Vice President Enrollment Management presso Muhlenberg

The Position:

Job Summary:

Muhlenberg College seeks a strategic, innovative, empathetic, and data-savvy leader to serve as its next vice president for enrollment management. The vice president will play an essential leadership role as part of a highly-regarded institution with a future-focused leadership culture. Reporting to President Kathleen Harring, the vice president will inherit a well-established enrollment operation with an approach that is data informed and human centered. The vice president will provide strategic direction, organizational leadership, and professional mentorship to the staff within the Office of Admission and the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid. They also will serve as a key member of the president’s senior team and as such will be an engaged and visible campus leader. The vice president will contribute to the Muhlenberg community’s strong sense of connection, deep commitment to student success, and willingness to go the extra mile for students and for each other.

The vice president for enrollment management will craft and implement the overarching enrollment strategy for the college, continuing Muhlenberg’s highly personalized approach to enrolling a class while employing strategic initiatives informed by close analysis of comprehensive data. The vice president will build upon the best of Muhlenberg’s culture and traditions, while also bringing innovative approaches and national best practices to the universal challenge of recruiting students to a liberal arts college in today’s higher education landscape. Key to this effort will be oversight of the college’s institutional effectiveness and analytics office.

The vice president for enrollment management will oversee a budget of approximately $1.2 million and a staff of more than 20 enrollment professionals, including, as direct reports, the dean of admissions, the director of financial aid and associate dean of admissions, and the dean of institutional effectiveness and analytics.

Characteristic Responsibilities: 

Recruitment Strategy

• Create, optimize, and lead innovative recruitment strategies, leveraging the college’s extensive assets and human capital to enroll highly qualified undergraduate students

• Build and maintain a Muhlenberg-specific enrollment model integrating industry best practices and the college’s longstanding strengths

• Deepen the college’s recruitment efforts within historical areas of strength and expand to new populations and geographic regions where prospective student qualifications align with the college’s distinctive approach and programs

• Collaborate with the Office of Communications and Marketing to advance the Muhlenberg brand among target audiences in conjunction with the college’s broader publicity efforts

• Collaborate with the Department of Athletics to recruit and enroll student-athletes

• Integrate new, data-informed approaches with Muhlenberg’s high-touch recruitment process

Financial Aid Strategy

• Oversee Muhlenberg’s financial aid team, collaboratively developing innovative strategies to meet the needs of students, their families, and the college

• Ensure compliance with federal and state laws regulating the awarding of financial aid

• Collaborate closely with the Office of Advancement to develop new sources of philanthropic support for scholarships and financial aid

Departmental and Campus Leadership

• Serve actively and enthusiastically as a member of the college’s senior team, providing subject-matter expertise and contributing to strategic decision making 

• Oversee the college’s institutional research function, headed by the dean of institutional effectiveness and analytics

• Consult and collaborate closely with leadership and recruitment staff in the division of Graduate and Continuing Education

• Work across departments and divisions to build support for the college’s enrollment strategy, consensus in its value, excitement in its possibilities, and participation in its execution

• Collaboratively reimagine the campus experience for prospective students and their families, from individual tours to large-scale events, evaluating current practice in light of historic successes and the need to meet the needs and expectations of a new generation of students and families

• Recruit, mentor, develop, and retain exceptional staff, cultivating the skills of each individual staff member, building on their expertise, and encouraging innovation

While no one person may possess all the qualifications listed below, the ideal candidate will have many of the following professional experiences and characteristics: 

Qualifications: 

• A deep commitment to the power and possibilities inherent in Muhlenberg’s distinctive approach to liberal arts education

• A keen understanding of best practices in admissions and financial aid for small, private colleges today as well as the foresight to see how the landscape will change in the coming years

• Experience successfully leading complex strategic initiatives and translating high aspirations into achievable and measurable goals and accomplishments

• Experience developing data-driven recruitment and financial aid strategies as well as the ability to persuasively and clearly present quantitative information to administrative colleagues, faculty, staff, students, the Board of Trustees, and others

• A strong understanding of data analytics, institutional research and reporting, and their importance to institutional growth and success

• A genuine interest in connecting with people on behalf of Muhlenberg, whether prospective students and parents, faculty, fellow administrators, or admissions/financial aid staff

• The ability to balance high-level strategic thinking with hands-on engagement in daily activities in keeping with Muhlenberg’s culture and ethos

• Understanding of recruiting adult students to undergraduate and graduate programs

• Outstanding communication skills, including the ability to persuasively convey Muhlenberg’s academic distinctions and community feeling to a diverse range of audiences through multiple formats (in person, in writing, in marketing materials, via social media, etc.)

