Australia — International Student Market

822K inbound students (2024) +10%

1. China 168K

2. India 128K

3. Nepal 57K

4. Vietnam 33K

5. Malaysia 26K

3 international branch campuses in Australia

Head of Admissions – Universities Portfolio

Lead High-Volume International Admissions for Leading University Partnerships

Education Centre of Australia (ECA) is a dynamic 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 workplace. 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 Genuin

📌 Head of Admissions (Australia)
🏢 Uniglobalcareers
📍 Australia