The client is seeking a Director of Student Recruitment and Outreach to provide strategic leadership for UK and international student recruitment, widening participation, outreach, and recruitment events activity during a period of growth. Reporting to the Chief Marketing and Recruitment Officer, the role leads an integrated recruitment and outreach strategy aligned with the client’s ambitions for global reach, diversification, access, and long-term sustainability, ensuring a joined-up, candidate-focused approach across all engagement areas.
This is a highly visible leadership position combining strategic direction with operational delivery. The Director will develop and lead insight-led recruitment and outreach across domestic and international markets, supporting efforts to widen participation, strengthen market diversification, and deliver an exceptional pre-enrolment experience for prospective students. The role will involve working closely with colleagues across the institution to align recruitment activity with broader strategic priorities, student experience ambitions, and the evolving global context.
A key focus is advancing the client’s commitment to access, participation, and social mobility through outreach strategies and partnerships that support talented students from underrepresented and disadvantaged backgrounds. The Director will also oversee robust evaluation and continuous improvement, and contribute to horizon scanning, market insight, and strategic planning to respond effectively to changing geopolitical, regulatory, and recruitment trends. The role calls for an accomplished, collaborative leader with substantial experience in student recruitment leadership within a large, complex organization, ideally in research-intensive higher education, with strong expertise in international recruitment and widening participation and diversification strategies, along with stakeholder engagement skills and a continuous improvement mindset.