Director of Admissions, South Miami, FL

Role Overview

Excelon Associates is conducting a search for a Director of Admissions on behalf of a private university at its South Miami, Florida campus. The Director of Admissions is accountable for the overall successful operation of the campus Admissions Office: the recruitment, enrollment, admissions, and orientation programs, the admissions business plan and expense control, and the results of a team of 4 to 12 admissions representatives. The position is full time and on site in South Miami, in Miami-Dade County.

The seat carries a number. The Director develops the admissions operations plan behind the division president's goals, manages enrollment forecast models with campus leadership, runs recruitment events and job fairs across Miami-Dade, and builds the employer and community relationships that keep the campus visible in a crowded South Florida market. Candidates need a Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Business Administration, or a related field, three to five years of supervisory experience, and ideally prior experience as a director or executive at a proprietary college. Compensation is discussed with qualified candidates.

What Does a Director of Admissions Do?

A Director of Admissions at a career-focused university is the campus executive responsible for new student enrollment. The role sets the recruitment and enrollment strategy, manages the admissions budget, supervises the admissions representatives who turn inquiries into enrolled students, and reports the results to campus and divisional leadership. At this client, the Director also runs orientation, owns the CRM in which every call, presentation, group deal, and follow-up is logged, and plans the promotional events and community partnerships that keep the lead pipeline full.

Admissions at proprietary institutions in Florida sits inside a defined compliance structure. Campuses hold a license from the Commission for Independent Education at the Florida Department of Education, and institutions that participate in federal student aid follow the Title IV recruiting rules set by Federal Student Aid, including the ban on incentive compensation tied to enrollment numbers. The Director keeps the South Miami admissions operation productive and compliant at the same time, and is the person who answers inquiries, complaints, and audit findings from regulators or internal audit.

The South Miami campus draws from Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the center of a metro area of more than six million people. Prospective students in this market come through employer referrals, community events, and digital inquiries, and a large share of them speak Spanish or Haitian Creole at home, so local relationships and disciplined follow-up matter as much as advertising spend. For a generic version of this role, including a downloadable template, see Excelon's Director of Admissions sample job description.

Primary Responsibilities

Enrollment Planning and Forecasting

• Develop the admissions operations plan in support of the division president's operational goals.
• Build enrollment strategies that hold together across the campus, and align enrollment services priorities with the admissions strategic plan.
• Develop, review, and monitor recruitment and enrollment strategies against campus enrollment goals, and assess them each year with metrics and trend data.
• Analyze statistics and trends to determine enrollment outcomes, and manage enrollment forecast models with campus leadership.
• Track campus and industry trends and adjust the business strategy when the market or a competitor moves.

Team Leadership and Coaching

• Provide direction and day-to-day management for the admissions staff, typically 4 to 12 direct reports.
• Set measurable goals for the admissions organization and partner with campus leadership on hiring, mentoring, and accountability.
• Recruit, train, develop, and manage representatives to raise lead volume, conversion rates, and enrollment results.
• Deliver regular specialized training that sharpens the team's sales skills.
• Handle the full range of supervisory duties: hiring, training, planning and assigning work, appraising performance, rewarding and disciplining employees, and resolving complaints and problems in line with company policy and applicable law.

Recruitment, Events, and Community Outreach

• Oversee recruitment and outreach activities, including recruitment events and job fairs.
• Plan, manage, and execute promotional events that increase enrollments and conversion.
• Advance relationships with prospective students from first contact through enrollment.
• Build relationships with local organizations and chambers of commerce across Miami-Dade to raise the campus profile and strengthen community relations.

Operations, Compliance, and Reporting

• Oversee the management and operations of admissions, enrollment, and orientation services.
• Own the admissions business plan, expense control, and other managerial functions as assigned.
• Keep current records of all sales and prospecting activity, including calls, presentations, group deals, and follow-ups, in the CRM.
• Collaborate in the development of recruitment marketing materials.
• Respond to inquiries, complaints, and audit findings from regulatory agencies or internal audits.

Qualifications and Requirements

Required

• Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Business Administration, or a related field.
• Three to five years of supervisory experience.
• Proven ability to manage and motivate professionals as a cohesive team.
• Excellent communication with staff and the community, with a persuasive, results-oriented style.
• Ability to read, analyze, and interpret technical journals, financial reports, and legal documents.
• Ability to write proposals that conform to prescribed style and format.
• Comfort presenting to top management, public groups, and senior leadership.
• Ability to multitask in a fast-paced environment.

Preferred

• Prior experience as a director or executive at a proprietary college.
• A strong command of contemporary enrollment management systems and CRM-based prospecting.

Work Schedule

• Willingness to work extended hours, including evenings and weekends, to meet business objectives.

Compensation and Benefits

The client has not published a salary range for the Director of Admissions position in South Miami. Compensation is discussed with qualified candidates during the recruiting process and reflects experience, the size of the team, and the enrollment volume the campus carries. The benefits package below is offered to full-time employees.

Campus admissions director positions at proprietary universities fall under the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics category for postsecondary education administrators (SOC 11-9033). Pay inside that category is set by the number of representatives supervised, the enrollment volume the campus produces, and the budget the Director controls, and the Miami metro is one of the larger markets in the Southeast for career-focused higher education.

Benefits

• Medical coverage with HSA and FSA options for health care and dependent care.
• Dental and vision insurance.
• 12 paid holidays, paid time off, and a paid volunteer day.
• 401(k) with 50% employer matching.
• Short-term disability and life insurance, plus supplemental life insurance options.
• Education assistance, professional development benefits, and growth opportunities.
• No-cost benefits: group life insurance, long-term disability, a talent referral program, and a discount entertainment program.
• A paid day off on your birthday for full-time employees after two years of service.

Who Thrives in This Role?

This role suits an admissions leader who has already carried an enrollment target and knows what it takes to hit it in a market as competitive as South Florida. The strongest candidates have managed admissions representatives at a proprietary college, built and defended a forecast, and can coach a representative through a slow start date without turning over the team.

It is a numbers seat as much as a people seat. Directors who succeed here read the funnel every week, know which lead sources convert in Miami-Dade and which only produce activity, and change the plan when the market shifts rather than waiting for the annual review. They are comfortable in front of regulators, auditors, and senior leadership, because the admissions office is where compliance questions land first.

Open houses, start dates, and community events put evenings and weekends on the calendar. The best fit treats Miami-Dade as part of the territory, works the chambers of commerce and employer partners from Coral Gables to Homestead, and brings a steady, persuasive style to a fast-paced campus.

About Excelon Associates and the Client

Excelon Associates is a retained and contingency executive search firm founded in 2007 and headquartered in Asheville, North Carolina, with a dedicated higher education recruitment practice. The firm's Boca Raton and Delray Beach, Florida offices sit about an hour north of the South Miami campus, and Excelon has recruited admissions, academic, and campus leadership for career-focused institutions across the state. The firm publishes its search fees and engagement terms so clients and candidates know how it works.

The client is a private university with campuses across Florida that serves students in on-campus, blended, and online programs and places weight on student outcomes and community engagement. The Director of Admissions leads the team that brings new students into the South Miami campus. The client's identity is shared with qualified candidates during the recruiting process. Candidates interested in a deputy-level seat in the same market can review the Associate Director of Admissions, Miami, FL posting, browse all current open roles, or review recent campaigns.

Frequently Asked Questions

Apply for the Director of Admissions Role in South Miami

The client is an equal opportunity employer and values all applications. Excelon does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, sex, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, marital or veteran status, disability, age, or any other characteristic protected by law.