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University Overview

The University of Pennsylvania, the largest private employer in Philadelphia, is a world-renowned leader in education, research, and innovation. This historic, Ivy League school consistently ranks among the top 10 universities in the annual U.S. News & World Report survey. Penn has 12 highly-regarded schools that provide opportunities for undergraduate, graduate and continuing education, all influenced by Penn’s distinctive interdisciplinary approach to scholarship and learning. As an employer Penn has been ranked nationally on many occasions with the most recent award from Forbes who named Penn one of America’s Best Large Employers in 2023.

Penn offers a unique working environment within the city of Philadelphia. The University is situated on a beautiful urban campus, with easy access to a range of educational, cultural, and recreational activities. With its historical significance and landmarks, lively cultural offerings, and wide variety of atmospheres, Philadelphia is the perfect place to call home for work and play.

The University offers a competitive benefits package that includes excellent healthcare and tuition benefits for employees and their families, generous retirement benefits, a wide variety of professional development opportunities, supportive work and family benefits, a wealth of health and wellness programs and resources, and much more.

Posted Job Title

Associate Director, Admissions Operations//Slate Manager

Job Profile Title

Associate Director C, Student Services, Admissions

Job Description Summary

The Associate Director of Admissions Operations/Slate Manager is a critical component of the Admissions department’s technical and operational infrastructure. This position has multifaceted functions responsible for managing Slate, the Admissions Customer Relations Management (CRM) system that processes all applications and drives recruitment, enrollment, yield, and communication campaigns. Additionally, the role designs and maintains automated workflows for application review, decision release, and enrollment data synchronization while generating real-time reports on recruitment progress, yield rates, and summer melt.

The Associate Director of Admissions Operations is also responsible for application processing supporting the school’s recruitment and enrollment goals. This position collaborates with the admissions team, degree programs’ staff and works with staff across the school to support and enhance Slate’s functionality, bring about new solutions, and advocate for proper and enhanced usage of Slate. Additionally, the Associate Director of Admissions Operations/Slate Manager is responsible for leveraging a collaborative, cross-functional approach to coordinate and optimize CRM workflows across Admissions, Financial Aid, IT, and Registrar functions, ensuring data integrity, policy alignment, and effective student data management.

* All SP2 staff are required to participate in convocation and graduation ceremonies as needed.

Job Description

Job Responsibilities

+ Operational Management:

Oversee the technical and operational infrastructure of the admissions process, ensuring seamless functionality of Slate CRM to support recruitment, application processing, and enrollment goals. This includes designing and maintaining automated workflows for application review, decision release, and data synchronization with institutional systems like Banner. The role manages day-to-day operations, including communication campaigns, event management, form development, data uploads, and routine system maintenance, while establishing protocols to uphold data quality and integrity. Responsibilities extend to optimizing Slate’s configuration to align with evolving admissions strategies, troubleshooting technical issues, and implementing automation to enhance efficiency.

The position serves as the primary steward of Slate’s architecture, driving accuracy through regular data clean-up, consolidation of duplicate records, and oversight of annual cycle prep work to update application portals, purge outdated resources, and ensure compliance with institutional privacy policies. As the school’s liaison for Graduate Admissions User Groups and the Provost Office, the Associate Director collaborates with IT and cross-departmental teams to manage system integrations, user permissions, and updates. The role also prioritizes continuous improvement by attending Slate webinars, adopting new integrations, and partnering with our Slate Consultant and the Slate Help Desk to resolve complex technical challenges, ensuring the CRM remains a robust foundation for admissions operations.

+ Data Analysis & Reporting:

Develops and renders official admissions reports while generating real-time dashboards to track recruitment progress, yield rates, summer melt, and enrollment metrics. Responsibilities include maintaining the university’s ADIT report to ensure accurate transfer of admissions and enrollment data to Penn’s data warehouse, as well as producing ad-hoc analyses for senior leadership, program staff, and admissions teams. This role creates custom queries, data visualizations, and presentations to inform strategic decisions, ensuring stakeholders have actionable insights for resource allocation and policy adjustments.

