Director of Enrollment

Director of Enrollment

Job Description

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Position Overview

Contra Costa Christian Schools (CCCS) is seeking a visionary, mission-driven, and results-oriented Director of Enrollment to serve as a key member of the school’s Leadership Team. This senior leadership position will be responsible for developing and executing a comprehensive enrollment, marketing, retention, and community engagement strategy designed to advance the school’s mission and long-term growth objectives. CCCS is entering a significant season of opportunity. The school has established a vision for future campus expansion and increased impact throughout Contra Costa County. Achieving this vision requires sustained enrollment growth, strong family retention, enhanced community awareness, and strategic relationship development. The Director of Enrollment will strengthen the school’s brand visibility and reputation throughout the region; develop systems and strategies that support future advancement and capital campaign efforts; and build a culture of enrollment ownership across faculty, staff, parents, alumni, churches, and community partners. The Director will oversee Admissions and Marketing functions while serving as a strategic advisor to the Head of School regarding enrollment forecasting, demographic trends, growth opportunities, and long-range planning.

Mission Alignment & Leadership Oversight

The Director of Enrollment must possess a vibrant personal faith and a profound dedication to the philosophy of Christian education. Essential to this role is the ability to authentically advocate for CCCS’s mission, vision, and core values while fostering deep connections with prospective families, alumni, and community partners. As the chief architect of the school’s growth strategy, the Director serves as a senior leader reporting to the Head of School and supervising the Admissions and Marketing team. Key areas of oversight include Enrollment Management and Admissions, comprehensive Marketing and Brand Communications, and robust Retention and Community Outreach initiatives. Furthermore, this position drives strategic growth through enrollment forecasting, partnership development, and advancement support, ensuring the school’s long‑term sustainability and regional impact.

Qualifications & Core Competencies

Required Professional Experience:

• Leadership Background: At least 5 years of increasing responsibility in enrollment, business development, sales, or marketing leadership.
• Growth Achievement: A history of meeting and exceeding specific, data-driven growth objectives and scaling organizational impact.
• Systems & Financial Oversight: Expert ability to design strategic plans and operational systems while managing budgets and analyzing ROI.
• Technical Expertise: Advanced proficiency in CRM platforms and enrollment management software to optimize the recruitment funnel.
• Communication Mastery: Superior skills in public speaking, professional writing, and articulating a compelling vision to diverse audiences.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Educational Context: Experience within Christian or independent school environments, specifically in admissions or advancement.
• Donor & Team Leadership: Proven success in capital campaigns, fundraising, and managing high-performing marketing or admissions teams.
• Academic Credentials: Bachelor’s degree is required, though a Master’s degree is highly desirable.

Core Competencies:

• Strategic Vision: Skillfully balancing long‑term expansion goals with immediate operational targets.
  Relational Connectivity: A natural ability to build authentic partnerships with families, churches, and community stakeholders.
• Analytical Rigor: Leveraging demographic data and conversion metrics to drive informed decision-making.
• Marketing & Entrepreneurship: Dynamic understanding of brand strategy coupled with an entrepreneurial drive to create new opportunities.
• Mission Advocacy: Passionately inspiring the community toward the transformative mission of Christian education.

Personal Attributes & Cultural Fit:

• Mission Alignment: A deep commitment to the philosophy of Christian education and the mission of CCCS.
• Sales & Relationship Skills: Exceptional interpersonal, public speaking, and written communication skills. Ability to passionately and authentically close the deal with prospective families.
• Entrepreneurial Drive: High energy, self‑motivated, and comfortable operating with clear growth targets and accountability.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Marketing & Lead Generation

• Develop a Growth-Focused Marketing Plan: Create and implement an aggressive annual marketing and communications strategy specifically designed to expand the inquiry pipeline and improve our year over year retention numbers. This plan should be able to engage the entire professional community and create buy‑in from all stakeholders.
• Digital & In-Person Campaigns: Maximize local brand visibility through targeted digital marketing (SEO, PPC, social media advertising, CCCS website), localized print/mail campaigns, and community partnerships.
• Data-Driven Decision Making: Track, analyze, and report on the return on investment (ROI) of various marketing channels to optimize conversion rates from “Inquiry” to “Applicant” to “Enrolled”.

Enrollment Pipeline & Funnel Management

• Funnel Optimization: Systematically manage the admissions pipeline to meet the target of 125 new students, identifying and removing friction points in the inquiry, visit, application, and enrollment stages.
• Personalized Concierge Admissions: Own and lead all recruitment and admissions events including campus tours, open houses, information sessions, and shadow days in partnership with and supported by the Admissions and Marketing Manager.
• Consistent Follow-Up: Implement automated and personalized nurture campaigns to keep prospective families engaged throughout their
  decision‑making process.

Community Engagement & Ambassador Programs

• Leverage Current Networks: Cultivate a strong internal parent/student ambassador network to amplify word‑of‑mouth marketing, which is historically a Christian school’s strongest recruitment tool.
• Feeder Relationships: Build and maintain strong relationships with local Christian preschools, churches, homeschool co‑ops, and youth organizations to secure a consistent influx of applicants.
• Strategic Community Partnerships & Outreach: Proactively identify and develop new events, partnerships, and community relationships that increase brand awareness, deepen engagement with prospective families, and expand CCCS’s presence across both Christian and broader local communities.

Admissions Operations & Retention Collaborations

• Cross-Departmental Collaboration: Work closely with the Principals, Finance Department, and Board of Directors to align enrollment goals with tuition assistance allocations, class‑capacity limits, and budget requirements.
• Re-enrollment & Retention Support: Partner with school leadership to monitor current family satisfaction and execute retention strategies to protect the baseline student population.
• Budget Management: Have ownership of the annual marketing and admissions budget and report annual ROIs to leadership when requested.

Brand Management

• Campus Signage and Look and Feel: work closely with leadership and other staff to present our campus in positive light that promotes school pride and is exciting to share with prospective families
• Marketing Materials and Collateral: ensure best of class promotion materials and audio / video collateral that advances the school and its reputation.
• Merchandise / School Clothing: Manage and supervise the school clothing store and all other school merchandise (liaising with Athletics, Drama, extra curricular programs etc. to ensure alignment).

Key Performance Indicators & Metrics

• Enrollment Growth: Realize an increase in annual new student intake to a target of 125+ students annually while securing sustainable year‑over‑year momentum.
  Student Retention: Elevate current retention percentages from 75% to 90% or greater.
• Enrollment Funnel Performance: Optimize the recruitment pipeline by driving a higher volume of qualified inquiries and improving conversion metrics across tours, applications, and final enrollments.
• Community Engagement: Cultivate and expand strategic partnerships with local churches, preschools, and alumni networks to increase active referrals from within our current family community.
• Strategic Planning: Deliver precise enrollment forecasting and execute strategies that support long‑term expansion objectives, driving the school toward full capacity and campus growth.

Compensation & Benefits

• Type: Full-time, Year‑Round
• Salary: $90,000-$120,000 Annually. Dependent on level of experience and potential performance/milestone-based bonuses linked to growth targets.
• Benefits: Health, dental, vision insurance, retirement plan contributions, and tuition discounts for dependents attending CCCS.
• Professional Development Opportunities: At least one development conference attended each year with potential for more.