Valparaiso University, a comprehensive, independent Lutheran institution in Northwest Indiana seeks a successful and adaptable Vice President for Enrollment and Marketing. Located in Valparaiso, Indiana, an hour’s drive from Chicago, Valparaiso – or “Valpo” as the University is referred to – offers a strong foundation in the liberal arts as well as professional education and graduate study. Committed to fostering lifelong professional, personal, and spiritual growth, the university empowers students to discover and pursue their unique paths.

As a member of both the President’s Cabinet and the extended President’s Council, the Vice President will join a dynamic senior team offering operational oversight and inspirational leadership to an engaged and welcoming collegial community. All are committed to Valpo’s robust institutional mission. The Vice President’s strengths and acumen ultimately will be an asset as the University looks to its future and seeks their 20th president to begin in January, 2026.

Full Position Announcement: https://nessearches.com/vpem-valpo/

Compensation and the Valparaiso Work Environment
Compensation for the position will be competitive and based on the skills and experience of the selected candidate and the agreed upon portfolio of responsibilities; consult with the NES search team for insights. Additionally, Valparaiso University offers a comprehensive package of benefits. The selected candidate will reside in or near Valparaiso, Indiana, in this visible campus and community-based leadership position.

To Apply
NES, a higher education search firm specializing in enrollment management searches, is assisting Valparaiso in identifying the University's next Vice President for Enrollment and Marketing. For more information, or to nominate someone for this position, contact Suzi Nam (suzi.nam@nessearches.com) or Catherine Capolupo (catherine.capolupo@nessearches.com). All conversations will remain confidential unless otherwise stated and agreed. Interested candidates should submit a résumé and a letter of interest describing their unique qualifications for the Vice President for Enrollment and Marketing position at Valparaiso University. Candidates should also provide the names and contact information of at least five professional references. For confidentiality, references will not be contacted without permission. For best consideration, all application materials should be submitted electronically to valpo@nessearches.com by March 20, 2025. The position is campus-based and the preferred start date is Summer 2025.

Valparaiso University is an equal opportunity employer. Employment selection and related decisions are made without regard to sex, race, age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, color or any other protected class. Read more about our Equal Opportunity Policy.

Qualifications, Skills, and Characteristics
A bachelor's degree is required and an advanced degree preferred. A minimum of ten years of enrollment management and marketing within higher education with increasing responsibility and significant experience in managerial and leadership roles is required in this important position. In addition, the Vice President should demonstrate many of the following skills, qualifications, and abilities:

• Highly successful enrollment manager with a demonstrated history of success in building enrollments among a range of student populations: undergraduate, graduate, transfer, international, and adult students.
• Experienced in the collaborative development of an institutional strategic enrollment plan, short term initiatives, and supporting tactics with the ability to effectively communicate plans, benchmarks, analysis and outcomes across an invested campus community
• Able to acknowledge institutional history while offering a compelling vision for the future of Valpo to prospective students, families, as well as college counselors and peers within the marketplace.
• Seasoned leader with a firm grasp on contemporary integrated marketing strategies, ability to build partnerships and pipelines, and willingness to foster change along with positive relationships.
• Deeply experienced in the management, evaluation and oversight of vendor partners with the ability to maximize impact and invest judiciously.
• Strategically deft, with the ability to analyze, interpret, and present relevant information in a manner that supports decision making, educates, and engages collaborators.
• Appreciation for special qualities and needs of the University at both the undergraduate and graduate levels of the institution.
• Proven effectiveness in change management: significant experience managing the complex interplay of marketing, yield and recruiting strategies, enrollment goals and revenue targets, yield, and financial aid
• Ability to lead the creation of Valpo's future student body with vision, an entrepreneurial outlook and eye to new possibilities and emerging challenges; ability to build and motivate a team and to inspire energy and enthusiasm.
• Strong analytical capacity with the ability to produce forward-looking, transparent strategic plans and budgets that link expenditures to outcomes; capacity to assess the effectiveness of how recruitment and financial aid funds are employed to achieve enrollment goals; eagerness to engage in a continuous dialogue about enrollment and other areas with the president and senior leadership.
• Able to adopt an institutional view of challenges, opportunities and resources with the courage to communicate honestly and transparently with supervisor, peers and others, while also doing so in a constructive and diplomatic fashion.
• A sense of urgency and engagement; articulateness; integrity, and a strong internal moral compass; optimism, confidence, and excitement about change; a genuine interest in forming a team with the president, senior leadership, and academic partners; a confident and personal presence that is active and inclusive; ability to observe, listen, learn, and clarify needs while engendering trust quickly among various constituencies; sound judgment; demonstrated skill working with diverse cultures, backgrounds, and perspectives.
• A sincere and personal commitment to the mission of and vision for Valparaiso University, a willingness to persevere, and a desire to build authentic and long term relationships with colleagues, students, and alumni.

About NES (formerly Napier Executive Search)

NES (formerly Napier Executive Search) specializes in senior level enrollment management searches for post-secondary institutions. Established in 2014, the firm's search consultants bring extensive experience in enrollment management positions along with knowledge of today's employment landscape. Calling on our past experience in higher education enrollment roles and extensive sales and consultative experience with deans, directors and vice presidents across multiple states and regions, we nurture connections with enrollment professionals.

Connections working at NES (formerly Napier Executive Search)