Director of Program Admissions & Impact

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.

Your responsibilities will include:

• 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.

What You’ll Need

• 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.

Who You Are:

• An Effective Collaborator. You’ve successfully worked across cultural lines on a diverse team and can operate effectively in complex situations. You can easily gain trust from team members and are known for supporting them to ensure they are set up for success. You’re not afraid to ask questions.
• An Exceptional Communicator. You have excellent oral and written communication skills. You can craft high-quality proposals and presentations and explain complex concepts in a clear manner, combining intellect and intuition.
• Resourceful and Adaptable. You’re at ease with ambiguity and rapid change. You possess a positive attitude and identify creative solutions to obstacles. You can juggle many essential responsibilities at once and are rigorous about prioritizing.
• An Abundant Thinker. You believe that we are living in a world of abundant resources and that the right team of partners can make incredible things happen. You bring relentless curiosity and creativity to every task, project, and engagement.
• Committed to Diversity and Inclusion. You’re always asking: ” whose voice is not at the table?” You have experience working with diverse teams and successfully navigating cross-cultural communication in both local and global contexts, and you deeply value creating a workplace that is supportive of difference.
• Impact-Driven. You are driven by the desire to contribute to making change in our society, and energized by the opportunity to strengthen, connect, and elevate leaders across the social sector.