The position establishes and updates Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for building and maintaining reports in Slate, while auditing data to ensure accuracy and compliance with institutional standards. By collaborating with IT departments, the Associate Director ensures seamless data integration between Slate CRM, Banner (the Student Information System), and other tools, supporting operational efficiency and alignment with recruitment goals. Additional duties include identifying enrollment trends, preparing compliance reports, and addressing emergent institutional needs through targeted ad-hoc analysis. This function serves as a critical bridge between technical data management and strategic enrollment planning, ensuring transparency and data-driven decision-making across all levels of the admissions process.

+ Slate Training and Support:

Designs and delivers comprehensive training programs for admissions staff, program coordinators, and cross-departmental users. Responsibilities include onboarding new users through personalized sessions, developing user guides and video tutorials, and hosting workshops to enhance proficiency in Slate’s features, such as dashboards, communication workflows, and reporting tools. The role provides tailored functional and technical support to users with varying skill levels, troubleshooting issues related to permissions, data entry, and system navigation while serving as the first point of contact for CRM-related concerns.

The position ensures alignment with institutional standards by assigning user permissions in collaboration with leadership, maintaining customized dashboards (e.g., admission criteria, interview questions, custom reports), and updating Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for training and support workflows. By triaging technical requests and advocating for best practices, the Associate Director fosters efficient system utilization and empowers staff to leverage Slate’s full capabilities in alignment with departmental objectives.

+ Admissions Application Processing:

The Associate Director of Admissions Operations/Slate Manager oversees the accurate and timely processing of applications for the school’s five-degree programs, ensuring alignment with institutional policies and deadlines. This includes managing data imports, document validation, and communication workflows to address incomplete or updated materials. The Associate Director collaborates closely with program directors to resolve discrepancies, monitor applicant statuses, and ensure all applicants receive the correct admission decisions. Individual case management is provided to evaluate and address applicant concerns, offering solutions to support their progression from submission through matriculation.

The role also involves oversight of uploading international student enrollment data via iPenn for visa applications, ensuring compliance with visa policies for international students. The Associate Director attends annual ISSS admissions meetings to stay informed about changes in visa processes and disseminates relevant information to students while collaborating with the ISSS representative on a case-by-case basis to resolve visa obstacles. Additionally, the position works with the Financial Aid Office to confirm that accepted students receive accurate aid awards. Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) are developed and updated regularly to streamline application processing workflows and ensure compliance with ISSS policies related to admissions. By maintaining efficient processes and providing personalized support, the Associate Director facilitates a seamless application experience for prospective students.

+ Recruitment: Assist with online and on-campus recruitment events as needed, including limited required travel for off-campus activities, while ensuring Slate’s tools are effectively employed to nurture applicant pipelines and monitor engagement metrics.

+ Cross-Functional Integration: Coordinate and align CRM usage and workflows across Admissions, Financial Aid, IT, and Registrar functions. Lead CRM-related process improvement, data reconciliation, and ensure consistent implementation of policies impacting student data. Attend inter-office meetings; identify system integration points (e.g., Slate-Banner sync, aid communication triggers); work with IT and Registrar on data governance and reporting logic; coordinate with Financial Aid on Slate workflows tied to aid packaging.

+ Additional Duties as Assigned: Perform additional duties as assigned. This role undertakes special projects and tasks aligned with institutional/departmental priorities, ensuring adaptability to emerging needs. This could include participating in cross-functional committees, supporting system migrations, contributing to policy development, and engaging in ceremonial events such as convocation and graduation ceremonies as required.

Qualifications: A Bachelor’s degree with 3–5 years of experience in admissions operations, enrollment management, or higher education recruitment is required; Master’s degree is preferred. Strongly preferred qualifications include 2–3 years of experience with CRM systems. The ideal candidate will be particularly knowledgeable with Slate by Technolutions, including configuration, testing, documentation, and support. Demonstrated experience collaborating across departments and managing data integration between CRM systems and student information systems (e.g., Banner) is also highly desirable

Job Location - City, State

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Department / School

School of Social Policy and Practice

Pay Range

$66,000.00 - $72,000.00 Annual Rate

Salary offers are made based on the candidate’s qualifications, experience, skills, and education as they directly relate to the requirements of the position, and in alignment with salary ranges based on external market data for the job’s level. Internal organization and peer data at Penn are also considered.

