Director for Recruitment & Strategic Engagement

Advertising Summary: The School of Pharmacy invites applications for the position of Director for Recruitment & Strategic Engagement. This position is responsible for all student-related recruitment activities such as recruitment fairs, social media management, and strategic partnerships. In addition, the Director will design and develop new programs intended to enhance recruitment efforts (e.g. K-12 and collegiate level programming) and manage pre-existing pathway programs.

Unit: School of Pharmacy MBU

Department: Dean's Office

About Virginia Commonwealth University

VCU is a top 50 public research university with a genuine commitment to student success and community service. One of just a handful of universities to receive both a "Very High Research Activity" status and a "Community Engaged" designation from the Carnegie Foundation, VCU also hosts the region's top-rated medical center. The medical campus is home to top-ranked programs in Pharmacy, Medicine, Nursing, Dentistry, Public Health, and Health Professions, as well as the Center for Interprofessional Education and Collaborative Care, the Wright Center for Clinical and Translational Research, the Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center, the Pauley Heart Center, the Stravitz-Sanyal Institute for Liver Disease and Metabolic Health, among many other institutes and centers.

About the School of Pharmacy

The School of Pharmacy (SOP) has a 127-year tradition beginning with the Medical College of Virginia and continuing to the present. Ranked in the Top 20 of Schools of Pharmacy nationwide, the SOP is dedicated to graduating outstanding future scientists and pharmacists who will develop new medicines and therapies, improve human health, foster exemplary research, and provide sustaining contributions to interprofessional patient care.

All full-time staff are eligible for our generous benefits package that includes choices for health, vision, and dental coverage, life-insurance, short and long-term disability coverage, retirement planning, tax-deferred annuity and cash match programs, flexible spending accounts, tuition benefits, significant paid-time off, 12 paid holidays, and more. Explore our benefits further here: https://hr.vcu.edu/current-employees/benefits/.

Key Responsibilities:

This position will report to the Associate Dean for Admissions & Strategic Engagement. The Director for Recruitment & Strategic Engagement is responsible for all student-related recruitment activities such as recruitment fairs, social media management, and strategic partnerships. In addition, the Director will design and develop new programs intended to enhance recruitment efforts (e.g. K-12 and collegiate level programming) and manage pre-existing pathway programs. Responsibilities can be summarized in the following domains:

Strategic Engagement –

• Collaborate with Assoc Dean for Student Success, Director for Student Success and Student Committees to create programming for incoming students, both prior to matriculation and as they acclimate and onboard.
• The Director is responsible for managing the Student Ambassador program, including current student recruitment, training and facilitation/organization of events

Student Recruitment –

• Implement the School’s recruitment plans for the B.S. in pharmaceutical sciences, Doctor of Pharmacy and graduate programs in pharmaceutical sciences and pharmaceutical engineering. This will include managing campus visits and conducting Open House events. The Director will also represent the school at college fairs and school visits and establish a nationwide network of contacts across feeder institutions.
• Collaborate with the Assoc Dean for Admissions & Strategic Engagement to update and maintain Pharm.D. admissions processes, including planning and leading interview days, participating in candidate review meetings and handling prospective student questions.
• Collaborate with the Director of Communications to create synergy between program and departmental admissions and recruitment initiatives.

CRM and Website Content Management –

• The Director is responsible for management of the school’s generic email account and prospective student newsletters
• Collaborate with the Director of Communications to manage website and social media content related to recruitment and admissions.
• The Director will collaborate with PharTech to refine and maintain SOP’s CRM (e.g. Slate) in recruitment and admissions efforts.

Pathway Program Management –

• Identify and/or develop new programs that will enhance and expand the School’s applicant pool. Increased emphasis will be placed on program development for K-12 students and collegiate seniors. The Director will also manage pre-existing programs (e.g. Summer Academic Enrichment Program, middle and high school summer programs).

Committee Involvement –

• The Director will serve on the Pharm.D. Admissions Committee and the Scholarship and Awards Committee, contributing to admissions decisions and assisting with scholarship fund and award allocation to students.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination training and years of experience
• Comprehensive knowledge of approaches and issues in pharmacy education/practice
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Ability to work collaboratively in a team environment
• Demonstrated experience working in and fostering a welcoming student environment
• Ability to handle multiple tasks with competing deadlines
• Work independently and meet clear and established metrics and recruitment goals
• Ability to travel as evening and weekend work will be required
• Valid driver’s license required
• Demonstrated ability to work in and foster an environment of respect, professionalism and civility with a population of faculty, staff, and students from all backgrounds and experiences, or a commitment to do so as a staff member at VCU.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s degree 
• Experience in university student services arena (i.e. admissions, recruitment, financial aid, records & registration)
• Experience with program or curricular development

Salary Range: $70,000-$80,000

Benefits: All full-time university staff are eligible for VCU’s robust benefits package that includes comprehensive health benefits, paid annual and holiday leave, generous tuition benefits, retirement planning and savings options, tax-deferred annuity and cash match programs, employee discounts, well-being resources, abundant opportunities for career development and advancement, and more.

FLSA Exemption Status: Exempt

Hours per Week: 40

Restricted Position: No

ORP Eligible: Yes

Flexible Work Arrangement: Hybrid

University Job Title: 3591B - Administrator SS Base

Contact Information:
Contact Name:  Abigale Matulewicz
Contact Email:  atmatulewicz@vcu.edu