Hood College, an independent, coeducational, liberal arts college offering a holistic undergraduate education and robust graduate education, seeks a visionary, strategic, and relationship-driven leader as its next vice president for enrollment management. Founded in 1893, Hood’s picturesque campus in Frederick, Maryland, is a short distance from its bustling downtown and about an hour from Washington, D.C., and Baltimore. Hood’s vision is one that aims to support an inclusive environment and prepare graduates for personal and professional success that supports students in leading purposeful lives of responsibility, leadership, service, and civic engagement.

The Position
As the College’s chief admissions and financial aid officer the Vice President for Enrollment Management will report to Hood’s President. The Vice President will advise the President and fellow members of the college’s Senior Team on all aspects of enrollment management, enrollment marketing, and institutional financial aid. The Vice President provides strategic leadership, policy formulation, and direction for undergraduate student recruitment, selection, and retention initiatives, working in collaboration with the faculty, alumni, administration, athletics, and staff to build a vibrant learning community of qualified diverse applicants. The Vice President is responsible for providing leadership in the identification and cultivation of recruitment resources to generate appropriate qualified leads from potential student populations and ways to encourage applications from the qualified and diverse pools of potential students to meet College admission and financial goals. The Vice President supervises a team of approximately ten in guiding all undergraduate admission programs, including transfer, adult, and international. Additionally, the Vice President oversees five within the office of financial aid in serving all Hood students.

Full Position Announcement: https://nessearches.com/vpem-hood/

Compensation and the Hood Work Environment
The expected salary range for this position ranges from $170,000 - $195,000 depending on circumstances including an applicant’s skills and qualifications, certain degrees and certifications, prior job experience, training, and other relevant factors. Hood College has provided a compensation range representing its good faith estimate of what the College may pay for the position at the time of posting. The College may ultimately pay more or less than the posted compensation range. Additional compensation may include variable and deferred compensation. Hood College offers excellent benefits, including medical, dental, vision, retirement, paid time off, and tuition benefits. The selected candidate will reside in or near Fredericksburg Maryland, in this visible campus and community-based leadership position.

To Apply
NES, a higher education search firm specializing in enrollment management searches, is assisting Hood College in identifying the College's next Vice President for Enrollment Management. For more information, or to nominate someone for this position, contact Laura Robinson (laura.robinson@nessearches.com) or Catherine Capolupo (catherine.capolupo@nessearches.com). All conversations will remain confidential unless otherwise stated and agreed. Interested candidates should submit a résumé and a letter of interest describing their unique qualifications for the Vice President for Enrollment Management at Hood. Candidates should also provide the names and contact information of at least five professional references. For confidentiality, references will not be contacted without permission. For best consideration, all application materials should be submitted electronically to hood@nessearches.com by March 21, 2025. The position is campus-based and the preferred start date is Summer 2025. 

Hood College is committed to diversity in its faculty and staff and subscribes to a policy of hiring only individuals legally eligible to work in the United States. EOE/AAP/M/F/Vet/Disability Employer.

Hood College does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, color, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, marital status, pregnancy, disability, religion, or age in recruitment, admission and access to, or treatment, or employment in its programs, services, benefits, or activities as required by applicable laws including Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and complies with the law regarding reasonable accommodation for disabled applicants and students. Inquiries about discrimination or reasonable accommodation should be referred to the Title IX and Section 504 Coordinator at Alumnae Hall, 401 Rosemont Avenue, Frederick, MD. 21701 (AD 312), (301) 696-3592. For complete information on Hood College’s nondiscrimination policy, please visit http://www.hood.edu/non-discrimination/.

Skills, Qualifications, and Characteristics
A bachelor’s degree is required (an advanced degree is preferred) as well as a minimum of five years’ experience leading a successful enrollment program that incorporates best practices in growing and shaping new traditional and nontraditional undergraduate enrollment. In addition, the Vice President should demonstrate the following skills, qualifications, and abilities:

• Passion for and understanding of the transformative power of an institution that proudly promotes a culture where the liberal arts and professional programs coexist together.
• A hands-on and empowering management style; a willingness to advocate and lead by example through modeling the virtues of teamwork, high energy, and a strong work ethic.
• Possession of contemporary knowledge of higher education marketing and enrollment trends; sophistication in the application of market research in marketing approaches, recruiting efforts and institutional positioning.
• Success working with a diverse student body; proven ability to recruit students from under-represented backgrounds, as well as international students.
• Experience using technology to maximize effectiveness and efficiency.
• Strong written, oral, presentation communication skills.
• Experience in the areas of enrollment planning, predictive modeling, and financial aid leveraging.
• Demonstrable evidence of creative and analytical problem solving.
• Relationship building skills with both internal and external constituents.
• Effective utilization of outcome-based decision making; use of research, data and information in planning and evaluation (experience with TargetX, Power Campus and PowerFaids preferred).
• Eagerness to partner with colleagues and key stakeholders at the institution in recruitment efforts, including alumni, parents, career services, etc.
• Excitement for creating a culture of enrollment management; ability to clearly and transparently explain the complexities of recruiting, admitting, yielding and retaining students to the College community, including members of the leadership team and board.
• Track record as a strategic thinker who is comfortable collaborating on idea development and implementation.
• Interested in exploring new and innovative enrollment approaches.
• Progressive change agent who cares about making pivotal and conscious change, is willing to take calculated risks, and leads with sensitivity, integrity, and transparency.

About NES (formerly Napier Executive Search)

NES (formerly Napier Executive Search) specializes in senior level enrollment management searches for post-secondary institutions. Established in 2014, the firm's search consultants bring extensive experience in enrollment management positions along with knowledge of today's employment landscape. Calling on our past experience in higher education enrollment roles and extensive sales and consultative experience with deans, directors and vice presidents across multiple states and regions, we nurture connections with enrollment professionals.

Connections working at NES (formerly Napier Executive Search)