Head of Student Recruitment and Admissions

About Us

Founded on the principle that talent and potential should determine opportunity, UCL has spent two centuries expanding access to higher education. Today, UCL is a world top-ten university with a diverse global community representing more than 150 countries.

At the UCL School of Management, we are building a distinctive business school within this tradition. Based at One Canada Square in Canary Wharf, we combine strong analytical and technological expertise with growing engagement in the social sciences to understand how organisations create value across business, public and third-sector contexts.

Our focus is on excellence in research and education, preparing students to navigate complexity, collaborate across boundaries, and lead with insight and responsibility. For colleagues, this is an ambitious and collaborative environment where academic and professional teams work together to shape the School’s growth, reputation, and student community.

About the Role

This newly created leadership role will establish and lead the School’s student recruitment and admissions function during a critical phase of growth.

You will oversee the full applicant journey across undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, ensuring a coordinated, portfolio-wide approach that balances programme-specific requirements with broader School priorities. Working closely with academic portfolio leads, programme directors, Marketing and Communications, and UCL’s central teams, you will drive a data-informed recruitment strategy designed to strengthen engagement, improve conversion, and maximise offer-holder yield.

You will help define recruitment targets and KPIs with School leadership and ensure delivery against strategic objectives across programmes with varying levels of maturity and growth ambitions. A key focus will be creating a distinctive, inclusive, and high-quality candidate experience while ensuring the School remains competitive in attracting outstanding global talent.

The role will also support widening participation by developing approaches to engage underrepresented regions and student groups, while promoting scholarships and financial support opportunities. Equally important is building organisational capability through leadership of a high-performing team and the development of scalable processes, systems, and operating models.

This is a rare opportunity to build a core function from the ground up within a fast-growing and globally ambitious business school, influencing both how the School recruits and the calibre of students it attracts.

Salary: UCL Grade 9 (£68,284–£74,166 including London Allowance)

Location: Canary Wharf, London. Full-time with hybrid working (minimum 40% on-site).

About You

You will bring significant experience in student recruitment and admissions within higher education or a comparable sector, alongside a strong understanding of UK and international student recruitment markets.

You will have a proven track record of managing applicant pipelines, improving conversion rates, and using data, CRM systems, and insight to drive results. Knowledge of key admissions regulations, including visa compliance, consumer protection requirements, and data privacy, is essential.

You are an effective leader with experience building high-performing teams and implementing scalable ways of working. You collaborate confidently across academic and professional environments, influence senior stakeholders, and can balance competing priorities across multiple programmes.

You will also demonstrate strong organisational judgement, a data-driven mindset, adaptability, and a commitment to delivering an excellent and inclusive candidate experience. Above all, you will be motivated by attracting and enrolling outstanding students who are well matched to the School’s programmes and positioned to succeed.

Customer advert reference: B04-07453

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