COMPANY DESCRIPTION
Singapore Management University is a place where high-level professionalism blends together with a healthy informality. The family-like atmosphere among the SMU community fosters a culture where employees work, plan, organise and play together - building a strong collegiality and morale within the university.
Our commitment to attract and retain talent is ongoing. We offer attractive benefits and welfare, competitive compensation packages, and generous professional development opportunities - all to meet the work-life needs of our staff. No wonder, then, that SMU continues to be given numerous awards and recognition for its human resource excellence.
RESPONSIBILITIES
- Leadership and Team Management:
- Lead, coach, and develop about 9 to 12 staff in the Admissions team to ensure high performance, strong service orientation and deep programme knowledge.
- Ensure optimal resourcing, workload distribution, and succession planning.
- Maintain a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and professional growth.
- Admissions Strategy and Policy Governance:
- Define and update admissions strategies, policies, standards, and selection frameworks across all PGPP programmes.
- Ensure fair, consistent, and transparent application of admissions criteria across Schools.
- Review complex applications, borderline cases, and special consideration appeals.
- Operations Management and Quality Assurance:
- Oversee efficient and timely processing of applications, interviews, and offers across all programmes.
- Ensure operational consistency, service-level adherence, and compliance with academic, regulatory, and data-protection standards.
- Lead process optimisation, workflow redesign, and adoption of best practices across the admissions cycle.
- Data, Systems, and Reporting:
- Work closely with Manager (Systems and Analytics) to ensure data quality, analytics capability, and accurate dashboards for senior management.
- Use data to inform forecasting, yield strategy, applicant behaviour analysis, and process improvements.
- Yield and Conversion Strategy:
- Develop and implement yield strategies to improve offer-to-accept and accept-to-matriculation conversion rates.
- Oversee the design of conversion events, personalised follow-ups, scholarship deployment, and decision-support approaches.
- Monitor market trends and competitor behaviour and adjust strategies accordingly.
- Stakeholder and School Partnership Management:
- Serve as the central point of contact for Academic Directors, Programme Offices, MR team, OCCM, Registrar's Office, Finance, and other key units.
- Work closely with MR team to align admissions with marketing campaigns, lead quality expectations, and regional recruitment needs.
- Provide Schools with timely insights, reports, and strategic recommendations.
- Scholarship and Financial Aid Administration:
- Oversee governance and allocation frameworks for PGPP scholarships.
- Other duties as assigned.
QUALIFICATIONS- Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Business, Communications, or a related discipline with at least 8 years of relevant experience in admissions, higher education management, or related fields.
- Experience in a supervisory or leadership role is desired.
- Experience in managing admissions processes, policy governance, and data-driven decision-making.
- In-depth understanding of admissions policies, processes, and quality assurance standards in higher education.
- Proficiency in CRM systems and student information systems, with the ability to manage data integrity and workflow automation.
- Familiarity with international education markets, including cultural and regulatory variations in applicant qualifications.
- Knowledge of data analysis and reporting tools to support evidence-based decision-making.
- Strong leadership, people management, and coaching capabilities.
- Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills across multiple schools and seniority levels.
- Analytical and strategic mindset with proven ability to interpret data to inform decisions.
- Innovative problem-solving and process optimisation abilities.
- High integrity, judgment, and discretion in handling sensitive data and complex cases.
- Able to manage cyclical workloads and fast-paced operational demands.
- Willingness to work outside normal hours for peak cycle requirements or applicant engagement events.
OTHER INFORMATION#LI-XL1
Candidates who do not possess the stipulated qualifications but have relevant work experience may still apply. Remuneration and appointment terms shall commensurate with qualifications and experience. SMU reserves the right to modify the appointment terms where necessary.
Please note that your application will be sent to and reviewed by the direct employer - Singapore Management University
