Assistant Director - Undergraduate Admissions

Working Title: Assistant Director - Undergraduate Admissions

State Role Title: Administrative and Professional Faculty

Position Type: Administrative & Professional (Non-teaching Faculty)

Position Status: Full-Time

FLSA Status: Exempt: Not Eligible for Overtime

College/Division: Admissions

Department: 100175 - Admissions Office

Pay Band: 

Pay Rate: Commensurate with Experience

Specify Range or Amount:  

Is this a JMU only position? No

Is this a grant-funded position? No

Is this a Conflict of Interest designated position? No

Beginning Review Date: 06/22/2026

About JMU:

Mission
We are a community committed to preparing students to be educated and enlightened citizens who lead productive and meaningful lives.

Vision
To be the national model for the engaged university: engaged with ideas and the world.

Who We Are
Situated in the heart of Virginia’s beautiful Shenandoah Valley, the city of Harrisonburg is a vibrant community with a population of approximately 52,000. Harrisonburg is conveniently located approximately 120 miles from Washington, D.C. and Richmond, VA.

JMU is a selective, public institution with a growing national reputation for offering experiences that lead to an outstanding education and supportive environment for students, faculty and staff. The student body includes approximately 21,000 undergraduate and 1,800 graduate students, with over 1,000 full-time instructional faculty.

JMU offers thriving programs in the liberal arts, science and technology, and professional disciplines at the undergraduate, master’s and doctoral levels. JMU has achieved national recognition for the high quality of its academic programs, focus on maintaining strong student/faculty interaction, and innovative faculty research.

General Information:

The Office of Admissions at James Madison University is accepting applications for an Assistant Director for Undergraduate Admissions. This position is a key contributor to the university’s overall Enrollment Management Strategic Goals and primarily responsible for supporting the recruitment of incoming first-year and transfer students through on- and off-campus recruitment efforts, college access programming and support, and the supervision of one or more Graduate Assistantship/Practicum students. It involves planning and executing strategic recruitment travel, reviewing freshman and transfer applications, developing and leading access initiatives, mentoring Graduate Students, and building and strengthening relationships. This position offers the option to work remotely one day per week after 90 days in the role.

Duties and Responsibilities:

First-Year and Transfer Student Recruitment & Territory Management

• Manages the recruitment of incoming first-year students from the Shenandoah Valley region, currently defined by the Office of Admissions as the cities of Harrisonburg, Staunton, Waynesboro, and Winchester as well as the counties of Augusta, Clarke, Fauquier, Fredrick, Highland, Page, Rappahannock, Rockingham, Shenandoah, and Warren.
• Manages the recruitment of incoming transfer students from the Shenandoah Valley and Central Virginia regions, currently defined by the Office of Admissions as the locations listed above plus the cities of Charlottesville, Danville, Lynchburg, and Martinsville as well as the counties of Albemarle, Amherst, Appomattox, Bedford, Buckingham, Campbell, Charlotte, Culpeper, Cumberland, Fluvanna, Franklin, Green, Halifax, Henry, Louisa, Madison, Mecklenburg, Nelson, Orange, Patrick, Pittsylvania, and Prince Edward.
• Reviews first-year and transfer application files for assigned recruitment regions by completing evaluations electronically, making and entering initial admissions decisions, and leading admissions committees for assigned recruitment regions. Effectively and efficiently analyzes academic transcripts and ensures decisions are accurate and consistent. Serves as an active member of admissions committees for other recruitment regions as needed. Demonstrates strong professional judgement and attention to detail.
• Serves as the main point of contact for assigned recruitment regions. Answers emails, phone calls, admissions decision inquiries, and in-person questions from prospective students, their families, high school counselors, career coaches, and campus partners in a timely fashion. Demonstrates strong communication skills with the ability to listen, understand, and validate conversations with families.
• Helps prospective students broaden their knowledge of JMU. Advises students on potential majors that align with desired career paths and helps prospective families navigate the application process. Develops pathways for applicants not initially admitted to JMU.
• Utilizes university-wide technology and CRM to review applications as well as build and strengthen relationships. This currently includes PeopleSoft and OnBase for application review and the Salesforce CRM and CVENT to track and strengthen connections.

