Assistant Dean of Full-time/MS Graduate Admissions

Salary Range: 

Salary commensurate with experience and qualifications

About SMU

SMU’s more than 12,000 diverse, high-achieving students come from all 50 states and over 80 countries to take advantage of the University’s small classes, meaningful research opportunities, leadership development, community service, international study and innovative programs.

SMU serves approximately 7,000 undergraduates and 5,000 graduate students through eight degree-granting schools: Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences, Cox School of Business, Lyle School of Engineering, Meadows School of the Arts, Simmons School of Education and Human Development, Dedman School of Law, Perkins School of Theology and Moody School of Graduate and Advanced Studies.

SMU is data driven, and its powerful supercomputing ecosystem – paired with entrepreneurial drive – creates an unrivaled environment for the University to deliver research excellence.

Now in its second century of achievement, SMU is recognized for the ways it supports students, faculty and alumni as they become ethical, enterprising leaders in their professions and communities. SMU’s relationship with Dallas – the dynamic center of one of the nation’s fastest-growing regions – offers unique learning, research, social and career opportunities that provide a launch pad for global impact.

SMU is nonsectarian in its teaching and committed to academic freedom and open inquiry.

About the Position:

This role is an on-campus, in-person position.

The Assistant Dean is responsible for driving the growth, competitiveness, and success of the Cox School of Business's portfolio of full-time and MS graduate programs, including MBA (1-Year and 2-Year), MSA, MSBA, MSAIB, MSF, MSM, and MSEM. Overseeing programs that enroll more than 500 students annually and generate over $25 million in revenue, this position plays a critical role in advancing the school's reputation, rankings, and strategic objectives. 

The Assistant Dean will develop and implement comprehensive recruitment, admissions, and enrollment strategies to attract and enroll high-caliber candidates in an increasingly competitive market. The role provides day-to-day leadership for the Full-Time and MS Admissions team, ensuring operational excellence across the candidate lifecycle, from recruitment through admissions, yield management, and enrollment. 

The position will ensure effective execution of recruitment strategies and alignment with key Cox stakeholders, including senior leadership, student services, faculty, and marketing. The position will also collaborate with the Senior Assistant Dean to enhance program competitiveness and deliver an exceptional student experience. 

The position also represents the school's graduate programs to prospective students, corporate partners, and industry stakeholders.

Essential Functions:

• FT MBA and MS Portfolio Strategy: develop strategies for FT MBA and MS program portfolio, including program modifications/additions, marketing, recruitment, revenue and scholarship projections, and operational execution. Translate vision into directives for managers with goals and metrics, and collaborate with Sr Asst Dean, Working Professionals MBA Asst Dean, and others to ensure alignment with Cox strategy and effective implementation / ongoing support.
   
• Staff Leadership: Serve as a direct manager, overseeing a team to develop and sustain a high level of performance. Hire, train, supervise, motivate, and evaluate team members, assessing and adjusting resources to sync with strategic plan and changing market conditions.
   
• Operational Excellence: create and implement processes for candidate awareness, application, assessment, and yield that are effective, efficient, and seamlessly integrate with other Cox Graduate Programs. Partner with Cox leadership, Student Services, Career Center, Alumni Outreach, faculty, and vendors to enhance cooperation and create a consistently top-tier student experience.
   
• Marketing / Outreach: Collaborate with Senior Assistant Dean, Assistant Dean of Working Professionals MBA Programs, Corporate Relations, and Marketing on planning and execution of B2B and B2C marketing and sales campaigns related to FT MBA and MS programs. Present to prospective students and corporate partners.
   
• FT MBA & MS Program Support: provide support into holistic student experience for the Full-time MBA and MS programs. Ensure alignment with Student Services for registrar-related items and CMC for career support.
   
• Metrics / Rankings: coordinate the accurate compilation and reporting of all Full-time MBA and MS Admissions-related data for ranking entities, internal reviews, and publication.
   
• Budget: manage operational budget to align spending with strategic priorities. Manage annual spend and tracking, providing recommendations to leadership for variations as needed. Track and allocate scholarship spend.
   
• Position requires some evening and weekend work for admissions-related programming.
   
• Occasional to frequent travel to conferences and admissions-related recruitment events domestically and internationally.