Manager - Retentions & Parent Relations

Description

Purpose of Role

The Retention Manager is responsible for driving student retention and re-enrolment at Sancta Maria International School by delivering an exceptional parent experience, ensuring consistent engagement throughout the academic year, and minimizing student withdrawals. This role focuses on proactive relationship management, early identification of at-risk families, data tracking, and implementing school-level strategies to achieve re-enrolment targets in alignment with ISP India's retention framework.

About Sancta Maria

Sancta Maria International School is an international curriculum, co-educational day school in Hyderabad. The school is part of the Saint Mary's Educational Society, founded in 1982. Founded in 2010, we are a Cambridge Pathway School offering a seamless progression from Cambridge Early Years to Grade 12. Sancta Maria is also a Cambridge-approved Professional Development Centre offering a range of Cambridge-assessed qualifications in teaching and learning.

Our vision is to unlock the potential of every learner for a better world. We value our community relationships with parents and families, and together, we do the best for our children as partners and critical friends. Sancta Maria is driven by the motto 'In Omnia Excellentia', which means 'Excellence in Everything'.

ISP Principles

Begin with our children and students. Our children and students are at the heart of what we do. Simply, their success is our success. Wellbeing and safety are both essential for learners and learning. Therefore, we are consistent in identifying potential safeguarding and Health & Safety issues and acting and following up on all concerns appropriately.

Treat everyone with care and respect. We look after one another, embrace similarities and differences and promote the well-being of self and others.

Operate effectively. We focus relentlessly on the things that are most important and will make the most difference. We apply school policies and procedures and embody the shared ideas of our community.

Are financially responsible. We make financial choices carefully based on the needs of the children, students and our schools.

Learn continuously. Getting better is what drives us. We positively engage with personal and professional development and school improvement.

Key Responsibilities

• Own the school's retention and re-enrolment targets and ensure timely achievement.
• Implement and follow standardized ISP retention and re-enrolment procedures within the school.
• Track and report withdrawal trends, ensuring early identification and intervention for at-risk families.
• Collaborate with Admissions, Marketing, and Academic teams to ensure consistent communication and family engagement across the customer journey.
• Manage all TC (Transfer Certificate) requests through a personalized follow-up approach to reduce avoidable withdrawals.
  • Support the execution of Parent Advocacy Circles, Pulse Week, and other engagement initiatives to strengthen retention outcomes.
• Maintain up-to-date and accurate data in the CRM and MIS systems as per ISP reporting requirements.
• Serve as the key liaison between existing parents and the school for all non-academic concerns impacting retention.
• Develop personalized communication plans for different parent segments to strengthen trust and satisfaction.
  • Conduct feedback surveys and collaborate with the Principal to translate insights into actionable "You Said, We Did" outcomes.
• Ensure that ISP customer service and communication standards are consistently met by all front facing staff.
• Partner with Marketing and Admissions teams to align messaging and engagement across touchpoints, including events, newsletters, and digital channels.
• Maintain accurate and timely retention dashboards for school and regional reviews.
• Analyse data to identify emerging patterns of potential leavers and recommend strategic interventions.
• Contribute to regional retention reporting by providing insights, case studies, and action plans for continuous improvement.
• Ensure full compliance with data hygiene standards in reporting re-enrolments and withdrawals.
• Conduct internal awareness and training sessions for teachers and administrative teams to build a retention-focused culture.
• Partner with the school leadership team to align retention objectives with academic and operational goals.
• Understands parent needs and proactively addresses concerns.
• Works effectively across teams to achieve shared retention goals.
• Communicates clearly and professionally across diverse audiences.
• Use insights and analytics to guide decisions.
• Handle challenging parent interactions with composure and empathy.
• Regularly seeks feedback to enhance processes and outcomes.

Skills, Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor's degree required; postgraduate qualification in Marketing, Customer Success, or related field preferred 2-3 years of experience as Executive Assistant to the Head of Organisation or any member of Management.
• 5–8 years of experience in Customer Experience, Parent Relations, Admissions, or Retention roles (preferably in the education or service sector).
• Work closely with the Regional Head of Retention to implement ISP-wide retention frameworks and share best practices.
• Proven track record in managing customer relationships and achieving retention or renewal targets.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills with the ability to handle sensitive conversations tactfully.
• Analytical mindset with comfort in working with data and CRM tools (Hubspot / iSAMS preferred).
• High emotional intelligence, empathy, and commitment to delivering a superior parent experience.
• Team player with strong ownership, problem-solving, and execution focus.

ISP Commitment to Safeguarding Principles

ISP is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All post holders are subject to appropriate vetting procedures and satisfactory Criminal Background Checks or equivalent covering the previous 10 years' employment history.

ISP Commitment to Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging

ISP is committed to strengthening our inclusive culture by identifying, hiring, developing, and retaining high-performing teammates regardless of gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation and gender expression, age, disability status, neurodivergence, socio-economic background, or other demographic characteristics. Candidates who share our vision and principles and are interested in contributing to the success of ISP through this role are strongly encouraged to apply.

---