Assistant Head of School for Enrollment Management

Since 1910, St. Anne’s-Belfield School has been committed to nurturing the whole student: body, heart, mind, and soul. As the largest independent school in the college town of Charlottesville, Va., our 900+ students, age 2 through Grade 12, inspire us each day as we aspire to educate the next generation of exemplary citizens and visionary leaders. 

As a member of our school community, you'd be joining a team of people who are passionate about their roles and contributing to a community of purpose and belonging. Those who thrive at St. Anne’s-Belfield are people who, as outlined in our Portrait of a Graduate, pursue knowledge to generate impact, seek to engage diverse perspectives and practices, engage in reflection, demonstrate moral character and integrity, and work to understand and meet the needs of the community. 

Our two beautiful campuses on 55 acres serve as vibrant hubs for curiosity, creativity, and academic excellence. This is perfectly complemented by our location in Charlottesville, one of the top 5 happiest cities in the U.S., as recognized by National Geographic and Outside Magazine. Opportunities abound to connect with nature, enjoy arts and culture, engage with the University of Virginia, only one mile away, and explore American history both within our region or Richmond (one hour by car) and Washington, D.C. (two hours by car).

If you're looking for a dynamic learning environment where your contributions help spark each child’s potential, we invite you to consider a career with St. Anne’s-Belfield. We at St. Anne's-Belfield School believe it is the quality and passion of our people that set us apart. We seek to hire the best teachers, administrators, staff members, and coaches to support our student body by offering a competitive benefits package and providing a wonderful working environment.

The Assistant Head of School for Enrollment Management serves as the School’s strategic leader for admission and financial aid, providing vision and oversight across all four divisions and leading a team of six professionals. The Assistant Head for Enrollment Management is responsible for recruitment, admission, re-enrollment, retention, and tuition assistance, as well as enrollment research, analytics, and forecasting. In partnership with the business office, the Assistant Head administers the financial aid program, including tuition remission and an endowed fund for wraparound aid. As a member of the Senior Administrative Leadership Team (SALT), the Assistant Head attends Board of Trustees meetings, participates in strategic planning, leads admission committees, and works closely with other senior leaders, including the Chief Strategic Communications Officer, Chief Advancement Officer, Assistant Head of School for Academics, Chief Financial and Operating Officer, Director of Athletics, and division heads. The ideal candidate will be ambitious and determined, enterprising and imaginative, confident and caring, and creative in their approach to complex challenges and emerging opportunities. This is a rare opportunity for a relational, data-savvy enrollment leader to help shape the future of a school with considerable momentum.

The next Assistant Head of School for Enrollment Management will inherit strong systems and a growth-oriented team and will be asked to carry the School’s enrollment work forward in a complex and competitive landscape. The opportunities and challenges awaiting this leader include:

