Pro-Vice Chancellor (Future Students)

Since our foundation in 1964, we’ve aspired to be a different type of university: one that focuses on fostering collaboration between students, academics, industry and society. As a collective, we’re advancing world-class theoretical thinking and translating it into real-world solutions.

We are ranked among the world's top universities and known globally for our strong tradition of innovation. We are connecting people across the most diverse fields of knowledge to create bold new possibilities for intellectual endeavours and the common good.

Future Students is central to how Macquarie delivers on its strategy and financial plan, shaping how the University:

• generates student demand
• converts interest into enrolments
• supports students right through to commencement.

Future Students coordinates the international and domestic recruitment strategy of the University and supports faculties and other portfolios in their student recruitment activities, events, collaboration and engagement.

The portfolio is responsible for all aspects of the University's student recruitment operations, including:

• domestic and international student recruitment
• articulation programs and partnerships
• global collaborations.

Working closely with faculties, the Graduate Research Academy, Philanthropy and Alumni Relations, Future Students supports the design and implementation of global partnership development across the University.

• Provide executive direction for future student marketing and demand generation, ensuring marketing investment produces measurable growth in quality leads, applications, offers, acceptances and commencements.
• Lead integrated planning, governance and performance management for the end-to-end future student lifecycle.
• Lead domestic acquisition and engagement through outreach, events, conversion journeys and partner pipeline development (schools, VET/TAFE and other pathways). This includes close, integrated work with Marketing and Admissions in particular.
• Lead international growth, diversification and channel strategy (including TNE and international articulations). This includes contemporary regional strategies that actively manage value, concentration, compliance and reputational risks.
• Define and govern compelling, evidence-based propositions by segment and market for undergraduate, postgraduate, online/professional and pathways.

• Ensure an efficient, student-centred and compliant admissions-to-commencement pipeline.
• Sponsor and govern data, insights, CRM and digital enablement to ensure evidence-based decision-making, including with consideration of completion rates.
• Provide financial stewardship and investment governance through budgeting, scenario planning and cost-to-acquire analysis.
• Lead compliance, integrity and reputational risk management across all recruitment practices, agreements, MOUs and third-party channels.
• Build a high-performing Future Students organisation with clear roles, capability development, ethical practice, wellbeing and succession planning.

Reports to

• Deputy Vice-Chancellor (People and Operations)

Direct reports

• Executive Director, Domestic
• Executive Director, International
• Director, Total Partnerships and Protocols
• Business and Operations Manager
• Executive Assistant

Key relationships

• Vice-Chancellor
• Executive Deans
• Vice-Presidents of Portfolios
• Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research)
• Finance; Governance committees

Location

Wallumattagal Campus
Macquarie University
Macquarie Park NSW 2109
Sydney, Australia

• Senior executive leadership experience in a Future Students or enrolment management portfolio within a university or comparably complex organisation.
• Demonstrated delivery of material outcomes across the end-to-end student recruitment life cycle (demand generation through to commencement), with evidence of improved conversion and forecast accuracy.
• Proven leadership in international market strategy and channel/partner management, including agent governance where applicable.
• Strong experience integrating marketing, recruitment and conversion functions, with measurable return on investment and funnel performance improvement.
• Significant budget ownership and investment prioritisation experience, including scenario planning and performance-based resource allocation.
• Experience leading governance, compliance and reputational risk management relevant to future student activities and third-party channels.
• Strategic planning and execution across multi-segment, multi-market portfolios.
• Deep understanding of future student funnel metrics, forecasting, attribution and conversion optimisation.

• Strong stakeholder leadership across academic and professional domains; ability to influence without relying solely online management authority.
• High data literacy and comfort with analytics, CRM disciplines and digital performance indicators.
• Excellent communication skills for executive reporting, public-facing stewardship and incident response.
• Ethical judgement and commitment to responsible recruitment and student-first practice.

Desirable

• Experience delivering large-scale CRM/marketing automation transformations.
• Experience with pathways/college models and pipeline performance management.
• Experience with online growth strategies and product packaging for lifelong learners.
• Relevant postgraduate qualifications (business/marketing/education leadership) or equivalent executive development.

Vision

We aspire to be a transformative power. We will be renowned for the exceptional quality of our education and the experiences of our students, our world-class research with far-reaching impact, and the highest standards in Australia for our progressive academic health system. Macquarie University will respond to the needs of a rapidly changing world and shape its future, becoming:

• a destination of choice for students
• a continuously accelerating powerhouse of impactful research
• an employer of choice for our staff
• a provider of choice for people engaged with our health enterprise
• a community where everyone is valued, included and respected
• more deeply aligned with First Nations peoples
• a nexus for partnership and innovation in Australia and around the world
• a place of pride for graduates and alumni
• agile in response to the rapidly changing national and global landscape
• enduring and sustainable.

Values

As the current custodians of Macquarie University and all that it stands for, we deeply value and commit to:

• Collective ambition
  We harness the diversity of individual talent and the power of the collective to excel in everything we do, creating positive impact.
• Purposeful collaboration
  We are results focused and actively collaborate to achieve our shared mission and our mutual objectives. We thrive on the open exchange of ideas, sharing expertise and resources within and far beyond the University.
• Bold innovation
  We are courageous in our pursuit of groundbreaking ideas and transformative solutions. We go beyond the ordinary through creative enquiry and unceasing curiosity.
• Genuine care
  We demonstrate care, empathy and concern for the wellbeing of individuals across our community and act with integrity and inclusion to foster the reputation and success of the University.