Associate Program Director

Job Description

What We Want

Mays Business School is seeking an engaging and results-driven Associate Program Director to lead the way in recruiting and retaining top-tier students for our Full Time MBA program.

The Associate Program Director of MBA Recruitment & Admissions is a mission-critical, front-line leadership role focused on driving high-touch, high-impact recruitment activities throughout the full admissions cycle, from prospective student pipeline generation (“top-of-funnel”) all the way to enrollment (“bottom-of-funnel”).

This individual will serve as the program’s chief recruiter—in constant, direct contact with top candidates—to ensure the program attracts, engages, and yields a high-achieving MBA cohort. The role is deeply hands-on: the Associate Director spends significant time personally reaching out via calls, emails, and in-person meetings to build relationships and convert applicants, including regular follow-up and persistence in guiding candidates through the decision-making process.

In addition, the Associate Director will design data-driven strategies that support and enhance recruiting effectiveness, maximize enrollment yield, and continually improve outcomes in concert with the program’s vision and goals. This role blends direct, relational engagement and strategic oversight to ensure achievement of enrollment goals.

Opportunities to Contribute

Admissions Pipeline & Yield Management

• Proactively call, email, and meet with admitted students to encourage enrollment and address decision factors. This will require the use of a personal vehicle.

• Execute the end-to-end tracking of prospects from inquiry through matriculation, ensuring prompt, personalized, and professional communication at each stage.

• Lead the application review, interview, and selection process, working closely with admissions committee members.

• Design and execute tailored yield campaigns to maximize conversion of admitted students to enrolled students by centering on a personalized and professional recruiting experience.

• Lead the scholarship committee and process for determining scholarship awards and the overall scholarship budget.

Relationship Development

• Personally cultivate student relationships through consistent, personalized outreach (calls, emails, and one-on-one conversations) to strengthen connections and influence enrollment decisions. May require travel with personal vehicle.

• Build strong relationships with prospective students, alumni, corporate partners, academic units, and other external stakeholders, such as professional organizations, to enhance the program’s visibility and value proposition. Travel to these partners will require the use of a personal vehicle.

• Collaborate cross-functionally with Mays Marketing and Communications, the program office, Career Management Center, and other graduate program recruiters, to ensure seamless messaging and prospect engagement via social media, website, and other mediums.

Data Analytics & Continuous Improvement

• Leverage CRM tools (such as Salesforce) and data analytics to assess lead sources, campaign effectiveness, and pipeline health.

• Regularly generate and present complex, actionable reports to program leadership, using data to drive continuous improvement and respond to institutional, state, federal, and rankings entities’ reporting requests.

Strategic Leadership & Recruitment Management

• Personally engage with high-potential candidates to communicate program value, answer questions, and build trust by actively selling the program’s strengths and differentiators in one-on-one conversations. Meeting with candidates may require the use of a personal vehicle.

• Develop and implement a comprehensive annual recruitment and admissions strategy aligned with program, college, and institutional vision, mission, and goals. This strategy should target high-caliber, competitive applicants.

• Proactively identify new opportunities for outreach, lead generation, and innovative marketing to increase application volume and class quality.

• Establish and monitor clear performance goals, KPIs, and analytics to evaluate the success of all recruitment and admissions efforts.

• Coordinate on-campus, virtual, and off-site recruitment events designed to attract and engage top-tier MBA prospects. On and off-campus travel will require the use of a personal vehicle.

• Develop and conduct presentations for various recruiting events.

Supervision & Team Collaboration

• Provide mentorship and direction to other staff involved in recruitment, and lead event planning committees as needed.

• Foster an environment of excellence and professional growth within the admissions team.

• Supervise student workers, graduate assistants, and some staff.

Budgeting & Administration

• Manage the recruitment and admissions budget, including processing and monitoring expenditures, creating the yearly budget for approval, and ensuring efficient allocation of resources to support key initiatives.

What You Need to Know

Salary: $80, - $85,/annually (commensurate with selected hire’s education/experience)

Cover Letter/Resume: A cover letter and resume will assist us in our review of your application materials. These can be uploaded on the application under CV/Resume.

Additional Information:

• This position involves frequent travel for recruitment events (within Texas and nationally).

• This position will require the use of a personal vehicle for travel.

Qualifications

Required Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in business administration, marketing, higher education, or related field.

• 8 years of progressive experience in MBA or graduate business program recruitment/admissions or closely related roles, including:

  Experience with CRM systems (Salesforce or similar), data analytics, and/or reporting.

A Well-Qualified Candidate Will Also Possess

• Master’s degree

• Highly professional and polished communication skills—in both writing and oral presentations.

• Strategic thinker with the demonstrated ability to learn quickly, adapt, and take proactive initiative.

• Strong analytical mindset and comfort with data-driven decision making.

• Exceptional organizational and project management abilities; able to manage competing priorities and complex processes with autonomy.

• Ability to exercise sound judgment and discretion, especially in sensitive or high-stakes admissions situations.

• Exceptional relationship-building skills with stakeholders (prospective students, alumni, employers, faculty, external partners).

• Commitment to fostering a positive candidate experience throughout the admissions process.

• Demonstrate knowledge of marketing, sales, admissions, and recruitment processes from top to bottom of funnel.

Preferred Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Demonstrated success designing and executing full-cycle recruitment/admissions strategies, preferably in competitive or highly selective programs.

• Direct experience recruiting and converting high-caliber students in a competitive environment.

• Reporting and use of digital marketing and social media platforms for lead generation

• Proven ability to connect with individuals one-on-one, building trust and persuading top candidates through personal outreach.

Who We Are

Texas A&M University’s Mays Business School is a vibrant learning organization of more than faculty members, staff members, and 6, undergraduate and graduate students in accounting, finance, management, management information systems, marketing, and supply chain management. Mays Business School’s vision is to advance the world’s prosperity. To advance the world’s prosperity means providing a better future for generations who follow, including quality of life, environment, and economic systems. To fulfill this vision, our mission is to be a vibrant learning organization that creates impactful knowledge and develops transformational leaders. mays.tamu.edu

Mays Business School Graduate Programs Mays offers Full-Time, Professional, Executive, Flex Online MBA programs as well as a unique MBA + M.S. Analytics program. Our program helps students advance their careers by mastering core business knowledge, honing skills through high impact learning experiences, developing personalized leadership styles, and leveraging the power of the global Aggie Network.

Our Commitment

Texas A&M University is committed to enriching the learning and working environment by promoting a culture that respects all perspectives, talents & lived experience. Embracing varying opinions and perspectives strengthens our core values which are: Respect, Excellence, Leadership, Loyalty, Integrity, and Selfless Service.