Head of Admissions and Applicant Support – Partnerships, Direct Delivery

Bath Spa Live

Head of Admissions overseeing the applicant journey and admissions processes for partnership provision at Bath Spa University. Leading admissions strategy, ensuring compliance, and enhancing applicant conversion.

Posted 7/28/2026full-timeBath or London • 🇬🇧 United KingdomLead💰 £48,823 - £56,536 per yearWebsite

Core Competencies

Role fit

Core Competencies

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Demonstrates extensive knowledge of higher education admissions, including regulatory requirements and service excellence, while leading and motivating high-performing teams to enhance applicant experiences and drive institutional growth.

Highest-signal resume keywords

Partnership Admissions LeadershipRegulatory Compliance KnowledgeData Integrity ManagementHigh-Quality Report ProductionTeam Motivation and Change Management

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills

Admissions Strategy DevelopmentQualifications MappingProcess ImprovementData AnalysisApplicant Record Management

Soft Skills

Inspirational LeadershipEffective CommunicationRelationship BuildingAgility in Change Management

Tools & Technologies

Applicant DatabasesStudent Record Systems

Certifications & Qualifications

Postgraduate QualificationProfessional Qualification

Industry Keywords

Higher Education AdmissionsOfSUKVIHESAFair Admissions CodeSector TrendsRecruitment Agents

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

You will lead the development, delivery, and continuous improvement of admissions services for our partnership and direct delivery provision.
Working closely with the Director and senior colleagues, you will shape admissions strategy, policies, and procedures to ensure an inclusive, compliant, and high-quality applicant experience that supports institutional growth and student success.
You will provide inspirational leadership to specialist admissions teams, oversee complex admissions operations across multiple intakes, and act as the senior decision-maker for partnership admissions.
The role requires extensive knowledge of the higher education admissions landscape, including regulatory requirements such as OfS, UKVI, HESA, and the Fair Admissions Code, alongside a strong focus on service excellence, data integrity, qualifications mapping, and process improvement.
You will build and maintain effective relationships with franchise partners, direct delivery sites, and internal stakeholders, using data, sector insight, and evidence-based practice to inform strategic decision-making and enhance applicant conversion.
As the University's lead for partnership admissions, you will represent the institution across key committees and external networks, deliver training and guidance to colleagues and partners, and drive innovation to ensure admissions services remain responsive, efficient, and aligned with evolving sector expectations and University priorities.

Requirements

What you’ll need

Extensive experience / understanding of leading partnership Admissions, including UK and international markets.
Experience of leading and motivating a high-performing Admissions teams to achieve targets and deliver excellent customer / applicant service along with being agile and embracing change.
Experience of using applicant and student record databases ensuring data is collected and safely stored efficiently and effectively.
Experience of producing and delivering high level reports and presentations to senior stakeholders ensuring it is clear and digestible in its format.
Experience of working with recruitment Agents in relation to recruitment and admissions. Ensuring all activity is regularly reviewed and in line with sector / government polices to ensure the university remains effective and compliant in its usage.
Experience of being the institutional lead for Admissions in staying abreast of current sector trends and challenges with the function and ensure the team are fully sighted and trained accordingly
A relevant postgraduate or professional qualification
Experience of leading on institutional change ensuring teams are both clear and motivated to maintain an excellent service.

Benefits

Comp & perks

Generous pension scheme (Local Government Pension Scheme/Teacher's Pension Scheme). This is a defined benefit pension scheme which pays members a secure income for life, post-retirement
Enhanced paid leave - 41 - 46 days depending on the role (Full Time) - more details here: https://apphub.bathspa.ac.uk/StaffBenefits
Family friendly policies including hybrid working, flexible work environment, on-site nursery, and a sector-leading enhanced maternity scheme
Employee Assistance Programme which offers access to on-demand GP appointments, wellbeing support and advice, and access to counselling
Transport schemes including Electric Vehicle Scheme and Cycle to Work
Wide range of discounts and financial benefits, accessed through and easy-to-use app