Associate Director Of Admissions And Enrollment

The Organization
At Thrive Scholars, our goal is to see talented BIPOC students from economically disadvantaged communities develop economic mobility and financial security, and become the diverse corporate, civic, and academic leaders our country so desperately needs.
Our comprehensive, data-driven, high-touch program model focuses on the key inflection points that can be the difference between graduating from any college, and graduating from a top college with the grades, degree, career skills, and network needed to thrive in careers that equip Scholars for economic mobility.
The Position
Thrive Scholars seeks a data-driven Associate Director (A.D.) of Admissions and Enrollment to manage all aspects of admissions and enrollment processes for Thrive Scholars from inquiry to enrollment. The A.D. of Admissions and Enrollment will work in partnership with the Managing Director of High School and College Programs to support the efforts to select and yield a talented and diverse cohort of scholars from all across the country for Thrive’s three programs: The Six-Year Program, the new Thrive Academies, and OnRamp. The A.D. of Admissions and Enrollment will be responsible for managing the timely execution, reporting out, and evaluation of Thrive’s admissions-related processes and efforts. The A.D. will regularly partner with a wide array of internal and external stakeholders who are critical at varied phases of the recruitment, admissions, and enrollment process, such as Thrive's Program Directors, Recruitment Team, Data Operations and Development Teams, and University Admissions officers. This person will have a systems-level understanding of the program’s recruitment needs and current landscape across the country in the markets/regions where we recruit.
This position reports to the Managing Director of High School and College Programs.
Key Responsibilities:
Application Process Management (35% )

• Coordinate with Program Directors to ensure applications and processes reflect individual program goals by leading conversations around the design, implementation, and maintenance of admissions systems
• In partnership with the Managing Director of High School and College Programs, Recruitment Team, and Data Ops team, refine, launch and manage the Scholar applications and selection processes for Thrive Scholars programs, ensuring that Thrive enrolls a cohort of high-achieving Scholars that meet Thrive’s strategic priorities.
• Updating processes and training for internal and external application readers and ensuring appropriate turnaround times and consistent, high-quality evaluation; managing evaluation rubrics.
• In collaboration with our Senior Director of Business Intelligence, consistently track and report recruitment outcomes and applicants’ persistence through the application, and conduct detailed analysis of the efficacy of that year’s strategy upon completion of the cycle
• Serve as a system administrator for the admissions application system, and provide robust reports with summaries on application data as well as operational productivity
• Coordinate the management of Admissions Committee meetings and support, communications, and reporting

Admissions and Enrollment Operations (30%)

• Oversee the analysis of enrollment data, admission metrics, and applicant feedback to enhance and improve admissions processes and recruitment strategy
• Collaborate with the Recruitment Team and Program Managers to design and execute comprehensive marketing strategies that effectively target and engage prospective, applied, and accepted students; this includes creating and managing email campaigns and automations (i.e. drip email and text message campaigns)
• Prepare and maintain comprehensive training documentation pertaining to the systems and associated processes
• In partnership with the Recruitment Team, Program Directors and Summer Academy team, manage the admissions and enrollment calendar, and oversee the successful staffing and execution of all related processes and activities to ensure a seamless transition from accepted to enrolled scholar, including calling campaigns, yield events, summer academy enrollment

Scholar Outreach and Recruitment (30% )

• Serve as a recruiter for assigned territories (preferably in proximity to the A.D’s home location) providing admissions presentations (virtual and in person) for select schools in the market
• Conduct applicant communication and stewardship focused on supporting students from the target region in finalizing applications and ensuring a high yield of accepted students

Organizational Initiatives and Cross-Team Collaboration (5%)

• Support cross-departmental and organization-wide events and initiatives, including Summer Academy.

Qualifications and experience:
There are innumerable ways to learn, grow and excel professionally. We respect this when we review applications and take a broad look at the experience of each applicant. The qualifications and experiences listed below are intended as a guide; we do not expect candidates to check every box.

• Proficiency in managing/analyzing large amounts of data, presenting outcomes of data analysis in a logical manner, and utilizing this information to make data driven decisions
• Excellent people management skills, and ability to coach and develop a team towards ambitious goals
• 7-8 years of experience; 3-4 years of experience in recruitment and/or admissions operations management
• Entrepreneurial spirit that focuses on continuous improvement and innovation
• Highly skilled relationship-builder, who is able to build trusting relationships with colleagues, high school students, guidance counselors, and community-based partners
• Prior experience with a CRM database required; Salesforce preferred
• Proven track record of success in developing and implementing strategic enrollment and recruitment plans required
• Alignment to Thrive’s mission and commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion
• Bachelor’s degree required
• Strong analytical skills and the ability to evaluate outcomes and make data-informed decisions
• Demonstrated success in process management and process improvement.
• Exceptional verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to lead presentations and workshops for diverse audiences

Competencies:
Along with the specific qualifications and experiences noted above, the ideal candidate for this position will be expected to demonstrate the following competencies:

• Learning Agility: Effectively adapts own approach in response to new information and/or situational changes.
• Project Management: Effectively and consistently manages tasks and processes to on-time completion of clear and predetermined outcomes.
• Setting Strategy: Creates clear, effective strategies that inform the team’s work and build towards the larger vision
• Commitment to Results: Takes action to produce high-quality work with measurable results in service of Thrive’s mission and Scholars.
• Fostering Thrive Community: Contributes to a work environment that embraces organizational values and works effectively across identities.

Travel expectations: This position requires some regional in person recruitment activity from September – December. The travel schedule will be set in consultation with the MD of High School and College Programs to support the Director’s team management time and recruitment goals.
Compensation And Benefits
Thrive Scholars offers a robust compensation and benefits package including high-quality health and dental insurance, three weeks of paid vacation, generous professional development funding, and access to an employer-matched retirement plan. This is a full-time, exempt position.
Starting salary Range: $77,700 to $86,400
COVID-19 Vaccine Requirement
Thrive has a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for all employees, including remote staff. Individuals selected for job opportunities must be fully vaccinated and up to date, per CDC guidelines, and will be required to provide proof of vaccination status in advance of your hire date.
If you are unable to be vaccinated for medical reasons or sincerely-held religious beliefs, Thrive will consider requests for reasonable accommodations consistent with our policy. Accommodation requests cannot be guaranteed, Thrive will consider requests where we are able to provide such accommodations without undue hardship to the organization pursuant to applicable law.  Any such accommodation must be approved in advance of signing an offer letter.
Thrive Scholars provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment based on race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, national origin, sexual orientation, age, disability, or veteran status.
Knowing its importance to the success of our work, Thrive Scholars is committed to diversity and inclusion, and we aspire to build a diverse staff team and community. We strongly encourage people of all backgrounds to apply. We appreciate your time and will review and respond to all applications received.
For more information, please visit thrivescholars.org