Associate Director of MS Admissions & Director of Financial Aid

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF MIDDLE SCHOOL ADMISSIONS &

DIRECTOR OF FINANCIAL AID

Pace Academy is an independent college preparatory school in Atlanta, Ga., with an enrollment of 1,150 students in Pre-First through 12th grade. The school provides a learning environment that cultivates global citizenship, a spirit of service, respect for differences and strong character in its students. Our commitment to a diverse, equitable and inclusive culture is reflected in a community in which differences are embraced, and students, parents/caregivers, faculty and staff have a sense of belonging.

The Associate Director of Middle School Admissions & Director of Financial Aid will recruit prospective families, represent the school at admissions events on and off campus, develop and maintain strong relationships with feeder schools, analyze enrollment trends and strategize solutions, work comfortably with enrollment software, maintain a presence in the Atlanta marketplace, and curate written and social media content. The Associate Director must work very closely with the rest of the admissions team to advance the mission of our K-12 school.


The best candidates must understand the distinct aspects of an independent school education and be able to articulate that experience to a diverse group of prospective families. They will have demonstrated a proven ability to cultivate relationships with internal and external constituents of the Pace community, and a desire to work diligently and strategically to grow that constituency group.


In addition to their admissions responsibilities, this candidate will also serve as Director of Financial Aid, playing a vital role in managing and overseeing all aspects of financial aid and affordability at Pace Academy. Working closely with the Financial Aid Committee, student billing staff and Business Office staff, this position administers financial aid awards, reviews tax documents, processes appeals, and ensures equitable distribution of funds for new and returning families. They also manage the Georgia Tax Credit Program, faculty tuition remission, and non-tuition essential budgets, supporting access to school programs such as athletics, arts, academic resources, and trips. In collaboration with school leadership, the Director analyzes award distribution to strengthen long-term financial planning and provides reports to the Board of Trustees and other key departments. Additionally, they research best practices, assess the effectiveness of financial aid policies, and develop outreach and marketing strategies to attract families from diverse income levels. As a thought leader in independent school affordability, the Director of Financial Aid ensures that Pace Academy remains accessible, competitive, and financially sustainable.


At Pace, we hire culturally competent and responsive candidates who believe in the critical importance of diversity, equity and inclusion in the life of a school and can effectively incorporate those principles in their professional roles. Pace actively seeks candidates from historically underrepresented populations.

ADMISSIONS ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Represent the school at admissions events, including tours, meetings, fairs, and feeder school visits.
• Cultivate strong relationships with prospective families, providing guidance throughout the admissions process.
• Coordinate all scheduling related to tours, shadow visits, interviews, and observations.
• Recruit, train, and manage student and parent volunteers, including the Student Ambassador program.
• Research feeder schools to understand academic programs and cultures.
• Assist in planning and executing admissions events (e.g., Open House, SSAT/JATP).
• Read applicant files, assign files to committee members, and help select and train committee members.
• Liaise with the Office of Athletics for prospective student-athletes and with outside organizations (e.g., A Better Chance).
• Track application data and analyze trends to inform decision-making.
• Manage admissions decisions, enrollment numbers, and follow-up with families not offered admission.
• Support onboarding of new families, including orientation and buddy programs.
• Assist with marketing and communication efforts, including print, email, and web content.
• Contribute to continuous improvement of the admissions process and support the school's strategic plan.
• Serve as a key advisor to the Director of Enrollment Management and participate in faculty/staff meetings and retreats.
• Represent the school at AAAIS events and pursue ongoing professional development.
• Manage late inquiries and applicants.

FINANCIAL AID ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Oversee all financial aid awards for new and returning families, including but not limited to: communication with families; review of tax documents; analysis of awards; processing appeals.
• Maintain records and databases, such as Clarity and Veracross
• In conjunction with the COO, oversee all components of the Georgia Tax Credit Program, including but not limited to: managing the budget; analyzing eligibility; communicating with families; imputing and tracking data with our SSO partner
• Oversee all components of faculty tuition remission, including but not limited to: meeting with faculty to discuss the process; analyzing applications; recommending awards; communicating with faculty
• Oversee the non-tuition essentials budget, including but not limited to: athletics, arts, ICGL, overnight trips, books, calculators, technology, college counseling trips, debate trips, and any other non-tuition item that inhibits a student's ability to participate in the life of the school.
• In coordination with the COO, analyze and manage award distribution across grades and divisions to strengthen long-range financial planning.
• Provide written reports to the Board of Trustees and other departments such as the Advancement Office as requested
• Work with the three divisions (lower, middle, upper) to understand impediments

to a full Pace education; identify additional costs of attendance or areas of need for recipient families to ensure an equitable experience

• Serve as a thought leader in affordability of independent schools, financial aid policies,

and help the school develop strategies to continue to make Pace accessible to a

wide variety of families

• Develop affordability outreach and marketing strategies to attract families from all income brackets to the school

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

• Ability to represent the school and its mission
• Integrity, creativity and a sense of humor
• Must possess the ability to think administratively with intuition and excellent listening skills
• Exceptional interpersonal, strategic, analytical, organizational, and written and oral communication skills
• Must participate fully in the life of the school, including but not limited to, attending campus events, engaging with students in all grade levels and attending all regularly scheduled meetings, including departmental, full and division-specific faculty meetings
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and build strong relationships with colleagues, current and prospective families
• Genuine appreciation of children and young adults
• Prior experience in understanding how best to counsel prospective students and their families
• Attentive to detail in the management of the admissions process, resourceful and ability to think ahead
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment, often demonstrating a work ethic that exceeds a 40-hour work week
• Ability to multi-task and manage several projects with deadlines at the same time
• Ability to work as a team member and display positive behaviors
• Strong understanding of technology and data management systems
• Requires outstanding presentation skills to audiences of all sizes
• A bachelor's degree from an accredited university and five to seven years of admissions or related experience. Experience administering financial aid in an independent school setting is preferred.
• Must be able to work on campus, in-person

WORKING CONDITIONS:

• Moderate noise associated with office environment
• May have to traverse campus during a variety of weather conditions
• Ability to sit at a computer terminal for an extended period
• While performing the duties of this job, the employee may be regularly required to stand, sit, talk, hear, reach, stoop, kneel, and use hands and fingers to operate a computer, telephone and keyboard
• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision requirements due to computer work
• Light to moderate lifting up to 30 pounds may be required

Department: Admissions

Reports To: Director of Enrollment Management

FLSA Status: Exempt, 12-Month Position

Pace offers a complete benefits package, including medical, dental and vision insurances, a 403(b) plan with a generous match, paid term life and disability insurances, supplemental insurance plans and Flexible Spending Accounts.

Learn more about Pace Academy Admissions

Learn more about our Action Plan for Racial Equity

How to Apply: Attach the following in a Word or PDF format; Resume, Cover Letter, List of three references when applying online.

Equal Employment Opportunity Employer