Director of Admission

Mark Day seeks a warm, compassionate, enthusiastic, professional, detail-oriented, experienced Director of Admission. This is a full-time 12-month position that reports to the Head of School. The Director of Admission is responsible for the recruitment and enrollment of students, as well as the integration of families, into the Mark Day School community. The Director of Admission must exhibit excellent interpersonal, organizational, and written and oral communication skills.

About Mark Day School

Founded in 1980, Mark Day School is an independent, all gender K-8 school located in the Bay Area in San Rafael, CA, with an enrollment of 380 students.  Innovative, inclusive, and full of heart, Mark Day School unites an enriched, challenging academic program with a kind and inclusive community. The school nurtures a love of learning, engagement in the community, and development of compassion and an ethical framework. Students learn and practice the intellectual, social, and emotional skills they will apply to the unique challenges and opportunities of their time; graduates stand out not only for their intellectual curiosity and pursuit of ideas, but also for their joy of learning and deep sense of responsibility to be active, engaged citizens.

Mark Day School has established a consistent practice of thoughtful innovation in its curricular program, focusing on current century skills and concepts including four cross-curricular literacies: Cross-Cultural Literacy, Media and Information Literacy, Ecoliteracy, and Social, Emotional, and Ethical Literacy. Highlights include the NAIS Leading Edge Award-winning Media Literacy program; well established local and global partnerships with the Canal Alliance of San Rafael, eSibonisweni School and Kliptown Youth Program in South Africa, Beijing #2 Experimental Primary School in China, and Pan American School in Costa Rica, among others; iPads in the third and fourth grades; a one-to-one laptop program beginning in sixth grade; Mandarin and Spanish language beginning in kindergarten; a commitment to differentiation across the school; and more.

Mark Day School is a vibrant and diverse community, and all community members continue to work towards the furthering of an inclusive and supportive school. The school is an equal opportunity employer committed to excellence through diversity and multiculturalism. Mark Day School’s salary and benefits are competitive by both NAIS and regional standards.  For more information about Mark Day School, please visit our website (www.markdayschool.org).

Job Description

Reporting to the Head of School, Mark Day School’s Director of Admission is a member of the senior administrative team and works closely with the Board of Trustees. The Director of Admission facilitates enrollment management discussions and manages the Admission staff. As part of the School’s recruitment and enrollment of students, the Director of Admission oversees the administration of the admission and Indexed Tuition budgets; all admission processes and records; all admission events, travel, and constituent volunteer efforts etc.; and all recruitment, enrollment and matriculation efforts, up to welcoming new families to school in September.

The Director of Admission plays a vital role in the Mark Day community and will be expected to lead the school’s enrollment management infrastructure. The Director will conduct research and implement strategies to ensure that the School achieves the enrollment goals set by the Board of Trustees and Head of School. As one of the school’s most visible spokespersons, the Director of Admission represents Mark Day to all constituents, which includes students, parents, alumni, faculty and administration.

Duties and Responsibilities:       

1. Provides leadership in enrollment management, which includes admission, marketing, and recruitment and directs the process of attracting, enrolling and retaining students at Mark Day School.
2. Sets annual enrollment and admission goals, in accordance with the school’s mission to promote economic, racial, and ethnic diversity in the student body, based on enrollment goals set by the Board of Trustees.
3. Attends Board of Trustee meetings when appropriate, is involved in strategic planning and keeping the Board fully apprised of the School’s admission, Indexed Tuition, and marketing endeavors. Provides extensive admission data (including recruitment, attrition, retention, geographic, Indexed Tuition and enrollment trends) to Board. Participates on additional Board committees that align with role of Admission Director.
4. Organizes and administers the School’s Indexed Tuition program and budget in conjunction with the Director of Finance & Operations. Oversees the work of the Indexed Tuition Coordinator and serves on the Indexed Tuition Committee.
5. Continues efforts to broaden diversity of all kinds at the school, including socio-economic and racial and ethnic diversity, through outreach to families and working with community-based programs.
6. Manages new student enrollment and assists with the reenrollment of current students in close connection with the Division Heads, Business Office, and the Head of the School.
7. Understands and informs the senior team, admission staff and community about research and demographics and admission and enrollment trends, ensuring that changes and challenges are anticipated, understood, and addressed.
8. Leads the marketing and branding efforts of the School, in conjunction with the Director of Communications and Director of Development. Oversees the production, placement, and distribution of all Admission literature, publications, and marketing materials. Develops and implements strategic marketing ideas, including a digital marketing plan.
9. Oversees the involvement of parent volunteers, faculty and Board members in the general marketing of the School to prospective parents, including selection and training of all parent tour guides.
10. Formulates annual Admission and Enrollment Action Plans with goals and objectives.
11. Attends weekly faculty meetings and twice weekly administrative meetings. Participates with the Head and administrative team in collaborative efforts.
12. Maintains statistical and trend data related to admission and enrollment. Presents statistical and trend information to administrative team, Board of Trustees, and faculty.
13. Manages the Admission staff, including the Assistant Director of Admission and the Indexed Tuition Coordinator. Identifies and implements procedures necessary to a well-functioning admission office including participating in any hiring, supervising, and evaluating of admission staff. Provides training and professional development opportunities for staff.
14. Directs Mark Day outreach recruitment plan. Becomes familiar with the academic program and curriculum in order to communicate with prospective families.
15. Works closely with the Director of Development in coordinating the Admission Office volunteer network.
16. Collects information on how the School is viewed in the community, through ongoing surveys to prospective parents, conversations with parents, consultants and feeder schools, and, as necessary, work with consultants.
17. Oversees all on-campus visitation programs-including interviews and spring accepted student programs.
18. Represents the Admission Office and School at public events, on and off campus, which includes coordinating on- and off-campus events, including campus tours, Parent Information Evenings, and Neighborhood Coffees designed for prospective parents.
19. Directs the entire application review process, and assigns reading and committee assignments to associates in the office, faculty, and staff.
20. Maintains and encourages relationships with preschools, community-based organizations and counselors, to keep lines of communication open with their faculty and administrators and to familiarize them with the Mark Day program.
21. Assists new families to acclimate to the School, particularly through orientation events, receptions, and buddy family programs and assistance in pre-Kindergarten summer camp. Coordinates New Student Orientation, Kindergarten and 8^th grade buddy picnic and Lower School picnic and assigns pairings in the Eighth Grade/Kindergarten buddy program.
22. Maintains and enhances the School’s good standing in relevant professional organizations, includes working with the Bay Area Directors of Admissions (BADA) to promote cooperation among schools and simplify the admission process for prospective parents.
23. Is an integral leader for the school community and participates fully in daily community life of the school.
24. Extends himself/herself beyond the responsibilities of a job description when the need arises. Assists Head of School with all other duties as assigned.

Job Specifications:

• Bachelor’s degree, Masters degree preferred
• Five years of admission and financial aid experience
• Strong commitment to PK-8 education
• Strong commitment to Mark Day’s mission and kind and inclusive community.
• Superior communication skills both written and spoken
• Self-starter, high energy, flexibility, warmth and sense of humor.

• Proficiency with admission software, Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Google applications.
• Willingness to work extended hours, including early mornings, evenings and weekends
• Ability to exercise good judgment and use discretion with confidential information
• Proficiency with social media.

 This 12-month position includes 5 weeks of vacation.