Associate Director of College Access and Success

Location: Remote in the United States - Preference for Chicago or NYC

Travel: Up to 6 weeks of travel during the summer to various Academies sites

Employment Type: Temporary (12 months), Full-time, Exempt

Salary Range: $80,700 - $88,770

Start Date: September 2026

Benefits: High-quality health and dental insurance, paid vacation, employer-matched retirement plan

The Organization

At Thrive Scholars, we provide high-achieving students from under-resourced communities the opportunities they need to thrive at top colleges and in meaningful careers.

Our comprehensive and data-driven program model focuses on the key inflection points that can be the difference between graduating from any college and graduating from a top college with the grades, degree, career skills, and network needed to thrive in any career. Thrive Scholars originated in Los Angeles as South Central Scholars (“SCS”) twenty years ago. Over this time, the organization has refined its program model and, in the last five years, has focused on expanding nationally; reaching more high-achieving students from under-resourced communities, growing the number of Scholars we serve; and deepening our program impact. Thrive Scholars has begun to grow its footprint with new summer program offerings in three additional cities. The organization has approximately 70 year-round employees and close to 200 summer employees.

College Access

At Thrive Scholars, we know that graduating from a top college can directly impact earning potential and career opportunities. Top colleges offer smaller class sizes, stronger student support services, and better financial aid packages so that our Scholars graduate with little to no loans. Our high school Scholars receive tailored guidance and admissions support from our highly trained College Access Managers. We help our Scholars find “best fit” selective colleges that directly relate to their intended career pathway. 

College Success

In order for Scholars to cross the finish line at graduation, they need to establish a strong foundation in their first year. The College Success team helps Scholars develop strong academic and personal habits so that Scholars can finish their first year with a GPA of 3.3 or higher, setting them up for additional opportunities that support their economic mobility.

The Position

Thrive Scholars is looking to recruit a strategic and collaborative Associate Director of College Access and Success, who will serve as a key leader across both the College Access and College Success teams. The Associate Director will provide direct supervision to a team of College Access Managers and College Success Managers while leading secondary program operations that span both teams and connect across the broader organization. There is potential for expanded supervision as Thrive Scholars continues to grow under its new strategic plan. The Associate Director will ensure that both teams deliver holistic, data-informed advising that prioritizes economic mobility and career optionality, supporting Scholars' competitiveness for selective colleges and their successful transition and persistence in college.

This position is remote and reports to the Director of College Access and Success. During our Summer Academies, the Associate Director will be expected to travel to and reside at our summer academy sites. Travel time should not exceed 6 weeks.

This is a temporary position with a term of 12 months.

Key Responsibilities: 

Team Leadership (40%)

• Directly supervise, coach, and develop a team of College Access Managers and College Success Managers, supporting their growth as relationship managers and program professionals.
• Support the Director in creating and executing strategic plans for both teams to align with the organization’s broader strategic vision to serve 1,000 incoming Scholars by 2030. 
• Develop and maintain standardized advising tools, rubrics, and data resources that support consistent, evidenced-based practices across both teams.
• Promote ongoing learning and development by identifying growth areas and implementing appropriate strategies across both teams.
• Foster a positive team culture and facilitate staff engagement by connecting tasks to mission impact and promoting dialogue, feedback, accountability, and success around core departmental goals.
• Contribute to hiring and onboarding of College Access and College Success team members.
• Track Scholar progress across caseloads and identify trends, gaps, and opportunities to strengthen team-level advising practices. 
• Co-lead weekly team meetings, host one-on-one meetings with supervisees, and lead professional development sessions for the teams, including programming during biannual Advising Academies.

Project Management (30%)

• Support College Access Managers and College Success Managers with their programmatic responsibilities, including Campus Director programming, scholar engagement events, team communications, and marketing efforts.
• Develop and maintain systems, policies, and infrastructure that support efficient, high-quality program delivery that promotes consistency across the six year program model. 
• Contribute to ongoing program evaluation by tracking Scholar-facing data and surfacing trends that inform program improvements.
• Monitor project timelines, deliverables, and outcomes, and provide regular updates to the Director of College Access and Success.

Summer Academy Program Leadership (15%)

• Collaborate with the Director and other Program departments to determine strategy, curriculum, and programs delivered at Summer Academy 1 and Summer Academy 2 to ensure experiences are responsive to Scholar needs and aligned with program goals.
• Coordinate program logistics for Summer Academy, including staff scheduling, materials preparation, and on-site program execution.
• Design and facilitate staff training for College Access and College Success programming at Summer Academy.

Cross-Departmental Support (15%)

• Manage cross-functional projects that require streamlined coordination across departments, including post-admissions review work, early advising initiative, and Scholar onboarding, orientations, and handoffs. 
• Build and maintain working relationships with college partners to support Scholar advising and college selection.
• Contribute to organization-wide events and initiatives, including student recruitment, selection, and enrollment efforts.
• Enhance Thrive's college programming by staying current on trends in postsecondary access and success and bring relevant insights to the team.
• Collaborate with program directors and staff across the organization to align programming, curriculum, and cross-team initiatives.
• Ensure College Access and College Success programming reflects national best practices for students from under-resourced communities and first-generation students and integrates with career pathways.

Other job duties within the general scope of the role may be assigned.

Qualifications and Experience:
There are innumerable ways to learn, grow and excel professionally. We respect this when we review applications and take a broad look at the experience of each applicant. The qualifications and experiences listed below are intended as a guide; we do not expect candidates to check every box.  If you believe you can meet the expectations and responsibilities of this position, we want to get to know you and the unique strengths you will bring to the work.

• 5+ years of professional experience directly serving or supporting high school or undergraduate students.
• 3+ years of professional experience managing complex, multi-stakeholder projects.
• 3+ years of professional experience leading a team.
• Alignment to Thrive's mission and commitment to students from under-resourced communities.
• Strong understanding of college admissions and student success, especially for students from under-resourced communities and first-generation students.
• Demonstrated experience designing or implementing strategy-driven programs that support college access and student success.
• Strength in data tracking, management, and analysis.
• Excellent people management skills, with the ability to coach and develop a team toward ambitious goals.
• Exceptional verbal and written communication skills.
• Skilled project manager with the ability to manage multiple priorities, evaluate outcomes, and make data-informed decisions.
• Ability to work collaboratively across departments and build strong working relationships in a remote environment.
• Knowledge of the college access landscape in New York and/or Chicago preferred

Travel Expectations: This position requires some travel, up to six weeks, to different Summer Academy sites between June - August. There may also be some travel for in-person events throughout the year. 

Equal Employment Opportunities

Thrive Scholars provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment based on race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, national origin, sexual orientation, age, disability, or veteran status. We strongly encourage people of all backgrounds to apply.

For more information, please visit thrivescholars.org