Customer Relations Specialist - Graduate Admissions

Gordon College; Lewes; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job description

Function: Under the oversight of the Senior Director of Advancement Services and CRM, the Customer Relations Specialist will play a pivotal role in supporting all aspects of the graduate customer experience. This position will act as a key resource for graduate recruitment, admissions, student registration, and website maintenance, ensuring a seamless, efficient, and student-centered experience for both staff and prospective/active students. This position will also act as a secondary resource for training staff in the Herschend School of Education to enhance internal capacity with the CRM.

Reporting Structure and Collaboration

• Primary Reporting Line: Senior Director of Advancement Services and CRM

• Dotted-Line Reporting: Director of Graduate Enrollment and Marketing and Director of Graduate Education

• Collaborative Relationships: This role will collaborate across departments, including Graduate Admissions, Technology Services, Academic Departments, and Marketing.

Project Assignments and Evolution

The position will initially focus on supporting Herschend School initiatives. As these projects become systematized and embedded into daily operations, the scope of responsibilities may evolve to support additional schools or institutional initiatives as needed.

Performance Evaluation and Role Development

This role includes performance check-ins at 3, 6, and 9 months to assess progress, address evolving needs, and identify emerging opportunities. This iterative evaluation framework supports a responsive and adaptive role that aligns with department goals and student needs.

Work Environment

This is a full-time position with flexible scheduling options as approved by the Senior Director. The role may be hybrid depending on department needs and candidate location.

Description of Duties and Tasks:

Salesforce CRM Support

• Serve as the Salesforce superuser for Graduate Admissions.

• Provide day-to-day user support, troubleshooting issues, and ensuring effective utilization of Salesforce.

• Collaborate with CRM and technology teams to enhance platform functionality and user experience

• Facilitate testing of new features as they become available in the CRM.

Technology Support

• Provide first-line support for graduate admissions staff and students using systems such as Salesforce, Jenzabar, and associated platforms.

• Coordinate with internal IT and data teams to resolve complex system issues and escalate when necessary.

• Identify and communicate system enhancements that would improve user experience.

Recruitment and Admissions Support

• Support the graduate recruitment pipeline, ensuring timely, helpful, and responsive communication with prospective students.

• Provide applicant care, answering questions, and assisting throughout the application process.

• Monitor responsiveness metrics to ensure timely follow-up and engagement.

• Support accurate data capture and maintenance within Salesforce and related systems.

Registration Support

• Guide students through the self-registration process, resolving common questions and system issues.

• Support internal staff with registration administration as needed.

• Validate that term-based course offerings are accurate and aligned in Jenzabar.

Website Monitoring and Maintenance

• Conduct regular checks on the Graduate Admissions web pages to identify and correct errors.

• Ensure that term course offerings and program information are up-to-date and consistent with Jenzabar data.

• Coordinate updates with Marketing, Academic Departments, and Technology Services.

Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

To fully perform the above functions, the incumbent must possess the following knowledge, skills, and abilities, or demonstrate that the major responsibilities of the job can be accomplished, with or without reasonable accommodation, using some combination of skills and abilities.

1. Bachelor’s degree required; experience in higher education or student services preferred.

2. Technical skills including experience with CRM or Marketing Software and an understanding of digital Constituent engagement and activity tracking.

3. Familiarity with Salesforce CRM and Jenzabar SIS platforms strongly preferred.

4. Demonstrated customer service skills and commitment to student success.

5. Strong attention to detail, problem-solving skills, and ability to manage multiple systems and tasks.

6. Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to collaborate across departments.