• Proven ability to develop rapport and work collaboratively with faculty, staff, and peers in leadership to bring forward the best of Muhlenberg in the shared effort of recruiting and retaining students

• A readiness to embrace the Muhlenberg community and work collaboratively with its friendly and talented faculty, staff, and students in pursuit of its mission

Schedule & Benefits: 

At Muhlenberg, we believe in supporting our employees with a highly competitive benefits package that promotes well-being and professional growth. This includes generous paid time off, including 22 vacation days per year and an extended winter break between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Day, comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage, paid parental leave, tuition opportunities at the undergraduate and graduate level and a college fitness center membership. As a 501(c)(3) non-profit institution, Muhlenberg is also a qualifying employer under the federal government’s Public Service Loan Forgiveness program.

This is a full-time, in-person position based on Muhlenberg’s campus in Allentown, PA, with a limited hybrid remote work option.

Application and Submission Instructions

Please note: Applications for this position should not be submitted through Workday. Interested candidates must apply directly through the search firm using the contact information provided below.

The search for Muhlenberg College’s next Vice President for Enrollment Management is being assisted by Maya Ranchod Kirkhope, Vice President and Senior Consultant, at Academic Search. 

Applications, nominations, and expressions of interest can be submitted in confidence to [email protected]. Applications should consist of a detailed letter of interest that describes the candidate’s interest and alignment with Muhlenberg’s mission, institutional and community values, and agenda for leadership, and a current curriculum vitae, sent as separate PDFs. Though applications will continue to be accepted until the position is filled, only those materials received by December 5, 2025 are assured full consideration.

The College and Surrounding Area: Founded in 1848, Muhlenberg College is a private, residential, liberal arts college offering baccalaureate and graduate programs. At Muhlenberg, we are committed to a campus community that ensures students, faculty, and staff of all backgrounds feel welcome, respected, valued, and included. The college provides an intensely challenging, supportive environment centered around a rigorous academic curriculum designed to prepare students for lives of leadership and meaning in a dynamic, global society. The academic program is amplified by a range of innovative programming: comprehensive and intentional residence-life programming, expansive experiential learning requirements, and an innovative coaching program designed to maximize every student’s performance and potential.

Part of eastern Pennsylvania’s scenic Lehigh Valley — and recently featured in The New York Times for its pace of growth and quality of life — Allentown is a diverse city of 125,000, Pennsylvania’s third-largest, located just 60 miles north of Philadelphia and 90 miles west of New York City. The Lehigh Valley, which also includes neighboring cities Bethlehem and Easton, is one of the fastest growing regions in the state and the Northeast, leading Pennsylvania in population growth for people aged 18–34. It is home to a vibrant arts scene, extensive parks and recreational opportunities, a rich blend of diverse cuisine, and so much more. Visit the college’s Life in the Lehigh Valley page and check out Allentown here.

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An Equal Opportunity Employer, Muhlenberg College is committed to valuing and enhancing diversity and encourages applications from individuals who can contribute to the diversity of our community. Muhlenberg College does not discriminate against any person based on age, ancestry, color, disability, gender, gender identity, genetics, national or ethnic origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions, veteran status or any other basis protected by applicable federal, state or local laws, in its education programs and activities, including admissions and employment. Muhlenberg College does not discriminate on the basis of sex as required by Title IX.

Legal Notice

Muhlenberg College Annual Crime Reporting- As provided by the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act of 1998, prospective employees of Muhlenberg College are entitled to request and receive a copy of the College Annual Security Report (ASR). The ASR can be accessed at http://www.muhlenberg.edu/annualsecurityreport . This report includes crime statistics on certain reportable crimes, as well as Muhlenberg College Safety Policies. The report also includes institutional policies concerning campus safety and police, such as policies concerning alcohol and drug use, crime prevention, the reporting of crimes, sexual assault and other matters. Anyone wishing a paper copy of the ASR may contact the Campus Safety Office at 484-664-3112.