment analytics, and strategic enrollment management (SEM) to advance the University’s mission, strategic plan, and long-term financial sustainability.

The Vice President works in close partnership with the Chief Marketing Officer to ensure alignment between institutional brand, recruitment messaging, digital engagement strategies, and conversion outcomes, while retaining clear responsibility for recruitment performance, enrollment results, and continuous improvement of the recruitment funnel.

The University of Olivet and the Opportunity Context

Founded in 1844, The University of Olivet is a private, mission-driven liberal arts institution with a long-standing commitment to access, equity, and individualized student success. Olivet was the first college in Michigan to admit women and persons of color on a co-equal basis with white men and continues to define itself by who it includes rather than who it excludes.

Over the past decade, and particularly in recent years, Olivet has been engaged in a deliberate period of institutional transformation. In August 2023, Olivet College formally became The University of Olivet, reflecting its evolution into a more comprehensive institution offering a growing portfolio of campus-based, online undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs.

The University enrolls students across three colleges (College of Social Impact, Media & the Arts, College of Science, Health & Human Advancement, and College of Business & Leadership) and the Graduate School, and serves a diverse student body that includes a high proportion of first-generation, Pell-eligible, and traditionally underserved students. Olivet has experienced significant enrollment momentum, expanded academic offerings, increased diversity, and strengthened institutional capacity while navigating the same demographic and market headwinds affecting higher education nationally.

Olivet is currently executing its strategic plan, Olivet 2030: A Vision for a Prosperous Future, which calls for the University to remain firmly rooted in its mission while intentionally growing enrollment, programs, and resources; enhancing quality; and expanding its reach beyond campus. Central to this plan is the recognition that sustainable growth requires modern recruitment marketing, disciplined

admissions execution, effective use of data and technology, and strong alignment between mission and market.

The Vice President for Recruitment Marketing & Enrollment plays a central and visible role in advancing this work, helping to shape the University’s next phase of enrollment growth and market engagement. The position is designed to provide executive-level leadership, authority, and accountability for recruitment growth at a pivotal moment in the University’s trajectory, with direct access to presidential leadership and the opportunity to shape systems, strategies, and culture that will define Olivet’s next chapter.

Position Overview

The Vice President for Recruitment Marketing & Enrollment serves as the University’s senior enrollment and recruitment growth executive, charged with developing, directing, and holding accountability for a comprehensive, data-informed, and AI-enabled enrollment strategy.

The Vice President provides leadership for

Recruitment marketing strategy and demand generation
Admissions strategy and execution, through a clearly empowered admissions deputy
Enrollment analytics, forecasting, and performance accountability
Strategic enrollment management across the student lifecycle

The Vice President ensures that recruitment marketing intelligence, admissions operations, financial sustainability, and student success are integrated into a cohesive growth architecture aligned with institutional priorities.

Key Responsibilities

Recruitment Marketing & Growth Strategy

Develop and lead a comprehensive recruitment marketing strategy that drives inquiry generation, application growth, yield, and net tuition outcomes across all enrollment markets.
Leverage market research, demographic analysis, and digital engagement data to identify growth opportunities and refine recruitment strategies.
Ensure recruitment marketing strategies are aligned with the University’s brand, mission, and value proposition in close collaboration with the Chief Marketing Officer.
Translate marketing intelligence into actionable admissions and conversion strategies.

Admissions Leadership & Execution

Provide executive leadership and accountability for admissions strategy and outcomes across traditional undergraduate, online, graduate, adult, and transfer populations.
Lead admissions execution through a clearly empowered Assistant Vice President/Senior Director of Admissions, who oversees daily admissions operations, counselor management, campus visit programs, and yield tactics.
Establish clear enrollment goals, performance metrics, and accountability structures for admissions teams.
Ensure a high-quality, personalized, and mission-aligned admissions experience for prospective students and families.

AI, CRM, and Enrollment Technology Strategy

Provide strategic leadership for the effective use of enrollment technologies and AI-enabled systems, including Slate, Halda, and related CRM and analytics platforms, ensuring these tools are leveraged thoughtfully to improve personalization, decision-making, and measurable recruitment and enrollment outcomes.
Ensure that AI and predictive analytics are embedded across recruitment and admissions workflows to support personalization at scale, counselor effectiveness, and data-informed decision making, while fostering staff understanding, adoption, and continuous learning in the use of emerging tools.
Oversee the development and use of dashboards and performance reports connecting recruitment marketing activity, admissions engagement, and enrollment outcomes.

Campus Visit & Conversion Architecture

Ensure the design and continuous improvement of a comprehensive campus visit and engagement strategy that reflects Olivet’s relational culture and drives conversion from inquiry to enrollment.
Hold admissions leadership accountable for visit yield, follow-up effectiveness, and prospective student experience quality.

Strategic Enrollment Management & Institutional Alignment

Lead the University’s strategic enrollment management framework, aligning recruitment, admissions, financial aid strategy, registration processes, and retention initiatives.
Collaborate closely with Academic Affairs, Student Affairs, Finance, and other senior leaders to align enrollment goals with academic capacity, student success, and financial sustainability.
Provide regular enrollment forecasting, risk analysis, and performance reporting to the President, Cabinet, and Board of Trustees.

Leadership & Team Development

Provide vision, leadership, and accountability for a high-performing enrollment organization.
Support the professional development and effectiveness of senior enrollment leaders and staff.
Foster a culture of innovation, collaboration, data-informed decision making, and student-centered service.

Qualifications

Required

Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree preferred.
Minimum of 5 years of progressively responsible leadership experience in enrollment management, admissions, recruitment marketing, or a related growth-focused role in higher education or adjacent sectors, with demonstrated accountability for outcomes and capacity to lead through change.
Demonstrated success driving enrollment growth through data-informed strategy, admissions execution, and recruitment marketing alignment.
Experience leveraging CRM systems, analytics, and technology-enabled workflows to improve recruitment and enrollment outcomes.
Strong strategic, analytical, communication, and leadership skills.

Preferred

Experience integrating recruitment marketing and admissions functions.
Familiarity with AI-enabled enrollment platforms and predictive analytics, with demonstrated interest in learning, adapting, and leading teams in the effective use of emerging technologies.
Experience in private, mission-driven, or liberal arts institutions.
Knowledge of Michigan and Midwest recruitment markets, as well as national online and graduate markets.

Leadership Attributes

Growth-oriented strategist with a strong execution mindset.
Comfortable operating at the intersection of marketing intelligence, admissions operations, and institutional strategy.
Collaborative leader who builds strong partnerships across divisions.
Decisive, data-informed, and adaptable in complex and changing environments.
Committed to access, belonging, and student-centered outcomes.

Location

The University of Olivet is located in Olivet, Michigan, a small college town centrally positioned between major Midwest population centers, including Lansing, Detroit, and Chicago.

Application and Nomination

Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. The anticipated start date is early 2026.

To apply: Please provide a cover letter and resume or CV through the University’s portal Here.

The University of Olivet is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to building a diverse and inclusive campus community. Women and members of historically underrepresented groups are strongly encouraged to apply.