Head of Admissions – Universities Portfolio

Lead High-Volume International Admissions for Leading University Partnerships

Education Centre of Australia (ECA) is a energetic and diverse education group that stands at the forefront of Australia's higher education sector, with campuses across Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne and Adelaide, as well as international operations in the United Kingdom and India.

For almost two decades, ECA has partnered with leading universities to deliver world-class education experiences for international students. Through strategic partnerships with institutions including Victoria University, Charles Sturt University, University of Canberra, University of Tasmania, University of the Sunshine Coast and London Metropolitan University, ECA continues to redefine student success through innovation, quality and growth.

We are seeking an experienced and operationally focused Head of Admissions – Universities Portfolio to lead the end-to-end admissions operation for our university partners, from application receipt through assessment, Genuine Student (GS) evaluation, offer, acceptance and Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE).

This senior leadership role is accountable for team performance, turnaround times, quality and compliance, and for the admissions relationship with our university partners. You will lead through a team of Team Leaders, managing the operation rather than acting as a senior case processor.

This position is based in Sydney

Applicants must hold unrestricted working rights in Australia at the time of application.

About the Universities Portfolio

ECA's Universities Portfolio delivers admissions services on behalf of our university partners, supporting international applicants through a global network of education agents.

The portfolio operates under the ECA Group Admissions Framework, with partner-specific admissions requirements sitting beneath it, and is part of ECA's Admissions & Compliance function.

About the Role

Reporting to the Director of Admissions, the Head of Admissions will lead the admissions team through a group of Team Leaders, overseeing the end-to-end admissions operation for the portfolio.

You will be responsible for meeting turnaround-time (TAT) targets and intake deadlines, maintaining decision quality and compliance, and acting as the primary admissions contact for our university partners.

As a key member of the Admissions leadership team, you will set the direction for how applications are managed across each intake, balancing speed, accuracy and compliance in a high-volume, deadline-driven environment. You will plan capacity ahead of peak periods, monitor pipeline and performance data closely, and step in early when backlogs or quality issues emerge.

You will build a strong, capable team by coaching and developing your Team Leaders, setting clear expectations and fostering a culture of accountability, quality and continuous improvement. Working closely with Recruitment, Compliance, Finance and Student Services, you will resolve complex escalations, drive process improvements and automation, and ensure that partner requirements are reflected consistently in systems, guidance and training.





This is an opportunity for an experienced admissions leader to make a visible impact on student outcomes, partner satisfaction and the integrity of ECA's admissions operation.

Key Responsibilities

Operational Leadership

- Lead the portfolio's admissions teams through a group of Team Leaders.
- Manage workload, capacity and allocation across teams to meet TAT targets and intake deadlines.
- Monitor pipeline and backlogs daily and weekly, taking corrective action early.
- Ensure intake readiness through capacity planning and intake readiness checklists.
- Maintain cover for peak intakes, leave, system outages and offshore time-zone gaps, with named deputies and clear escalation routes for critical decisions.
- Approve offers, conditions and exceptions within the delegation of authority, and approve staff allocation, overtime and leave within the portfolio.

Quality & Compliance

- Implement a risk-based quality assurance (QA) model and hold Team Leaders accountable for quality results.
- Ensure all admissions decisions comply with university partner requirements, ECA admissions guidelines, the ESOS framework and the Genuine Student requirement.
- Ensure case notes and audit trails meet required compliance standards.
- Act on QA, audit and compliance findings, tracking remediation through to closure.
- Oversee controls between offer, acceptance, payment, satisfaction of conditions, GS clearance and CoE issue, reviewing exception and reconciliation reports and ensuring errors are corrected and reported.

People Leadership

- Recruit, onboard, coach and develop Team Leaders and team members.
- Conduct regular one-on-ones and performance reviews, managing under-performance promptly.
- Build succession and cross-training to remove single-person dependencies.

Guidelines & Process Improvement

- Own the portfolio's admissions guidelines, ensuring changes are recorded, version-controlled and communicated.
- Implement the ECA Group Admissions Framework and SOPs, maintaining partner-specific rules underneath.
- Confirm that new courses, intakes, fees, scholarships, deposits and entry requirements have written partner approval before they are applied, and that system rules, offer templates, published guidance and staff training are aligned.
- Identify process improvement and automation opportunities in partnership with Enablement & Insights.

Partner & Stakeholder Management

- Act as the primary admissions contact for university partners, managing service standards, partner-specific admissions criteria, approval requirements and review meetings.
- Work with Recruitment on pipeline, conversion and agent issues.
- Manage operational escalations from agents, students and partners that cannot be resolved by Team Leaders.
- Collaborate with Compliance & Agent Governance, Finance, Student Services and the Head of Admissions – Private Brands.

Reporting & Governance





- Present the portfolio dashboard at the weekly leadership meeting, focusing on exceptions and actions.
- Contribute to monthly performance and quarterly governance reviews.
- Report risks, trends and resourcing needs to the Director, escalating major compliance decisions and partner issues as required.
- Track performance against key measures including TAT, backlog, conversion, QA error rates, audit findings, visa and GS outcomes, and partner satisfaction.

About You

Qualifications

- Tertiary qualification in a relevant discipline such as Education, Business or Management.

Experience

- Substantial 5 years experience in international admissions within Australian higher education or VET, including people leadership.
- Experience managing teams across multiple regions and time zones.
- Demonstrated success improving turnaround times and decision quality in a high-volume admissions environment.
- Experience managing university partner or pathway relationships is highly desirable.
- Experience with StudyLink or a similar admissions CRM is highly desirable.

Knowledge

- Strong working knowledge of the ESOS framework (ESOS Act 2000 and National Code 2018).
- Strong understanding of the Genuine Student requirement, CoE issuance and PRISMS.
- Understanding of admissions quality assurance, audit and compliance controls.
- Understanding of the Australian international education sector and education agent channels.

Skills

- Strong operational planning and prioritisation skills.
- Proven coaching and performance management capability.
- Analytical, data-led approach to decision-making.
- Clear and confident written and verbal communication.
- Calm, sound judgement under intake pressure.
- High standards of integrity, accuracy and record-keeping.

Why Join ECA?

We offer a supportive and rewarding environment where our people can thrive and grow.

Benefits

- Company-paid parental leave (14 weeks at 100% pay or 28 weeks at 50% pay)
- Employee Assistance Program (Uprise) for staff and immediate family members
- Staff Education Assistance Program (25% fee discount on ECA courses)
- Professional development opportunities
- Free access to LinkedIn Learning
- Travel insurance discounts
- Wellbeing and lifestyle discounts
- Opportunity to lead admissions for some of Australia's leading university partnerships

Diversity & Inclusion

At ECA, we celebrate diversity and inclusion and are committed to creating an environment where everyone can thrive.

We welcome applications from candidates of all backgrounds including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, people living with disability, women, people who identify as LGBTQIA+, and people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.

This position is open to Australian Citizens, Permanent Residents and applicants who hold a current visa with full working rights in Australia.

How to Apply

Applications, including a cover letter and CV, can be submitted via the Apply button. Due to the expected volume of applications, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. For further information regarding this opportunity, please contact: Pamela Malzoni (Director of Admissions), ••••@eca.edu.au

📌 Head of Admissions (Sydney)
🏢 Education Centre of Australia
📍 Sydney