Head of International Admissions

Arden University is an aspirational and multi-award-winning university, delivering rapid growth with ambitious plans to disrupt the HE sector through our passion for innovation and digital education. Our vision is to become the first-choice university for career-focused lifelong learners worldwide, ensuring that everyone, everywhere can access higher education.

This is an exciting and transformative time to join Arden University as we embark upon an ambitious phase of international growth and development. We have set our sights on becoming a truly global institution, with a clear focus on providing students with an exceptional student experience. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to make a significant positive impact in the university.

The Head of International Admissions is a role created as part of Arden's international expansion. You will be critical in overseeing the international admissions process specifically for Arden UK international and will lead a team of International Admissions Officers. A pivotal leadership role, we are seeking a highly motivated, innovative and dynamic professional with excellent leadership abilities and proven experience managing the full admissions lifecycle for undergraduate and postgraduate international students across Arden’s UK campuses. You’ll ensure our processes are efficient, compliant, and student-focused—supporting our strategic goals for international growth.

Responsibilities

• Lead, manage, and develop a team of Admissions Officers to deliver an excellent international admissions service.
• Ensure compliance with Arden policies, UKVI regulations, and sector-wide best practices.
• Oversee the processing of applications, initial qualifications assessments, and offer decisions using the SITS student record system.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with prospective students, agents, academic schools, and internal service teams.
• Provide insight and analysis on trends in international applications, conversion, and enrolment to inform strategic planning.
• Collaborate with internal teams to continuously improve processes and applicant communication strategies.
• Represent Arden at internal committees and external events, advocating for the interests of international students.
• Support the wider international team on overseas initiatives, agent performance reviews, and enrolment events.

Essential Requirements

• Knowledge and experience of international student admissions.
• Knowledge and experience of work with student information systems.
• Proven track record of developing and implementing successful international admissions processes and procedures.
• Proven experience of supervising and managing high-performance teams.
• Extensive knowledge of UK higher education systems and international education markets.
• Extensive knowledge of UK regulation with a specific focus on international student admission life cycle.

Desirable Requirements

• Marketing or business postgraduate or vocational qualification (e.g., CIM or IDM).
• Knowledge of current issues within higher education, particularly those connected with international higher education, communications and admissions.
• Willingness to undertake occasional overseas travel, or work weekends and evenings as required.

Why Arden

At Arden, you will become a part of a passionate and dedicated team who are committed to removing unnecessary barriers to learning and making education more accessible. Our people work hard to ensure our students' journeys are the best they can possibly be, as such we want to reward our people with fantastic benefits:

• 30 days holiday + bank holidays on top, and even a Christmas closure.
• A generous Aviva pension plan, company contributions starting from 7%.
• SimplyHealth plan option.
• Private Medical Insurance.
• Access to Perkbox benefits.
• Study any Arden course for free, with a discount for all family and friends.
• Other excellent benefits.
• Our ‘Golden Ticket’ which allows you to gift anyone in your life a free Arden education.

Our Values

Stand out, Progressive, Accessible, Resourceful, Kindness, reflect who we are as an institution, a team and as individuals. If they also reflect you and you are excited by the chance to be the driving, creative force within a growing business, we want to hear from you.

Closing Date: 31st May 2026

Equity, Diversity & Inclusion

Arden University is proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. This means that if you have a disability, as defined by the Disability Equality Act 2010, you may be guaranteed an interview if you meet the essential criteria for the role. If you wish to be considered under this scheme, you can indicate via the application form below.

As an Equal Opportunity Employer we celebrate diversity and are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace. Therefore, we make sure that our recruitment and selection processes never discriminate based upon people's age, disability, gender, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation, or other personal circumstances, and actively welcome applications from all groups.

Sponsorship Statement

Please be aware that some roles may not meet the points requirement for a sponsored Skilled Worker visa under the points-based immigration system. However, we welcome applications from candidates who do not currently have the right to work in the UK but may be eligible for a visa through an alternative route.