Head of Admissions and Applicant Support - Partnerships, Direct Delivery

• You will lead the development, delivery, and continuous improvement of admissions services for our partnership and direct delivery provision.
• Working closely with the Director and senior colleagues, you will shape admissions strategy, policies, and procedures to ensure an inclusive, compliant, and high-quality applicant experience that supports institutional growth and student success.
• You will provide inspirational leadership to specialist admissions teams, oversee complex admissions operations across multiple intakes, and act as the senior decision-maker for partnership admissions.
• The role requires extensive knowledge of the higher education admissions landscape, including regulatory requirements such as OfS, UKVI, HESA, and the Fair Admissions Code, alongside a strong focus on service excellence, data integrity, qualifications mapping, and process improvement.
• You will build and maintain effective relationships with franchise partners, direct delivery sites, and internal stakeholders, using data, sector insight, and evidence-based practice to inform strategic decision-making and enhance applicant conversion.
• As the University's lead for partnership admissions, you will represent the institution across key committees and external networks, deliver training and guidance to colleagues and partners, and drive innovation to ensure admissions services remain responsive, efficient, and aligned with evolving sector expectations and University priorities.

Requirements

• Extensive experience / understanding of leading partnership Admissions, including UK and international markets.
• Experience of leading and motivating a high-performing Admissions teams to achieve targets and deliver excellent customer / applicant service along with being agile and embracing change.
• Experience of using applicant and student record databases ensuring data is collected and safely stored efficiently and effectively.
• Experience of producing and delivering high level reports and presentations to senior stakeholders ensuring it is clear and digestible in its format.
• Experience of working with recruitment Agents in relation to recruitment and admissions. Ensuring all activity is regularly reviewed and in line with sector / government polices to ensure the university remains effective and compliant in its usage.
• Experience of being the institutional lead for Admissions in staying abreast of current sector trends and challenges with the function and ensure the team are fully sighted and trained accordingly
• A relevant postgraduate or professional qualification
• Experience of leading on institutional change ensuring teams are both clear and motivated to maintain an excellent service.

Core Competencies

Demonstrates extensive knowledge of higher education admissions, including regulatory requirements and service excellence, while leading and motivating high-performing teams to enhance applicant experiences and drive institutional growth.

Highest-signal resume keywords

• Partnership Admissions Leadership
• Regulatory Compliance Knowledge
• Data Integrity Management
• High-Quality Report Production
• Team Motivation and Change Management

ATS Optimization Keywords Hard Skills

• Admissions Strategy Development
• Qualifications Mapping
• Process Improvement
• Data Analysis
• Applicant Record Management

Soft Skills

• Inspirational Leadership
• Effective Communication
• Relationship Building
• Agility in Change Management

Certifications & Qualifications

• Postgraduate Qualification
• Professional Qualification

Industry Keywords

• Higher Education Admissions
• OfS
• UKVI
• HESA
• Fair Admissions Code
• Sector Trends
• Recruitment Agents

Tools & Technologies

• Applicant Databases
• Student Record Systems