Off-Campus Recruitment

• In alignment with overall Enrollment Management Strategic Goals, works with the Senior Assistant Director for Recruitment Travel to develop, schedule, and execute a recruitment travel plan to maximize outreach to prospective applicants in assigned recruitment regions.
• Manages logistics for recruitment travel. Includes booking hotels, reserving transportation, and traveling to and between multiple locations for high school visits, college fairs, panels, and application workshops. Requires extensive night and weekend work during the fall (Sept-Nov) and spring (Feb-Apr) with multiple overnight stays as well as the ability to lift and transport 50 pounds.
• Utilizes the Microsoft Suite of applications, Salesforce CRM, Zoom and other JMU technologies to connect with prospective students.
  Represents JMU and the Madison experience positively throughout recruitment events to connect with prospective students and families.
• Delivers presentations about JMU and clearly articulates the admissions process and criteria.
• Assists with out-of-region recruitment travel as necessary. May require travel by flight.
• Follows office policies for accurate and timely submission of event data and expense reports through Salesforce CRM, CVENT and Chrome River.

On-Campus Recruitment and Office Support

• Serves as Director of the Day (DOD) for scheduled days, sometimes multiple days per month. This involves delivering in-person and virtual information session presentations to prospective students and families, as well as answering questions over the phone and in-person.
• Supports additional, required on-campus visitation initiatives. These include Academic Open Houses and Admitted Student Open Houses, managing virtual chatrooms, hosting webinars, and assisting with large visitation days in addition to scheduled DOD shifts. Requires evening and weekend availability at various times throughout the year.
• Adheres to office policies and procedures to ensure work is done accurately and efficiently.

Supervisory Responsibilities

• Develops and leads access initiatives, with a focus on in-state student populations. These include, but are not limited to, partnering with internal and external stakeholders for Virginia College Application Week programming, spearheading planning committees, and supporting other access and outreach initiatives.
• Supervises Graduate Assistantship and Practicum Students and coordinates their training with the Senior Assistant Director for Onboarding and Training. Requires compliance with Jeanne Clery Campus Safety Act.
• Coordinates, schedules, and manages on- and off-campus transfer on-site admissions events.
• Coordinates and manages on-campus recruitment events specific to prospective transfer students. Works with the Campus Visitation Coordinator to schedule transfer group visits.
• Serves on ad hoc office committees as needed, which can include hiring committees for vacant positions, working groups that evaluate office processes and recruitment strategies, and/or other collective efforts identified by office leadership.

Relationship Building

• Seeks opportunities to better serve prospective students, families, and the schools they represent.
• Works with school counselors and officials to provide support and transparency in our admissions processes and answer questions.
• Serves as a liaison to partners across campus (individuals, offices, organizations) as needed.
• Remains accessible, professional, and responsive to internal and external constituents.

Performs additional duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

Required:

• Bachelor's Degree.
• Professional experience in undergraduate admissions, academic advising, or college counseling.
• Supervisory, leadership, and/or mentorship experience.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Strong analytical and organizational skills, with a keen eye for detail.
• Excellent communication, public speaking, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to work effectively with diverse stakeholders.
• Valid driver’s license.
• Evening and weekend availability at various times throughout the year.
• Ability to lift and transport 50 pounds.
  
  

Preferred:

• Familiarity with public and private high schools in the Shenandoah Valley.
• Understanding of higher education landscape in Virginia.

Additional Posting Information:

JMU’s Dual Career and Community Resources Program is available for candidates that will be relocating to the area. For more information, please visit https://bit.ly/2OTF1NG.

Conditions of Employment:  

Employment is contingent upon the successful completion of a criminal background check.

E-Verify Notice: After accepting employment, new hires are required to complete an I-9 form and present documentation of their identity and eligibility to work in the United States. James Madison University uses the E-Verify system to confirm identity and work authorization.

EEO Statement:

James Madison University is committed to creating and supporting a diverse and inclusive work and educational community that is free of all forms of discrimination. This institution does not tolerate discrimination or harassment on the basis of age, color, disability, gender identity or expression, genetic information, national origin, parental status, political affiliation, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation or veteran status.

We promote access, inclusion and diversity for all students, faculty, staff, constituents and programs, believing that these qualities are foundational components of an outstanding education in keeping with our mission. The university is interested in candidates whose experience and qualifications support an ongoing commitment to this core quality.

Anyone having questions concerning discrimination should contact the Office for Equal Opportunity: (540) 568-6991.

Reasonable Accommodation:

If you are an individual with a disability and need assistance searching or applying for jobs please contact us at (540) 568-3597 or jobs@jmu.edu. You may also visit the JMU Human Resource Office, located at 752 Ott Street, Harrisonburg, VA 22807 and we will be happy to assist you.