Director of Admission bei Steppingstone Foundation

Description

Director of Admission

Join a mission-driven team supporting and empowering future college graduates!

Who We Are

At Steppingstone, our mission is to prepare students from under-resourced communities to access, navigate, and graduate from college. 

• Through the Scholars Program in Boston, we provide academic, social-emotional, and college readiness programming from as early as fifth grade and continuing through college graduation.
• Through the National Partnership for Educational Access (NPEA), we connect the people, practices, and innovations essential for eliminating barriers to college and career success.

Who You Are

The Director of Admission role is a strong fit for someone who is passionate about educational access and is committed to making a lasting impact on Scholars’ lives. In this role you will oversee the development and execution of the recruitment strategy and admission process that is supportive for families and results in a strong class of Scholars for participation in the Scholars program. The ideal candidate will have the skills to excel in a role that requires a strategic and data-driven program management approach, and collaborates closely with other teams in service of fulfilling the organization’s mission.

Start Date: Fall 2025

Salary: $75,000 - $80,000

Responsibilities:

Staff Management

• Supervise a staff of two direct reports and a team of Outreach Assistants by providing effective support, coaching, and management to all direct reports
• Train and support 20+ org-wide staff to participate in the admission process 
• Facilitate cross-program teams as necessary

Program Management

• Lead city-wide recruitment process to generate applicant pool of eligible, mission-aligned candidates that ultimately yields a cohort of approximately 100 Scholars
• Support team to maintain positive relationships with feeder schools and community partners
• Oversee updating of recruitment materials and applications
• Work with team to plan and execute all parts of the admission process including outreach, application review, interviews, exam administration, and admission committee
• Utilize project management and group facilitation skills to effectively lead organization-wide admission decision-making process 
• Oversees the Operations of the summer program, including management of the packing and moving process oversight of aspects of facilities, bus transportation, staff training, main office operations, and daily meals

Knowledge Management

• In collaboration with the Data and Evaluation Department, implement systems to track and analyze data over time to improve the quality of admission decisions
• Enable and ensure optimal use of data and organizational resources such as staff time, department budget, and technology, to ensure that goals are being met and strategic decisions are implemented
• Contribute to other cross-team office-wide efforts such as internal task forces and committees

Required Knowledge and Skills:

• Demonstrated commitment to educational access and success
• Experience working with individuals with different backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences
• Experience managing and motivating teams to achieve high performance and foster an inclusive work environment; commitment to supporting team well-being, recognizing and rewarding others for personal growth, development, and effectiveness
• Proven ability to communicate a clear vision, ensure team accountability, and deliver timely, constructive feedback
• Strong project management skills; ability to align team execution with strategic goals by creating actionable plans to drive team and organizational objectives
• Exceptional strategic, analytical and critical thinking skills with an ability to use data to make decisions
• Demonstrated success collaborating across teams and amplifying the contributions of others
• Demonstrated initiative, flexibility, and an independent problem-solving mindset; ability to encourage team creativity and critical thinking
• Clear written and verbal communication style
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and Google Drive, especially Excel and Google Sheets
• Proficiency working in an org-wide database. Experience working with Salesforce or similar CRMs is preferred
• Knowledge of independent schools and/or Boston Public Schools is a plus
• Preference given to candidates who are bilingual in Spanish, Vietnamese, Arabic, Haitian Creole, or Chinese (Mandarin or Cantonese). Employees may be asked to provide translation services for members of the Steppingstone community and may be eligible to receive a stipend for their assistance. 

Education and Work Experience:

• Bachelor's degree required in a relevant field
• 1+ year of management experience 
• 3+ years of experience in admission or related field

Academic Year Schedule:

This position is a hybrid role with at least two days per week in office with some flexibility around work hours. A $500 home office set-up stipend will be provided upon hire, followed by quarterly stipends of $50. Laptops are provided to each employee to enhance the hybrid experience.

The Director will work a Monday-Friday schedule, though some Saturday and evening work will be mandatory. To enhance the outreach efforts of the admission team, the Director will work a Tuesday - Saturday schedule during October, November and December. The Director of Admission oversees the admission of new students and families to the Steppingstone Scholars Program, including interviewing prospective students and families. Due to the nature of those interviews, PTOs are granted on a very limited basis in February.

During the summer, employees will work a Monday-Friday schedule. Steppingstone hosts a 6-week in-person program for Scholars, which will be held at Milton Academy in July and August. The Director must be able to work in person at Milton Academy, Monday-Friday from approximately 7:30 a.m. - 3:45 p.m., and until 5:00 p.m. on Wednesdays for faculty meetings. Due to the nature of the summer session, PTOs are granted on a very limited basis from the end of June through August. The Director will provide support to other program teams as needed.

Travel Requirements:

In addition to the academic year and summer program sites, this role will visit various Boston Public Schools and community organizations. These are mostly accessible by public transportation.

Physical Demands:

• Lifting up to 20 pounds, standing, walking, sitting, reaching, operating computer and office equipment 
• Pursuant to the ADA, Steppingstone will provide reasonable services and accommodation(s) to employees with qualified disabilities in order to perform the essential functions of their employment, except when doing so would be unduly disruptive and/or result in undue hardship to the organization.

Employee Benefits:

• Generous paid time off (over 8 weeks total, as outlined below)
• 15 days PTO
• 2 days Discretionary Time Off
• 5 wellness days
• 12.5 holidays
• 2 weeks paid office closure (the weeks before Labor Day and New Year’s Day)
• $500 Home Office Set-up Stipend; plus $50 quarterly
• Health, Dental and Vision coverage
• Life, Short-Term and Long-Term disability insurance
• Healthcare Reimbursement Account Plan (HRA)
• Pet Insurance
• Flexible Schedule     
• Retirement Plan
• Tuition & Professional Development reimbursement
• Flexible Spending Accounts - Health and Dependent Care
• Pre-tax Transportation Plan (Transit & Parking)
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Membership to the National Partnership for Educational Access (NPEA)

Compensation philosophy:

At Steppingstone, we believe in compensating staff members fairly in relation to each other, their qualifications, and their impact on behalf of the organization. As a result, to ensure organizational parity, Steppingstone does not negotiate salary offers; instead each salary offer is determined carefully using external and internal benchmarking. If you have questions, we welcome you to raise them during the hiring process.

Steppingstone Core Values

Mission First - Keep Scholars front and center in all we do.

Lead with Inclusion - Elevate every voice, consider every perspective. 

Stronger Together - Team up and trust each other.

Own It - Act with integrity, stay accountable, and be transparent. 

Learn. Grow. Innovate. - Embrace change, drive creativity, and never stop learning.

A candidate will be found unsuitable for employment with Steppingstone and automatically disqualified if they use threatening language or behavior either written, verbal, or physical during any phase of the interview process.

Steppingstone is an equal opportunity employer and will not discriminate against any individual, employee, or application for employment in accordance with law.