Equal Opportunity Statement

The University of Pennsylvania is an equal opportunity employer. Candidates are considered for employment without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion, creed, national origin (including shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics) , citizenship status, age, disability, veteran status or any class protected under applicable federal, state or local law .

Special Requirements Background checks may be required after a conditional job offer is made. Consideration of the background check will be tailored to the requirements of the job.

University Benefits

+ Health, Life, and Flexible Spending Accounts : Penn offers comprehensive medical, prescription, behavioral health, dental, vision, and life insurance benefits to protect you and your family’s health and welfare. You can also use flexible spending accounts to pay for eligible health care and dependent care expenses with pre-tax dollars.

+ Tuition : Take advantage of Penn's exceptional tuition benefits . You, your spouse, and your dependent children can get tuition assistance here at Penn. Your dependent children are also eligible for tuition assistance at other institutions.

+ Retirement: Penn offers generous retirement plans to help you save for your future. Penn’s Basic, Matching, and Supplemental retirement plans allow you to save for retirement on a pre-tax or Roth basis. Choose from a wide variety of investment options through TIAA and Vanguard.

+ Time Away from Work: Penn provides you with a substantial amount of time away from work during the course of the year. This allows you to relax, take vacations, attend to personal affairs, recover from illness or injury, spend time with family—whatever your personal needs may be.

+ Long-Term Care Insurance: In partnership with Genworth Financial, Penn offers faculty and staff (and your eligible family members) long-term care insurance to help you cover some of the costs of long-term care services received at home, in the community or in a nursing facility. If you apply when you’re newly hired, you won’t have to provide proof of good health or be subject to underwriting requirements. Eligible family members must always provide proof of good health and are subject to underwriting.

+ Wellness and Work-life Resources : Penn is committed to supporting our faculty and staff as they balance the competing demands of work and personal life. That’s why we offer a wide variety of programs and resources to help you care for your health, your family, and your work-life balance.

+ Professional and Personal Development: Penn provides an array of resources to help you advance yourself personally and professionally.

+ University Resources: As a member of the Penn community, you have access to a wide range of University resources as well as cultural and recreational activities. Take advantage of the University’s libraries and athletic facilities, or visit our arboretum and art galleries. There’s always something going on at Penn, whether it’s a new exhibit at the Penn Museum, the latest music or theater presentation at the Annenberg Center, or the Penn Relays at Franklin Field to name just a few examples. As a member of the Penn community, you’re right in the middle of the excitement—and you and your family can enjoy many of these activities for free.

+ Discounts and Special Services : From arts and entertainment to transportation and mortgages, you'll find great deals for University faculty and staff. Not only do Penn arts and cultural centers and museums offer free and discounted admission and memberships to faculty and staff. You can also enjoy substantial savings on other goods and services such as new cars from Ford and General Motors, cellular phone service plans, movie tickets, and admission to theme parks.

+ Flexible Work Hours: Flexible work options offer creative approaches for completing work while promoting balance between work and personal commitments. These approaches involve use of non-traditional work hours, locations, and/or job structures.

+ Penn Home Ownership Services: Penn offers a forgivable loan for eligible employees interested in buying a home or currently residing in West Philadelphia, which can be used for closing costs or home improvements.

+ Adoption Assistance: Penn will reimburse eligible employees on qualified expenses in connection with the legal adoption of an eligible child, such as travel or court fees, for up to two adoptions in your household.

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To learn more, please visit: https://www.hr.upenn.edu/PennHR/benefits-pay

The University of Pennsylvania’s special character is reflected in the wide variety of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives of the Penn community. We seek talented faculty and staff who will constitute a vibrant community and help create an educational and working environment that best supports the University’s commitment to excellence in teaching, research, and scholarship. The University of Pennsylvania is an equal opportunity employer. Candidates are considered for employment without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion, creed, national origin (including shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics), citizenship status, age, disability, veteran status, or any class protected under applicable federal, state or local law.