Associate Director of Evaluation and Strategy - Admissions

Position Summary

About the Office of Undergraduate Admissions

The Office of Undergraduate Admissions at NYU Shanghai manages the recruitment and enrollment of both Chinese and international students. A degree-granting campus in NYU's global network, NYU Shanghai is home to approximately 2,000 undergraduates from more than 80 countries and regions. The office recruits and enrolls talented students who reflect NYU Shanghai's mission, values, and global outlook.

Position Summary

Reporting to the Executive Director, Recruitment, Admissions and Financial Aid, the Associate Director of Evaluation and Strategy leads first-year evaluation and selection across NYU Shanghai’s Chinese and international admissions pathways. The role translates enrollment priorities into evaluation plans and selection recommendations, using applicant trends and evaluation findings to inform admissions policy, recruitment priorities, and enrollment planning.

As a senior member of the admissions leadership team, the Associate Director supervises three professional staff and contributes to office-wide planning. The position collaborates with Admissions Operations, recruitment teams, campus partners, and NYU’s global admissions and data teams to coordinate evaluation and selection practices, oversee matriculation processes, and support yield.

Responsibilities

Team Leadership and Supervision (15%)

• Supervise three professional staff, including the Senior Assistant Director responsible for Chinese evaluation and selection and the Assistant Director supporting international evaluation and selection. Establish clear responsibilities and goals, conduct performance reviews, and support professional development.
• Oversee recruitment, onboarding, and performance assessment of application readers, including professional staff and seasonal readers.
• Contribute to admissions leadership planning, communicate priorities and decisions, and coordinate workflows across the admissions team. Recommend staffing and seasonal reader needs to the Executive Director, Recruitment, Admissions and Financial Aid.

Evaluation and Selection (45%)

• Lead evaluation and selection across Chinese and international admissions pathways, ensuring each follows applicable admissions requirements.
• Lead annual evaluation and selection planning, coordinating international processes with admissions colleagues in New York and Abu Dhabi and developing Chinese processes locally, with timelines aligned where possible.
• Define application review workflows, workloads, and reader assignments in partnership with Admissions Operations.
• Lead training and calibration for readers and admissions staff in coordination with the New York Evaluation and Services team and NYU’s global admissions colleagues.
• Oversee the Chinese Heritage Review process, ensuring consistent application of eligibility requirements for the international admissions pathway.
• Review applications and complex cases and provide feedback to support consistent evaluation.
• Oversee the assessment component of Chinese Candidate Weekend in collaboration with University Programs and academic colleagues, ensuring consistent evaluation standards.
• Prepare recommendations on applicants and class composition for the final selection committee process and coordinate implementation of admissions decisions.
• Oversee application review for pre-college and summer programs in coordination with University Programs and academic partners, as assigned.

Strategy, Analysis, and Collaboration (20%)

• Partner with the Executive Director, Recruitment, Admissions and Financial Aid to set evaluation and selection priorities.
• Coordinate evaluation practices across Chinese and international admissions pathways, identifying shared approaches where appropriate while maintaining each pathway’s approved selection criteria and requirements.
• Collaborate with NYU’s Data, Reporting and Analytics Team and global admissions colleagues to analyze admissions data and use findings to inform evaluation strategy and enrollment planning.
• Review student readiness and success outcomes data with campus partners to inform evaluation practices.
• Conduct post-cycle reviews and recommend improvements to evaluation and enrollment processes.
• Partner with Admissions Operations to identify reporting and system needs and improve review and matriculation processes.
• Share applicant trends and evaluation insights with Recruitment and Marketing to inform recruitment priorities and align recruitment and selection strategies.
• Prepare an incoming class summary for campus partners to support academic and student services planning.

Matriculation and Enrollment Coordination (10%)

• Oversee the Chinese matriculation process, with the Senior Assistant Director managing implementation and coordination with local examination authorities and relevant government offices.
• Oversee offer acceptance, deposit, and deferral processes.
• Coordinate with Admissions Operations and NYU’s global admissions colleagues to ensure enrolling students meet applicable high school graduation and final credential requirements.
• Coordinate with campus partners to support incoming students’ transition from admission to enrollment.
• Address matriculation issues and complex cases within university policy, escalating exceptions and matters requiring senior review to the Executive Director, Recruitment, Admissions and Financial Aid.

Recruitment, Yield, and Campus Engagement (10%)

• Represent NYU Shanghai at recruitment, yield, and on-campus admissions events as assigned.
• Support admitted-student engagement and yield initiatives in coordination with Recruitment and Marketing and University Programs.

Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor’s degree required; master’s degree preferred.

Experience

• At least 10 years of progressively responsible experience in higher education admissions or a related field, including substantial responsibility for holistic undergraduate application evaluation and selection.
• Experience supervising professional staff, managing performance, and supporting professional development.
• Experience leading application readers, delivering training and calibration, managing complex review workflows, and preparing selection committees.
• Experience evaluating applicants across international secondary-school curricula and working knowledge of Chinese admissions pathways.
• Experience analyzing and reporting on admissions data to inform evaluation, selection, and enrollment planning.
• Experience using admissions CRM systems to manage evaluation workflows and improve processes in partnership with operations colleagues.
• Experience with Slate and data visualization tools such as Tableau is preferred.

Skills and Competencies

• Excellent English communication, presentation, organizational, and leadership skills.
• Sound judgment in contextual application review and complex eligibility cases, with a commitment to fair assessment and applicant confidentiality.
• Strong analytical skills, including proficiency in Excel or comparable data tools and the ability to explain findings and recommendations clearly.
• Ability to lead complex projects, manage competing deadlines, maintain accurate documentation, and improve evaluation processes.
• Ability to collaborate across cultures, campuses, and functional teams and communicate admissions decisions and requirements clearly and respectfully.
• Mandarin proficiency and advanced knowledge of Chinese evaluation, selection, or matriculation requirements are preferred.
• Flexibility to work early mornings, evenings, and weekends during peak admissions periods, collaborate across time zones, and undertake recruitment and yield travel as assigned.

Additional Information

About NYU Shanghai

NYU Shanghai is China’s first Sino-US research university and the third degree-granting campus of the NYU Global Network. We were founded in 2012 by New York University and East China Normal University with the support of the city of Shanghai and the district of Pudong. NYU Shanghai seeks to cultivate globally-minded graduates through innovative teaching, world-class research, and a commitment to public service. 

NYU Shanghai is an equal opportunity employer committed to equity, diversity and social inclusion. We are proud of its diverse and talented staff members, who work together to build and sustain this unique and pioneering institution of higher education in China. 

For more information about NYU Shanghai, please visit https://shanghai.nyu.edu. You can also follow our official WeChat Account: NYUShanghaiRecruit for more updated news.