Director of Admissions

St. Mary’s Catholic School – Temple, Texas  

Job Summary

St. Mary’s Catholic School seeks a dynamic, mission-driven Director of Admissions to lead student recruitment, enrollment management, and retention efforts. The Director of Admissions serves as the primary ambassador for the school, guiding prospective families through the admissions process while promoting the mission, values, and educational excellence of St. Mary’s Catholic School.

The ideal candidate is a relationship-builder who is passionate about Catholic education, highly organized, data-driven, and committed to delivering exceptional service to prospective and current families.

The Admissions Director fulfills the Catholic school's mission by planning and implementing the overall admissions process. The Director of Admissions has decision-making responsibilities within essential job functions, in keeping with school policies.

Ministerial Character

Catholic schools in the Diocese of Austin are canonically obedient to the Bishop and assist him in fulfilling his ministry and canonical obligations. Pastors, presidents, and principals serve as leaders of the schools, making Christ's mission present and enduring in them.  To fulfill Christ's mission, the school leaders employ suitable collaborators, share it with them, and entrust them with various responsibilities.

Positions employed in this School help extend the ministry of the School leaders in particular ways, as outlined in the job description. The employee in this position is closely connected to and assists the School leaders in the performance of their ministry and, therefore, engages in ministry for the Church.

Essential Responsibilities 

Enrollment Management

• Presents the school to prospective families through proactive communication, outreach, and events. Plans and implements a comprehensive admission program, including tours, open houses, shadow visits, and orientations for prospective families
• Serves as the primary relationship manager with all prospective families with timely communication, and directs the admissions process from the point of inquiry through enrollment
• Prepares admission material, engages a parent enrollment committee, and maintains admissions marketing on the website, with outreach to parishes, and collaboration with local family businesses, childcare centers, and religious education programs
• Maintains the accuracy of the school’s student/family database and serves as the school resource for questions/training 
• Provides insight and input into the strategy and design of marketing initiatives to drive prospective families to consider St. Mary’s 
• Communicates effectively within the school community and with administration, faculty, and parish
• Develop and implement annual enrollment and retention strategies.
• Manage the student admissions process from inquiry through enrollment.
• Monitor enrollment trends and provide regular reports to school leadership and the bi-monthly board meeting.
• Maintain accurate admissions records and enrollment data.
• Coordinate enrollment projections and waitlists.
• Coordinate with the business office to ensure that families' system accounts are created properly and maintained accurately.  

Recruitment and Marketing

• Serve as the primary point of contact for prospective families.
• Conduct campus tours and admissions meetings.
• Plan and execute admissions events, open houses, shadow days, and information sessions.
• Represent the school at local parishes, community events, Howdy Hood, and other events.
• Develop promotional materials and recruitment campaigns.
• Manage prospective family communications through email, phone, website, social media, and other outreach channels.
• Manage and maintain the recruitment packet and all recruitment materials.

Family Engagement and Retention

• Foster strong relationships with prospective, new, and current families.
• Coordinate onboarding activities for newly enrolled students and families.
• Conduct enrollment follow-up and retention outreach.
• Assist families in understanding tuition assistance, scholarships, and enrollment requirements.
• Support efforts to maintain high levels of parent satisfaction and student retention.

Community and Parish Relations

• Build relationships with local Catholic parishes, clergy, and community organizations.
• Promote Catholic school enrollment within parish communities.
• Serve as an advocate for the mission and ministry of Catholic education.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Supports and upholds the philosophy of Catholic education and the mission of the school
• Acts as a witness to Gospel values by modeling the teachings of the Catholic Church
• Supports and adheres to the Code of Conduct and policies and procedures of the school and Diocese
• Maintains confidentiality regarding school matters and shows leadership in advocating the mission of the school
• Meets staff development guidelines as set forth by the Diocese/local administration
• Demonstrates professionalism in conduct, demeanor, and work habits
• Maintains a work schedule that maximizes availability to the school, students, and staff
• Collaborates with peers to enhance the work environment and support instructional planning
• Supports office staff and their work as needed
• Prepares statistical reports as needed
• Maintains the school’s archiving system for student records
• Maintains photography permissions and shares with school personnel and the Development Office
• Plans for and maintains the FACTS database and the FLOCKNOTE directory, and ensures they are maintained on a daily basis
• Knowledge of the basic teachings of the Catholic Church 
• Able to serve as a professional ambassador and representative of the school 
• Able to communicate effectively in both written and verbal form 
• Able to work well with others in the school community
• Skill in handling multiple tasks simultaneously 
• Skill in organizing and relating information in an understandable format
• Skill in job-appropriate technology 
• Skill in critical thinking and planning

Qualifications
Education: 

• Bachelor’s degree required; Master's degree preferred.

Experience:

• 3 to 5 years’ experience in school admissions, with direct and primary responsibility for managing relationships with prospective families OR equivalent in a sales, recruiting, or marketing role.
• Practicing Catholic preferred and committed to supporting the mission of Catholic education.
• Excellent interpersonal, communication, and presentation skills.
• Strong organizational and project management abilities.
• Ability to analyze enrollment data and identify trends.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, Google Workspace, and student information systems.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and professionalism.

Characteristics:

• Passion for Catholic education and student success.
• Warm, welcoming, and service-oriented demeanor.
• Self-motivated and goal-oriented.
• Strong attention to detail.
• Ability to work collaboratively with faculty, school staff, business office, parish staff, parish leaders, and families.
• Comfortable speaking to groups and representing the school publicly.

Certifications and Training:

• Must submit an Ethics and Integrity in Ministry (EIM) Application for Ministry within the first week of employment, participate in an EIM Basic abuse prevention training workshop within 30 days of submitting a complete Application for Ministry, and maintain EIM compliance during the entire term of employment.

Working Conditions

• Required to work some nights and weekends
• Required to manage high to moderate levels of stress
• Required to teach a minimum of a full school day
• Required to work in standard office and school conditions 

Employee Certification: 

All employees must adhere to the Catholic Schools Standards of Conduct, the Diocese of Austin EIM policies, and the social, ethical, and moral teachings of the Roman Catholic Church as interpreted by the Bishop of Austin.  Texas is an “at-will” employment state. Letters of employment are not contracts, nor do they bind the employer or the employee to a predetermined time or guarantee of employment.  St. Mary’s Catholic School is committed to providing a faith-filled environment that promotes academic excellence, character formation, and service rooted in the teachings of the Catholic Church.