[Hiring] Director of Program Admissions & Impact @Equitable Hiring Group

Role Description

The Director of Program Admissions & Impact leads the team, strategy, and systems that bring exceptional social-sector leaders into the Institute for Nonprofit Practice (INP). Reporting to the SVP of Program & Impact, you will turn organizational enrollment goals into a high-impact national recruitment effort.

This is not a traditional sales role; you are championing fully funded, transformative and award-winning leadership development programs. You will cultivate high-priority community partnerships, lead a dedicated recruitment and admissions team, mobilize a large volunteer evaluation committee, and leverage real-time data to build diverse, dynamic cohorts poised to transform their communities.

• Campaign Leadership & Enrollment:
  • Design and execute the national recruitment roadmap, translating organizational goals into measurable milestones and stage-by-stage pipeline goals that fill program cohorts across regions.
  • Direct the end-to-end admissions cycle, orchestrating targeted outreach, application review, and selection to deliver an engaging, equitable candidate experience.
  • Partner with Marketing & Communications to synchronize storytelling and multi-channel lead-generation campaigns with key recruitment milestones.
• Strategic Partnerships & Network Cultivation:
  • Align recruitment targets with institutional and funder commitments, collaborating closely with the Advancement team to reliably deliver on foundation-sponsored seats and specific grant criteria.
  • Build, steward, and expand external community partnerships, developing durable referral pathways to maintain strong, diverse applicant pipelines across all programs.
  • Collaborate closely with Development, Program and Alumni teams to tap into existing organizational relationships and open new pipelines in emerging markets.
  • Oversee candidate stewardship across the funnel, assessing applicant experience to steer prospective leaders toward the specific INP program that best fits their career stage, goals, and trajectory.
• Data-Informed Pipeline Operations:
  • Own pipeline analytics and reporting, using conversion metrics, drop-off points, and demographic trends to forecast outcomes and adapt strategies in real time.
  • Optimize admissions infrastructure alongside the IT team to streamline workflows, eliminate applicant friction, and maintain data integrity.
  • Provide senior leadership with clear, candid pipeline visibility, surfacing risks, cohort composition trends, and strategic opportunities early.
• Team & Volunteer Leadership:
  • Manage, coach, and hold the admissions team accountable to ambitious targets, actively monitoring pipeline progress, troubleshooting stalled outreach, and ensuring every team member owns and hits their goals.
  • Direct the candidate evaluation framework and lead training for 40+ volunteer interviewers, ensuring selection decisions reflect INP's values and rigor.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of relevant professional experience in recruitment, admissions, executive search, enrollment, outreach, relationship management, or a related field.
• Proven track record of building and managing robust recruitment pipelines and multi-pronged outreach strategies that achieve ambitious enrollment or participation goals.
• A minimum of 3 years of experience leading and motivating a team, with a track record of fostering a positive and productive work environment, developing team members, and achieving results with and through others.
• Strong people-management experience, including coaching direct reports, performance development, delegation, building accountability, and guiding team members to set and meet ambitious goals.
• Experience cultivating and managing external partnerships with senior leaders, funders, community organizations, alumni, or other referral partners.
• Strong cross-functional leadership skills and the ability to align stakeholders across Marketing & Communications, Development, Program, Alumni, and Operations/IT functions.
• Experience using Salesforce or a comparable CRM.
• Demonstrated comfort leveraging AI tools and technology to optimize workflows, paired with a strong proactive learning orientation to continuously master new systems and sector trends independently.
• Ability to work gracefully under pressure and handle competing priorities in a fast-paced environment.

Benefits

• Employer-covered health, dental, and vision insurance.
• Flexible Time Off (FTO) for all team members.
• Eleven paid holidays and winter and summer breaks for collective rest and restoration.
• 401(k) with a 3% employer match of employee contributions.

Application Process

INP has engaged Equitable Hiring Group to support this hiring process. To apply, please complete the short form to the right. Please submit your application by Thursday, October 15th.

To ensure an equitable review, we ask that you remove the names of the schools you attended (both undergraduate and graduate) from your resume. Please retain the degree itself. For example, instead of "Greendale Community College - B.A. Economics," simply list "B.A. Economics."

This evaluation process will follow practices shown to reduce bias in decision-making and may be different from other application processes you have experienced.

The overall evaluation process will look to follow this anticipated timeline:

• Mid-October: Selected candidates will be asked to complete a short-answer questionnaire.
• Late October: Selected candidates will participate in a video interview with INP staff.
• Early November: Selected candidates will be asked to complete a paid, timed trial project.
• Mid-November: Selected candidates will participate in a video panel interview with multiple team members.
• Late November: Offer extended.

If you have any questions about the opportunity, please email [email protected] .