The Senior Managing Director, Matriculation will lead and manage Teach For America’s enterprise-wide matriculation strategy and campaign. We have a robust recruiting process to attract the most promising leaders and our admissions process selectively identifies those with the most potential for Teach For America. Unfortunately, many talented leaders turn down admission or resign prior to training (after accepting the offer initially).
In this role, you will work in close partnership with many across the organization to reimagine our approach to matriculation by setting a bold vision and developing rigorous strategy to matriculate a significantly greater share of those admitted over the next three years. You will work to change the broader conditions, within the broad control of Teach For America, that affect matriculation. For example, you will work to improve the clarity and the strength of the offer and you will work to build clarity and excitement among candidates about the value of joining Teach For America.
You will already have experience motivating and inspiring the diverse and immensely talented leaders admitted to Teach For America. Still, you will recognize the importance of gaining first-hand information about the experience of admitted CMs through reviewing artifacts (emails, recordings of meetings) and through focus groups/surveys. In addition, you will surface additional ideas by researching other sought-after opportunities and engaging with the individuals in regions and on recruitment who speak with admits directly. You will test and refine hypotheses, in close partnership with the Strategy Team.
Through this research and input, you will develop an enterprise-wide plan and rally the organization behind this plan. This will happen in close partnership and alignment with other parts of the Admissions Team, the Recruitment Team, the Marketing Team, and regions. You are adept at identifying the most promising ways to pursue strategies and you have the skill to lead improvements affecting every region and most teams at Teach For America. You will develop solutions and new approaches, while understanding (and overcoming) constraints and building understanding about why existing strategies do not work.
Each season, you will work to achieve ambitious matriculation outcomes, striving to ensure as many admitted corps members as possible enter the classroom. You will directly manage the Director, Confirmation & Regional Support who is responsible for leading the annual matriculation campaign and who focuses on training and supporting Matriculation Managers in 51 regions. In your role, you will build a thriving partnership with the Recruitment Team to ensure recruiters have the strongest impact in matriculation and, in partnership with the Director, to facilitate strong partnership across regions and recruiters. Finally, you will directly work with the VP, Admissions to engage and rally action from the Executive Leadership Team, which includes regional EDs and the leaders of national teams.
Finally, you will join the senior leadership of the Admissions Team. You will be charged with not only leading your work forward, but also with collaborating on challenges and opportunities that impact the entire Admissions landscape and managing the intersections between the various sub-teams of Admissions and teams across the organization. In this space, you will align work on other sub-teams with matriculation strategy and ensure matriculation supports other admissions priorities.
Reimagine our approach to matriculation by setting robust vision and strategy (40%)
- Gain robust first-hand information about the experience of admitted corps members by reviewing artifacts and conducting focus groups/surveys
- Develop partnerships with the many teams that influence matriculation, so that you have a strong understanding of the priorities and work streams that impact matriculation
- Generate insights by researching other highly sought-after opportunities and collecting input from the regional staff and recruiters who directly speak with admits during matriculation
- Test and refine strategies through research
- Hold a user-first orientation to ensure strategies translate across many different constituents who are working in many different contexts
- Develop clear and comprehensive enterprise-wide plan to significantly improve matriculation outcomes over three years
Aggressively implement plan in partnership with teams and regions across the organization (25%)
- Build deep understanding and investment
- Identify the most promising ways to act on strategies and rally action in these spaces
- Develop solutions and new approaches, while understanding constraints and building understanding about why historic approaches need to change
Achieve ambitious outcomes each season (25%)
- Coach and manage Director, Confirmation and Regional Support who leads annual matriculation campaign and who builds the capacity of regions in the organizational strategy
- Support the Recruitment Team to build and maintain systems and approaches to maximize their impact on matriculation
- Engage and rally action from the Executive Leadership Team
Serve as senior leader on Admissions Team (10%)
- Help to shape and refine the vision and direction of the team
- Deeply understand team and organizational priorities. Actively steward and coordinate work across the team. In particular, facilitate other parts of the Admissions Team to support matriculation objectives, while ensuring matriculation actively supports other priorities.
- Mentor staff across team and serve as a role model of corps values, striving to build and maintain an exceptional culture that lives into aspirations for diversity & inclusion
- Contribute to critical admissions processes, such as selection
- At least 5 years of professional work experience
- Deep insight about how to influence and motivate prospects to Teach For America
- Experience on Teach For America staff strongly preferred, particularly in recruitment and/or confirmation
- Record of achieving ambitious results, especially in recruitment and/or confirmation
- Previous experience setting vision and strategy in the midst of ambiguity
- Experience leading complex, system-wide change
- Expertise setting vision and building an aligned strategic plan
- Exceptionally skilled problem solver; able to design research and focus groups to test hypotheses
- Bold and curious thinker who generates ideas and opportunities to overcome constraints
- Superior ability to work effectively and with cultural competence across diverse groups
- Ability to build strong relationships and tailor approach given others’ perspectives
- Skill influencing others toward outcomes
- Skilled coach and manager, particularly in lateral management
Work Demands
- Ability to travel 4-12 times per year
- Willing to work the occasional weekend or evening hours when required to achieve outcomes