Assistant Director of Graduate Programs

Company: University of Chicago
Location: Chicago
Posted on: April 1, 2026

Job Description:

Department Graham Continuing Graduate Studies About the Department The University of Chicago Graham School connects diverse audiences from around the world to the University’s distinctive ideas and intellectual community through events, courses, and degree programs. Job Summary The University of Chicago Graham School connects diverse audiences from around the world to the University’s distinctive ideas and intellectual community through events, courses, and degree programs. The Assistant Director of Graduate Programs plays a central role in advancing enrollment, student engagement, and operational excellence for the Master of Liberal Arts (MLA). This position supports prospective students from application submission through registration, coordinating admissions interviews, partnering with the program's Director on application review and processing, and proactively guiding students through onboarding and course enrollment. As the front-end lead for the School’s Slate enrollment management system, the Associate Director of Graduate Programs oversees daily system operations, application processing, record management, and data integrity for the MLA and Leadership and Society Initiative (LSI) programs. This role ensures efficiency and optimization of workflows through system innovation, documentation, staff training, audits, and continuous process improvement. In addition, this position oversees the scheduling and promotion of programmatic events, manages email and SMS communications through Slate, and ensures accuracy and strategic alignment of MLA and LSI digital content across WordPress websites and marketing materials. This role requires strong analytical and technical acumen, meticulous attention to detail, collaborative leadership, and a student-centered approach to enrollment operations. Responsibilities Supports enrollment management and recruitment efforts for the Master of Liberal Arts (MLA) by working with applicants from the point of application submission through program registration. This includes coordinating admission interviews and supporting the program director in the processing of applications. Proactively works with MLA students to register them for courses and troubleshoot misc. student issues. Manages communications to engage the MLA student body and support retention efforts. Oversees the scheduling and promotion of programmatic events, such as information sessions. Attends events as necessary to provide support. Serves as the front-end lead for enrollment management system for the Graham School programs supported in Slate, including shared responsibility for annual maintenance, innovation, process documentation, and staff training; ensures efficiency and optimization of the day-to-day operations and functionality. Ensures compliance with federal and state regulations, accreditation standards, and internal policies. Collaborates with IT to ensure the technology supporting enrollment processes is robust, secure, and user-friendly. Oversees day-to-day operations of application systems, including application processing, record management, and data integrity within the enrollment system. Understands data sets, database query and reporting, data engineering principles, and support end-users across in the Slate system. Maintains system integrity by documenting workflow, developing, and performing regular comprehensive audits and clean-up projects. Provides support for troubleshooting functional, process, and systems issues as they arise. Stays up-to-date with emerging trends and technologies in system integration and front-end development. Manages the setup and distribution of email and SMS communications for the MLA and Leadership and Society Initiative (LSI) from the Slate system. Reviews and updates the MLA and LSI Wordpress websites and marketing material to ensure accuracy of content and proper messaging to prospective students; support the process of updating and deploying messaging. Recruits and/or evaluates applicants for admission by interviewing, reading applications and summarizing evaluations. Completes these tasks independently or with some guidance and instruction from others. Participates in special projects such as developing marketing materials, monitoring budgets and recruiting underrepresented groups with moderate/high levels of authority. Performs other related work as needed. Minimum Qualifications Education: Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field. Work Experience: Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 2-5 years of work experience in a related job discipline. Certifications: Preferred Qualifications Experience: Background with higher education, recruitment and/or student affairs is a plus. Technical Skills or Knowledge: Familiar with Slate. Familiar with Wordpress. Preferred Competencies Exceptional oral and written communication. Strong interpersonal, relationship-building, and listening skills. An understanding of student success and higher education. Recruitment or outreach experience. A strong commitment to diversity and inclusion. Work well with others in a highly collaborative environment. Passion for Graham’s mission of lifelong learning and the University of Chicago’s mission of deep inquiry and the rigorous pursuit of knowledge. Work independently in a fast-paced environment and to prioritize among competing tasks. Application Documents Resume/CV (required) Cover Letter (required) References Contact Information provided upon request (3) (required) When applying, the document(s) MUST be uploaded via the My Experience page, in the section titled Application Documents of the application. Job Family Student Affairs & Services Role Impact Individual Contributor Scheduled Weekly Hours 37.5 Drug Test Required No Health Screen Required No Motor Vehicle Record Inquiry Required No Pay Rate Type Salary ? FLSA Status Exempt ? Pay Range $62,900.00 - $81,400.00 The included pay rate or range represents the University’s good faith estimate of the possible compensation offer for this role at the time of posting. Benefits Eligible Yes The University of Chicago offers a wide range of benefits programs and resources for eligible employees, including health, retirement, and paid time off. Information about the benefit offerings can be found in the Benefits Guidebook . Posting Statement The University of Chicago is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or expression, national or ethnic origin, shared ancestry, age, status as an individual with a disability, military or veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law. For additional information please see the University's Notice of Nondiscrimination. Job seekers in need of a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process should call 773-702-5800 or submit a request via Applicant Inquiry Form. All offers of employment are contingent upon a background check that includes a review of conviction history. A conviction does not automatically preclude University employment. Rather, the University considers conviction information on a case-by-case basis and assesses the nature of the offense, the circumstances surrounding it, the proximity in time of the conviction, and its relevance to the position. The University of Chicago's Annual Security & Fire Safety Report (Report) provides information about University offices and programs that provide safety support, crime and fire statistics, emergency response and communications plans, and other policies and information. The Report can be accessed online at: http://securityreport.uchicago.edu . Paper copies of the Report are available, upon request, from the University of Chicago Police Department, 850 E. 61st Street, Chicago, IL 60637.

Keywords: University of Chicago, Chicago , Assistant Director of Graduate Programs, Education / Teaching , Chicago, Illinois