Director of Operations, Graduate and Special Programs

Location: Bennington,Vermont,United States

Bennington College, a preeminent liberal arts college distinguished for its pioneering approaches to student learning and agency, set on a beautiful campus in a stunning part of the country, seeks a Director of Operations, Graduate and Special Programs. Reporting to the Vice President for Enrollment Management and Marketing, the Director is responsible for leading all facets of operational oversight and strategic direction for the recruitment, evaluation, and enrollment processes of graduate and special program students.

The Director will work closely with graduate and special program directors and staff, serving as a lead Enrollment Marketing Team (EMT) liaison to the program directors, developing and managing implementation of marketing and communications plans, application development, and welcome communications for matriculating students. This position will oversee enrollment operations for roughly 8-10 academic programs within Graduate and Special Programming, spearheading multiple projects independently. We require a high degree of decision-making ability and independent judgment. This role will also be responsible for leading functions in the Admissions CRM system (Slate), supporting data analytics, platform development, and general problem-solving across Bennington programs. 

Key responsibilities

1. Lead systems and operational planning, development, and maintenance for all EMT functions supporting Bennington’s Graduate and Special Programs. This includes all MA, BFA, and off-calendar (summer and Field Work Term) programs.
2. Participate in regular meetings with program leadership and staff to develop marketing procedures associated with data collection to deliver performance marketing analytics and accurate real-time funnel reporting.
3. Develop and manage a robust program custom dataset in Slate, allowing for direct management of each program’s system definitions and requirements. Standardize data architecture to simplify current program management, develop consistent and foreseeable timelines for process steps, and create an additional suite of default options for new program launch.
4. Create portals and reader workflows to help program staff manage their applicant funnels, review applicant information, and initiate follow-up communication. Develop portals for administrative staff to track statuses for all incoming graduate and special program students.
5. Manage and ensure timely execution of key business processes with relevant business units for all graduate and special programs, including financial aid, information technology, student billing, registrar, and admission offices. Work in close partnership with colleagues in Financial Aid, Marketing, and Communications to ensure timeline and accurate data transmission for each program’s key functions.
6. Oversee the review and delivery of all relevant communication to admitted and enrolling students, including admit letters, financial aid letters, deposit confirmations, identity state creation instructions, and initial onboarding communications.
7. Develop systems procedures (including portals, checklists, and reminder emails) to facilitate process steps for low-residency students who periodically return to campus, in close consultation with an on-campus graduate and special programs coordinator.
8. Responsible for directly supervising, mentoring, and coaching assigned team members, guiding them in their work, and overseeing their professional development and progress. Provide performance coaching and feedback to assigned direct reports to ensure efficient and professional execution of job responsibilities.
9. Admission CRM (Slate) administration. Maintain the Slate platform throughout all program admission cycles, supporting e-mail campaigns and other student communications, user security management, application and portal/web support, creating reports and documentation, and user/staff training.
10. Oversee system configuration, maintenance, enhancement, and quality control processes for Bennington’s graduate and special program applications, from submission through decision release. Execute periodic auditing procedures, including retention policies, population management, and rules adjustments.
11. Develop and maintain EMT dashboards, as well as ad-hoc queries and other reports. Assist in the development and maintenance of queries, reports, and online portals for other campus constituents. Develop and maintain new workflows, application forms, and associated communications.
12. Assist with data management for prospects, inquiries, and applicants from internal and external systems and vendors. Support imports into Slate CRM, includ