Admissions Representative

Job Purpose

The Admissions Representative is a member of the Admissions Office within the Office of the Provost of the University.

The role of the Admissions Representative is to review and evaluate applicant credentials and ensure that applications made to the University are complete, ready for review by faculty, and move expeditiously through the admissions process to the point of final decision. Critical to this is close liaison with both faculty and the applicant. The role requires an eye for detail and diligence to ensure all requirements are met by students and information updated in the application system for effective processing and reporting.

Major Accountabilities

General

• The primary objectives of the Admissions Representative are to (a) identify and progress applications (to programs in their assigned Division(s)) from high quality students, (b) to ensure that applicants have the information they need to meet institutional requirements, and (c) support faculty so that they can make timely decisions on applications and meet agreed admissions number targets.


• The admissions process is a partnership between the Admissions Office and faculty, and so the Admissions Representative will act as an advocate for the University within their allocated Division, and for the Division within the University.

Application Review

• Assess the completeness of applications and their readiness for processing.


• Thoroughly evaluate academic credentials of national and international applicants, including GPA calculations and conversions.


• Monitor the progress of applications relative to the admissions timeline, giving particular attention to those applications flagged as being priority.


• Ensure that records held in the admissions system and associated tools (currently Hobsons AT and Asana) concur, reflect current student status, and hold information necessary for relevant officers to take appropriate actions


• Pursue and verify applicants’ English language scores


• Schedule KAUST Interviews with applicants and admissions interviewers as advised by the Associate Director


• Process deferrals, transfers and all unresolved applications as needed to close the application cycle.


• Monitor the management of application numbers by faculty against relevant targets and objectives and provide timely advice to colleagues as appropriate.

Liaison with Other Parties

• Communicate with applicants throughout the admission process, providing high quality customer service. Communicate timelines, deadlines and admissions policies to faculty, and actively follow up to resolve or re-direct academic, process and systems queries.


• Collaborate with other Admissions Representatives to share good practice and maintain consistency of approach.


• Liaise with the wider Admissions Office to share relevant information and assist with projects or cases.


• Provide recommendations/feedback to faculty and relevant committees on applications, and attend program admissions committee meetings as required.


• Provide information as required by the Director and Associate Director to engage with program and Divisional issues.


• Liaise with Saudi Graduate Recruitment and the Student Recruitment team in the Office of the Provost to supply information and data, and assist with activities as appropriate.


• Liaise with GPCs, the Registrars Office, and the Onboarding Team as and when required to ensure that admitted applicants transition smoothly into the University

Systems and Reporting

• Work with faculty and the systems team within the Admissions Office to identify, assess and promote system and process improvements.


• Liaise with faculty on reporting needs and discuss provision with the Admissions Office analytics team.


• Conduct checks to ensure the validity of data held on respective systems. 

Other Duties

• Assist in the development of the strategy, policies and procedures of the Admissions Office.


• Assist with student recruitment activities as required, which may include participation in virtual and in-person events.


• Assist with managing the Admissions Inbox as and when required.


• Provide cover for other Admissions Representatives as and when necessary (for example during periods of leave, sickness or uneven load).


• Provide feedback/suggestions to the wider Admissions Office team and management.


• Assist VS/VSRP and internship students queries as needed.


• Any other duties as they may arise as required by the Director or Associate Director, particularly those which enable the role and ASR to evolve, develop and contribute effectively to the achievement of the University’s mission and objectives.

Competencies

• An understanding of international higher education (desirable)


• Ability to quickly absorb and articulate information relevant to the mission of ASR and the University


• Strong and persuasive communication skills, both in person and in writing (essential)


• Ability to empathize and engage with culturally-diverse stakeholders both internal and external to the University, and develop initiatives accordingly (essential)


• Excellent organizational and time management skills, with an ability to plan ahead and deliver under pressure  (essential)


• Ability to work both independently and as a team member, giving and gaining support for the work of the Admissions Office and the wider university (essential)


• Creative approach to problem solving and delivering effective engagement (essential)


• Ability to plan and develop contingencies around different scenarios; attention to detail (essential)


• Customer-service oriented ethic and approach in working with faculty, students and staff (essential)


• Knowledge of foreign education systems (desirable)

• Self-driven to learn new skills and acquire the essential knowledge to support university operations (essential)

Qualifications

• A Bachelors’ degree, in a Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematical subject (desirable).


• Familiarity with student information systems (desirable).


• Strong English language skills (essential); conversational proficiency in other languages (desirable).

Experience

• At least 3 year’s experience of working in a higher education or similar environment (desirable)


• Experience of working in student admissions or administration (desirable)