Recruitment and Retention Coordinator- Austin Peay Location

Department: Administrative

Position Title: Recruitment and Retention Coordinator

Reports To: Executive Director of Operations            

FLSA Status: Exempt                

Location: Excel Centers Central Office                

Position Summary:

The Recruitment and Retention Coordinator aids in recruitment, outreach, admissions, and onboarding initiatives for The Excel Center adult high school. Modeled after roles such as College Recruiter, Admissions Specialist, Enrollment Advisor, and Student Success Coordinator, this position focuses on attracting prospective adult learners, guiding them through the enrollment process, and supporting them toward graduation.

The coordinator also oversees CRM training and troubleshooting for all recruitment and retention teams, ensuring smooth workflows, accurate data, and high-quality user experience for both students and staff. 

Working under the direction of the Executive Director of Operations and in collaboration with the Manager and/or Director of the recruitment and retention team, the Recruitment and Retention Coordinator provides support to stakeholders and performs additional duties as assigned by the Operations Department.

Essential Functions & Responsibilities

1) Recruitment & Community Outreach

•    Develop strategic recruitment plans tailored to adult learners, leveraging practices commonly used in higher‑education recruitment

•    Build and maintain relationships with community agencies, nonprofits, career centers, faith-based organizations, re-entry groups, workforce partners, and other referral sources

•    Conduct community presentations, host info sessions, and represent the Excel Center at outreach events to generate prospective student interest

•    Identify new recruitment territories and underserved populations to diversify and strengthen the applicant pool

•    Serve as a public-facing ambassador of the school with a strong understanding of program offerings, student support functions, and admissions requirements

2) Admissions & Enrollment

•    Manage the admissions cycle from inquiry through enrollment, ensuring a positive and efficient applicant experience

•    Conduct interviews, evaluate applications, and guide prospective students through required steps and documentation

•    Maintain clear, timely, and supportive communication across all applicant stages

•    Collaborate with school leadership to uphold equitable admissions standards and decision-making processes

•    Ensure confidentiality and compliance with Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and internal policies.

3) Student Retention

•    Coordinate student onboarding and new student engagement activities to support successful program entry

•    Develop strategies modeled after college student success practices including early-alert systems, check-ins, and proactive follow-up to increase persistence

•    Monitor attendance patterns, engagement levels, and student concerns; escalate support needs to relevant teams

•    Organize student satisfaction surveys, focus groups, and other feedback tools to evaluate the student experience

•    Collaborate with academic and student support teams to resolve barriers affecting persistence and completion

4) CRM Training, Support, & System Administration

•    Serve as a trainer for all CRM functions used in recruitment and retention

•    Provide onboarding, refreshers, and ongoing technical support to ensure staff competency

•    Troubleshoot user issues, workflow errors, and data inconsistencies, escalating issues when needed

•    Create and refine CRM pipelines, automations, dashboards, and communication sequences to improve efficiency and user experience

•    Ensure accuracy, organization, and compliance within all student records and data reporting systems

5) Data, Analytics & Reporting

•    Analyze recruitment funnels, conversion rates, demographic trends, and outreach effectiveness

•    Track retention, persistence, and attrition data to guide strategic improvements

•    Prepare dashboards and reports used for leadership decision-making and goal setting

•    Provide recommendations based on analysis to improve recruitment and retention outcomes

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

•    Enrollment and orientation conversion rates

•    Enrollment and orientation targets met or exceeded each term and annually

•    Ongoing CRM data accuracy, staff adoption, and training completion

•    Growth in community partnerships and referral streams on an ongoing basis

Minimum Qualifications

•    Bachelor’s degree in Education, Communications, Human Services, Marketing, or a related field; or a minimum of 3 years of community engagement experience within a nonprofit or government agency

•    Proficiency with Microsoft 365 suite

•    Strong presentation, communication, and interpersonal skills

•    Ability to independently manage multiple priorities and deadlines

Preferred Qualifications

•    Experience recruiting or advising adult learners, non-traditional students, or individuals with education gaps

•    Proficiency with CRM systems and data management tools (HubSpot CRM)

•    Proficiency in Student Information Systems (PowerSchool, Skyward, Blackbaud)

•    Experience with data management and reporting tools (Tableau, Power BI, SQL)

•    Experience with workflow automation tools (Power Automate, Zapier)

•    Experience with project management tools (Basecamp, Asana, Microsoft Project)

•    Experience in roles such as college recruiter, admissions counselor, enrollment advisor, or academic success specialist

•    Strong understanding of community-based outreach and partnership-building

•    Experience training staff on CRM systems and troubleshooting user needs

•    Bilingual or multilingual abilities preferred but not required