Head of Student Recruitment

Location: Brighton / Sheffield / Remote (hybrid working)

Remit: Group

Hours of work: 35 hours per week

Reports to: CEO

Remuneration: £53,000 - £58,000 p.a. plus performance-related bonus.

About WaterBear - The College of Music

WaterBear is a college of music with campuses in Sheffield and Brighton, and a thriving online provision. The college is an innovator in the sector, with a unique approach to brand, collaborations and a flexible course delivery model. We are a College of Falmouth University and benefit from a close strategic relationship with our university partner. All courses at WaterBear have music at their heart. The student demographic includes a number of mature professionals with established careers, as well as younger, highly motivated degree and master’s students. Our on-board student population numbers approximately 1,000 (as at September 2025), and is set to grow to around 1200 from September 2026.

Appointment to this post is an opportunity for the successful applicant to become an integral part of this exciting team, and fundamental to the WaterBear story.

Job Role and Purpose

The Head of Student Recruitment is a senior leadership role responsible for defining and delivering WaterBear’s student recruitment strategy, ensuring the achievement of our growth targets across all programmes. Owning the full enquiry-to-enrolment (E2E) pipeline, the postholder will drive conversion performance through a data-informed, insight-led approach, ensuring a consistently high-quality and engaging prospective student experience. This role combines strategic oversight with operational leadership, encompassing all recruitment and admissions activities, CRM optimisation, and cross-channel campaign alignment. Working closely with the senior leadership team, the Head of Student Recruitment will lead and develop a high-performing team, build strong partnerships, and ensure all recruitment activity reflects WaterBear’s distinctive brand and values. The role also carries responsibility for market intelligence, using competitor and sector insight to continuously refine positioning and approach. This role is ultimately accountable for delivering a scalable, insight-led student recruitment engine that drives sustainable growth for WaterBear.

Key Tasks and Responsibilities

• Develop, implement and lead a comprehensive student recruitment strategy in collaboration with the WaterBear senior team, aligned to overall business targets.
• Oversee the full enquiry-to-enrolment (E2E) pipeline, ensuring a high-quality, conversion-focused applicant experience underpinned by excellent customer service.
• Lead, manage and develop the recruitment and admissions team, including line management responsibility and oversight of external contractors.
• Plan and deliver recruitment events (e.g. open days, UCAS fairs, schools’ tours), working cross-functionally with internal teams and external partners.
• Work closely with the Marketing team to align recruitment activity with brand and campaign strategy, including oversight of content across digital and offline channels.
• Monitor and evaluate recruitment performance against KPIs, using data and insight (e.g. HubSpot, Power BI) to inform forecasting, decision-making and continuous improvement.
• Establish clear ownership and optimisation of CRM systems (e.g. HubSpot), improving data integrity, segmentation and automation.
• Own and optimise the E2E process, ensuring effective systems, accurate data capture, and ongoing process improvement.
• Introduce a structured approach to market intelligence, incorporating competitor analysis, applicant behaviour and sector trends into recruitment strategy.
• Build and manage relationships with key partners and stakeholders to support recruitment objectives.
• Ensure all recruitment activity reflects and reinforces WaterBear’s brand, values and positioning.
• Develop and manage the recruitment and admissions budget in line with agreed financial parameters.
• Analyse applicant behaviour and feedback (both acceptances and declines) to identify trends, improve conversion, and inform future strategy.
• Provide clear, data-driven reporting and insights to the executive team and Board.

Qualifications, Skills and Experience

• At least 5 years’ experience in an equivalent senior role
• Qualified to degree level
• Proven track record in effective student recruitment
• Ability to work from own initiative, with decision-making and problem-solving approach
• Highly organised and able to implement processes and procedures
• High-level skills in people management, motivation and training
• Excellent attention to detail
• Demonstrable hands-on experience in developing and executing successful growth strategies
• Demonstrable experience or a keen interest in the UK Higher Education sector
• Excellent written and verbal communication and interpersonal skills
• Strong organisation skills
• Willingness to adopt a flexible approach to working
• Reliable with excellent time keeping and time management
• Accuracy and efficiency in data capture and reporting.

Desirable:

• Solid understanding of music industry current practice
• Knowledge and experience of the portfolio career model for creatives
• Music performance experience
• Qualified to postgraduate level.

WaterBear is committed to equality, diversity, and inclusion. We encourage applications from candidates of all backgrounds and identities.

Please apply in writing with a cover letter and CV to jobs@waterbear.org.uk

Application deadline: Sunday 31st May, 2026

Interviews: June 2026.