• →Mastering a 17-Grade, Day and Boarding Enrollment Landscape. Enrollment at St. Anne's-Belfield is complex. It spans 17 grades, from age 2 through Grade 12, across day and boarding programs and two campuses. Typical expansion years include the Twos, Kindergarten, and Grades 5, 6, 9, and 10. The next Assistant Head must understand the complexities of a multi-division school and give particular care to early childhood admission, which is the School’s most critical entry point.
• →Continuing to Strengthen the School’s Position in a Crowded Market. Opportunities include increasing brand awareness and expanding local outreach and regional recruitment. 
• →Stewarding Financial Aid and Net Tuition Revenue. The Assistant Head oversees the whole-school tuition assistance program ($9.5M including tuition remission) and manages the committee that awards aid to new and returning families consistent with net tuition revenue goals approved by the Board. The strongest candidates will bring deep financial aid expertise, a strong partnership with the business office, and the judgment to attract and retain a talented, diverse student body while consistently meeting revenue goals.
• →Retaining Families Across Every Transition. The Assistant Head will guide the work of the School’s Retention Committees, strengthen the transition processes already built between divisions, and improve communication with families about next steps and timelines, continuing to support families through key transitions, particularly from eighth to ninth grade, when some families weigh boarding school and public options. 
• →Defining and Diversifying the Boarding Program. The Upper School boarding program has consistently met its enrollment targets. Even so, there is an opportunity to establish a stronger identity for the boarding school program, even as the school continues to diversify the boarding student body, which now represents 12 countries and 11 states. Working with the Director of Upper School Admission and the Director of Residential Life, the Assistant Head will develop an annual international recruiting strategy and help articulate a distinctive boarding identity.
• →Building a School-wide Culture of Enrollment. The School seeks an Assistant Head who will continue to engage the full school in enrollment work as partners. The next step in this effort includes deeper alignment with Communications and Advancement on shared messaging and coordination.
• →Using Data and Design to Elevate the Family Experience. The Assistant Head will build on our 1:1 recruiting attention and care by finding new ways to personalize the experience, celebrate admitted students, and design for the family’s experience at every step. The role also calls for significant data fluency. That means leading research, analytics, and forecasting; producing annual studies of attrition, interest, and financial aid; and drawing creatively on technology systems including Veracross (student information system) and Clarity (financial aid system).
• →Leading a Team Through Change. The enrollment team has worked hard to build its systems, structures, and standards, and it will feel the transition in leadership. The next Assistant Head must sustain those standards with steadiness and backbone while coaching and developing a team of growing professionals. The role also sits within an evolving senior leadership structure; the Assistant Head for Enrollment Management will serve as a close partner to the Head of School and will work with both new and long-tenured senior leaders who enjoy strong, collaborative relationships. 
• →As a member of the boarding school team, the Assistant Head serves Sunday duty once per month (approximately 3:30 - 10:30 p.m.) and is provided with a house within walking distance of campus.

This role provides tremendous opportunities for growth and development for an exceptional independent school leader. Competitive candidates will possess most or all of the following qualifications and attributes:

• Experience as a senior enrollment officer in an independent school, college, or university, preferably including experience working with students and families across multiple ages and stages of development;
• A bias for action, entrepreneurial lens, and competitive spirit;
• Deep understanding of current enrollment, admission, and marketing trends and best practices and the vision to develop new and emerging strategies and practices;
• Excellent public speaking and written communication skills for a range of audiences;
• Deep expertise in financial aid, including need-based allocation, discount rate management, and net tuition revenue, and the ability to lead the School’s tuition assistance program with integrity and confidence;
• Data fluency and technical facility: the ability to pull, analyze, and interpret enrollment data and turn it into strategy, along with proficiency in admission and enrollment technology;
• Skill as a strategic and analytical thinker;
• Comfort in directing, evaluating, and supporting a team of admission professionals;
• Excitement to participate in various aspects of campus life in an effort to build a deep understanding of the school and to help establish meaningful relationships with students, parents/guardians, and colleagues; and
• A strong professional network and the respect of peers in the enrollment management field.

The School seeks a leader with:

• A deep commitment to the value of independent school education, inclusive excellence, and the qualities espoused in the school’s Portrait of a Graduate;
• A relational, supportive style and the skill to hold difficult conversations with families with considerable care;
• Steadiness and calm paired with a bias for action and the confidence to serve as a true thought partner to the Head of School and other senior leaders;
• Superior organizational skills and exceptional attention to detail;
• Integrity, sound judgment, discretion, and the ability to balance multiple perspectives;
• High emotional intelligence, strong cultural competency, a sense of humor, and a demonstrated belief in the value of a diverse and multicultural community; and
• An inspiring, collaborative leadership style that builds trust and consensus and brings communities together.

Interested and qualified candidates are invited to contact the consultants in confidence and to apply by submitting the following materials as separate PDF documents to Marsha Little, Senior Consultant at marsha.little@carneysandoe.com and Heather Hoerle, Senior Consultant at heather.hoerle@carneysandoe.com

• A cover letter expressing interest in this position
• A current résumé

As the process moves forward, selected candidates may be asked to submit:

• Writing samples specific to this search
• A list of five professional references with name, relationship, phone number, and email address of each (references will not be contacted without the candidate’s permission)