Director of Admissions and Financial Aid

The Putney School is seeking a Director of Admissions and Financial Aid, a full-time administrative position to begin work in the summer of 2026. Reporting to the head of school, this position is responsible for all strategic and operational facets of recruitment, admission, enrollment, and financial aid, including helping to build the school’s brand identity, generating positive “buzz” about the school, meeting enrollment and revenue targets, and promoting student retention. This role is an opportunity to shape the future of one of the most relevant and exciting schools in the United States, ensuring Putney’s vibrant and sustainable place in a competitive marketplace.

Opportunities

The Director of Admissions will have the opportunity to leverage Putney's distinct mission, strong brand awareness, relevance, and clear pathways to grow enrollment.  First, the time for Putney is now: as artificial intelligence overtakes traditional ways of living and working, Putney's ninety-year focus on creativity, collaboration, agency, community, and responsibility align with the skills and habits that will be required for success moving forward. Second, in an era when there is an oversupply of boarding school beds in the United States, Putney has a distinctive mission; we know the students who will thrive at Putney, and who will not. The task is to lean into our distinctiveness and ensure everyone aligned with the Putney mission is aware of our school. Third, Putney retains a strong brand: we are known nationally for our progressive pedagogical approach, commitment to the arts, and belief in student ownership of their experience. As a result, for generations, Putney has attracted members of America's intellectual and creative elite. 

Priorities

• Grow the top of our admission funnel and eventually increase enrollment by about 8-10 mission-aligned students per year while maintaining sustainable tuition discount rates.
• Develop creative admissions strategies to connect with prospective students and families who will be drawn to Putney and who will find tuition within financial reach.
• Grow Putney's international student population. The number of international students enrolled at Putney has not returned to pre-Covid levels, and there is room to grow international enrollment from approximately 15% to 20-22% of the student body. 

Position Responsibilities

• Collaborate with programmatic leadership to ensure clear understanding of program aspirations, strengths, hurdles, obstacles, and challenges
• Lean into learning and embracing Putney's unique program, students, and ethos 
• Articulate Putney’s brand identity to ensure our communications reinforce the ways in which Putney is distinct, competitive, and relevant
• Ensure robust recruitment outreach via innovative approaches in addition to traditional methods, such as visits to schools, high school fairs, educational consultants, and educational conferences
• Identify and shepherd families from inquiry, to application, to enrollment, as well as supporting retention 
• Balance vision and clarity with offering individual agency in leading the admissions staff, and inspire the entire community to be admissions counselors in their areas of influence
• Build applicant pools that reflect a range of racial, socio-economic, geographic, and gender identities
• Lead the admission committee (made up of students and adults) to identify and enroll mission-aligned students
• Manage a $4.5 million financial aid budget by reviewing financial aid applications and allocating awards aligned with student needs and school goals, securing a balance of full-pay and aid-funded families to fund meet net tuition revenue and enrollment targets 
   

 

https://bit.ly/Putney_DirAdmisFinAid

Interested candidates should submit via https://bit.ly/Putney_DirAdmisFinAid_AppForm the following materials confidentially in one single PDF file: -A cover letter indicating your particular interest in and qualifications for the position -A current resume -The names, email addresses, and telephone numbers of five references, including your current Head of School and at least one other recent supervisor. References should speak to your ability to be an effective educator and administrator, to work successfully with children, and to work collaboratively and collegially with adults (references will be contacted only with the candidate’s permission). Please indicate your relationship with each reference (i.e. supervisor, colleague, or direct report). Please address any questions by email to ara@strategenius.org.