Associate Director of Admissions

About the Role - Associate Director of Admissions

The Associate Director of Admissions builds the partnerships and pipelines that bring exceptional social-sector leaders into the Institute for Nonprofit Practice (INP). Reporting to the Director of Program Admissions & Impact, you will manage an assigned portfolio of regional and national recruitment partnerships, connecting mission-driven professionals to fully funded, transformative leadership development programs.

This is a frontline, relationship-driven role. You will spend up to 60% of your time engaging external partners, leading info sessions, and guiding prospective fellows through the admissions process. You balance that external focus with operational rigor—maintaining clean records in Salesforce, following established stewardship workflows, and keeping pipeline reporting accurate. You will serve as a key ambassador for INP, translating community relationships and pipeline data into full, diverse cohorts across our programs.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Partnership Cultivation & Funder Alignment
  • Cultivate, steward, and expand an assigned portfolio of recruitment partnerships with nonprofit, public sector, and social impact organizations to generate sustained applicant pipelines.
  • Collaborate with the Advancement team to cultivate prospective applicants from funder grantee portfolios, ensuring outreach reliably fulfills foundation-sponsored seat commitments.
  • Serve as an informed ambassador in partner meetings, consulting organizational leaders on staff development needs and positioning INP programs as a vital retention and leadership pathway.
  • Represent INP, where appropriate, at select community gatherings, conferences, and stakeholder convenings that directly support recruitment milestones.
• Candidate Stewardship & Lead Generation
  • Drive active recruitment campaigns across your portfolio—spending up to 60% of your time on direct outreach, 1-on-1 discovery calls, and relational follow-up.
  • Lead dynamic, engaging program information sessions that welcome prospective students and convey program value with warmth and clarity.
  • Manage the recruitment email inbox and lead communications, offering prompt, high-touch advising to guide prospective applicants toward the program best suited to their career stage.
  • Participate actively in the admissions evaluation process, reviewing applications and conducting candidate interviews.
• Pipeline Execution & Data Integrity
  • Partner with the Director to establish and achieve clear recruitment targets across your portfolio.
  • Maintain complete, real-time records in Salesforce, ensuring accurate partner tracking, pipeline visibility, and clean data handoffs.
  • Partner with Marketing & Communications to coordinate targeted outreach campaigns, and collaborate with Program and Alumni teams to activate alumni and faculty referral networks.

What You’ll Need

• 5+ years of relevant professional experience in recruitment, admissions, executive search, relationship management, partnership cultivation, or community outreach.
• Demonstrated track record of meeting recruitment targets, building pipelines, and converting prospective leads into active applicants.
• Exceptional interpersonal and relationship-building skills, with the poise and authenticity to engage senior nonprofit leaders, funders, and frontline community advocates.
• Strong candidate stewardship skills, with a commitment to providing a welcoming, responsive, and participant-centered admissions experience.
• Experience using Salesforce or a comparable CRM to log outreach, manage pipeline data, and track conversion milestones.
• Comfort leveraging modern workplace tools and AI applications to streamline communications and day-to-day operations.
• Ability to work gracefully under pressure, manage competing priorities, and navigate ambiguity in a fast-paced environment.

Who You Are:

• An Effective Collaborator. You build trust quickly, navigate complex team dynamics with ease, and foster an environment where peers and partners succeed together. You communicate proactively and aren't afraid to ask questions.
• An Exceptional Communicator. You possess outstanding verbal and written communication skills. You can facilitate engaging presentations, lead thoughtful one-on-one discovery calls, and articulate the value of INP’s programs with precision and warmth.
• Resourceful and Adaptable. You are comfortable with ambiguity, stay grounded under shifting priorities, and bring creative problem-solving to recruitment hurdles.
• An Abundant Thinker. You operate from the belief that the right coalition of partners can unlock transformative possibilities. You approach relationship building with relentless curiosity and genuine enthusiasm.
• Committed to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. You consistently ask, "Whose voice is not at the table?" You possess deep cross-cultural competence, value lived experience, and intentionally cultivate applicant pools that reflect the communities our sector serves.
• Impact-Driven. You are motivated by social justice and energized by the opportunity to strengthen, connect, and elevate leaders across the social sector.

Our comprehensive benefits package includes:

• 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.