The GSEP academic programs are designed to offer access to high-quality education both within and outside of California. Using state-of-the-art technology and a stellar faculty, the programs directly contribute to the University's mission of preparing students for lives of purpose, service, and leadership.
This role is responsible for managing workflows to meet deadlines and supporting efficient admissions operations. The Enrollment Services Officer independently evaluates and manages a high volume of applications, including complex or nuanced cases, and provides routine application funnel and forecast reports.
The Enrollment Services Officer maintains working knowledge of university systems and admissions processes to support accurate documentation, reporting, and process oversight. The position coordinates applicant files, monitors admissions workflow and timelines, conducts audits of admissions and enrollment records, and communicates with internal and external partners to support timely admissions decisions, matriculation, and enrollment. The role collaborates with teams to maintain up-to-date knowledge of admissions policies, practices, and systems, and contributes recommendations for process improvements based on application review trends and operational needs. This position also contributes to GSEP's strategic recruitment and enrollment goals by supporting data-informed decision making, collaborating with faculty and university partners, and identifying opportunities to improve admissions processes and operational effectiveness.
Duties
- Independently advise and counsel students through all aspects of the admissions process, including the creation, collection, evaluation, and distribution of documents and information related to their admissions file.
- Collaborate with internal partners (i.e. program directors, IMC, enrollment specialist) on monthly information sessions for scheduling, communications, and content.
- Lead or co‑lead virtual information sessions for prospective applicants, requiring preparation of program‑specific presentations, coordination with program leadership, and delivery of accurate, policy‑aligned guidance. These sessions often occur outside standard business hours and require strong communication skills, independent judgment, and timely cross‑departmental collaboration.
- Conduct on-site and virtual individual visits for prospective students and their guests as needed.
- Cultivate prospective students through consistent, high-touch, communication via phone, email, virtual meetings, and initiate correspondence, including appropriate and consistent follow-up.
- Ensure communications follow expected timelines and cadence, utilize approved recruitment policies/formats, reflect accurate notification dates in systems, and are recorded in the data archival system.
- Consistently conduct follow-up with all applicants to ensure successful matriculation.
- Represent GSEP at internal and external conferences and other functions as it pertains to the Enrollment Management Plan.
- Represent Enrollment Services at departmental and university events.
- Lead conversations with students during orientations, open houses, and related events, providing admissions-related support and counsel for prospective students.
- Participate in recruitment travel, representing the University at graduate and career fairs and conducting on-site and virtual presentations for prospective students and/or advisors.
- Independently review and make decisions on all application files, escalating to faculty and program director or committee review when needed.
- Evaluate applications and determine admission eligibility.
- Conduct a comprehensive review and evaluation of applications, applying established admissions guidelines, admission criteria, and program-specific criteria to determine eligibility and recommended decisions.
- Assess complex or nuanced applications, including international students, repeat applicants, duplicate submissions, and other special cases.
- Identify when additional review is warranted and escalate applications to the Program Director or Manager with objective analysis and relevant context.
- Monitor applicant trends and identify issues related to documentation, application quality, or system concerns, including suspicious or irregular submissions.
- Manage application review workflow and coordinate decision timelines.
- Coordinate the movement of applications through each review stage to support timely admissions decisions and adherence to deadlines.
- Collaborate with team members and stakeholders to prioritize files, monitor progress, and resolve barriers affecting review timelines.
- Partner with enrollment leadership to evaluate applicant trends, recruitment outcomes, referral opportunities, and outreach strategies while recommending improvements to communications, workflows, and enrollment initiatives.
- Create and maintain student files in both printed and electronic forms.
- Maintain accurate applicant records and documentation within CRM and student information systems.
- Monitor admission decision communications in all systems, including Salesforce, PeopleSoft, Wavenet, and Etrieve.
- Audit that admission decisions are accurate and visible to vendor partners, enrollment team, internal department support teams, and prospective students in required systems.
- Monitor dashboard reports for conversion performance.
- Lead conversion of leads in a specific academic program or programs throughout the funnel.
- Manage inquiries and applicants to foster movement through the pipeline.
- Work with applicants to gather all materials toward application completeness and review eligibility.
- Collaborate with the enrollment processing team to maintain and monitor the checklist status of applicants so that all materials are recorded in a timely and accurate manner.
- Advise leadership on applicant quality and admissions trends.
- Provide the Manager of Enrollment Services with regular updates and informed observations regarding applicant quality, volume, conversion trends, and progress through the admissions funnel.
- Recommend improvements to admissions criteria and review processes.
- Use application review notes and applicant trend analysis to recommend improvements to admissions criteria, workflows, and review practices in collaboration with leadership and team members.
- Perform other duties as assigned, particularly during periods of lower application-review volume.
- Uphold University mission through work performed.
The above information has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this classification. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications required of employees assigned to this job.
Skills and Qualifications
Required:
- Bachelor’s degree and 3 years of experience in higher education admissions, recruitment, or marketing.
- 1 year of experience in data entry, data gathering, report generation, data analysis, or related functions within an academic setting.
- Professional and respectful demeanor.
- Ability to travel periodically as needed.
- Well versed is MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Google Suite.
- Knowledge of cloud base storage, CRM systems (i.e. Salesforce) and integrated educational systems (i.e. PeopleSoft).
- Personal cell phone use (mobile phone allowance is provided).
- Professional demeanor.
Preferred:
- 5 or more years of experience within admissions, recruitment, and marketing.
- Demonstrated success in reaching targeted enrollment goals, executing recruitment plans and closing.
- Exhibits excellence in customer service, teamwork and leadership.
This is a Regular, Exempt, 40 hour per week position.
Expected Pay Rate: $70,304 per year
The above pay range reflects what Pepperdine University reasonably expects to pay for this position at time of posting. Actual compensation may vary based on relevant factors such as work experience, market conditions, education/training, and skill level. In addition to base pay, Pepperdine offers a robust and highly competitive benefits package.
Pepperdine is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer and does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of any status or condition protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. Pepperdine is committed to providing a work environment free from all forms of unlawful discrimination and harassment. Engaging in unlawful discrimination or harassment will result in appropriate disciplinary action, up to and including dismissal from the University.
Pepperdine is religiously affiliated with the Churches of Christ. It is the purpose of Pepperdine to pursue the very highest employment and academic standards within a context that celebrates and extends the spiritual and ethical ideals of the Christian faith. While students, faculty, and staff represent many religious backgrounds, Pepperdine is permitted under applicable law and reserves the right to seek, hire, and promote persons who support the goals and mission of the institution, including the right to prefer co-religionists who support Pepperdine's Christian mission.
Qualified individuals should be able to show respect for workplace differences, and have the ability to work effectively with individuals from different backgrounds.
Offers of employment are contingent upon successful completion of a criminal, education, and employment screening. The University conducts such screenings in compliance with applicable laws and with the objectives of evaluating risk and supporting a safe environment for students, faculty, staff, and guests; safeguarding key University assets including people, property, information, and the University’s reputation; and providing comprehensive job-related information to University leaders to enable them to make prudent hiring decisions. Individuals will be required to disclose any criminal convictions on a designated form after receiving a conditional offer of employment; failure to disclose accurate information may result in withdrawal of the offer or termination of employment. Qualified individuals with criminal histories will be considered for employment in compliance with applicable laws, including the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance.
