SY26-27 Associate Director of Student Recruitment

Associate Director of Student Recruitment

Start Date: 

Role Type: Full-Time

Location: Washington, DC

FLSA Status: Exempt

WHO WE ARE

DC Prep is a high performing network of public charter schools serving over 2,100 preschool through 8th-grade students across six campuses in Wards 5, 7, and 8. We're proud of  the high bar we set for ourselves to achieve results–our students deserve our best! We recognize that how we support our students to be successful is just as important as the results we achieve, which pushes us to reflect on questions such as: 

• How can we facilitate our students' academic, social, and emotional development?  
• How can we support our team members' professional growth and personal ability to do this work long-term? 
• How can we engage our students' families as our own? 

While this work is hard, it's worth it – we believe in the transformative power of education, the can-do-itness of our students and staff, and the joy that comes from engaging in meaningful work with people we care about and trust!  

Here's how we drive results: 

• Rigorous academic focus.  Our Preppies receive the highest level of academic preparation through standards-based instruction, daily targeted interventions, and meaningful assessments.

• Social-emotional learning. We have always had a dual mission of academic and social-emotional skill development.  Our research-based SEL curriculum is integrated into daily instruction, helping students leverage their personal values to strengthen their self-awareness, social awareness, and responsible decision-making skills and create a school-wide culture of empathy and reflection.  

• Commitment to reflection and refinement.  Our results tell us that we are moving in the right direction, but there's further to go to ensure that every student receives a transformative education. As a team, we regularly reflect on our programmatic model to see what's working and where we can get better.  

Are you interested in learning more about the DC Prep Way? If so, check out our website to find out more about what we're working towards and how we're doing it.

THE OPPORTUNITY

As the Associate Director of Student Recruitment, you will serve as a key member of the External Affairs team, leading strategies that attract, engage, and enroll prospective families across DC Prep. You will play a critical role in shaping the family experience—from initial awareness and outreach through enrollment and successful Day One attendance—while advancing equitable access to our schools.

In partnership with the Director of Communications and Student Recruitment, you will develop and execute multi-channel recruitment strategies that drive measurable enrollment outcomes. You will oversee outreach initiatives, recruitment campaigns, community partnerships, and family engagement efforts while leveraging data and market insights to continuously improve recruitment performance and conversion throughout the enrollment funnel.

You will collaborate closely with school leaders, program teams, and community partners to align recruitment efforts with organizational priorities and enrollment goals. As a leader on the External Affairs team, you will champion innovative recruitment practices, strengthen DC Prep's visibility within the community, and help ensure every prospective family experiences a welcoming, informed, and seamless enrollment journey.

Success in this role will be measured by enrollment outcomes, family engagement, recruitment funnel conversion, and the effectiveness of recruitment strategies in reaching and inspiring prospective students and families.This role requires flexibility to work occasional evenings and weekends, as needed, to support recruitment events and family engagement activities 

The Associate Director of Student Recruitment reports to the Director of Communications and Student Recruitment and serves as a member of the External Affairs team. This role directly manages and mentors the Student Recruitment Associate.

THE DAY TO DAY

In this role, you will spend your time leading and executing strategies that drive family engagement and student enrollment across DC Prep's schools. On a typical day, you will:

• Partner with the Director of Communications and Student Recruitment to develop and execute multi-channel recruitment strategies that drive measurable enrollment outcomes. Lead efforts to move prospective families through the full recruitment and enrollment funnel—from initial awareness and lead generation to event registration, attendance, application, enrollment, and successful Day One attendance—continuously monitoring and optimizing conversion at every stage.
• Analyze recruitment data and funnel performance to identify trends, uncover barriers to conversion, evaluate the effectiveness of recruitment strategies, and proactively recommend innovative solutions that strengthen enrollment outcomes and improve performance in a competitive recruitment environment.
• Develop and maintain strategic partnerships with community organizations, early childhood providers, local agencies, and other stakeholders to expand DC Prep's visibility, strengthen referral networks, and increase enrollment opportunities.
• Coordinate and attend school tours, open houses, enrollment events, and community outreach opportunities to engage prospective families and represent DC Prep's mission. This role requires flexibility to work occasional evenings and weekends, as needed, to support recruitment events and family engagement activities.
• Manage outreach efforts through phone, email, text, CRM campaigns, and in-person engagement to ensure families receive timely, accurate, and welcoming communication throughout the enrollment journey.
• Collaborate with school leaders, program teams, and marketing colleagues to align recruitment activities with enrollment goals and broader organizational priorities.
• Support the development and continuous improvement of recruitment tools, systems, and operational processes that strengthen the enrollment pipeline and improve organizational efficiency.
• Manage recruitment projects from planning through execution, overseeing campaigns, events, communications, timelines, budgets, and cross-functional deliverables to ensure seamless execution, meet critical deadlines, prevent gaps, and achieve measurable recruitment outcomes.
• Coach and mentor the Student Recruitment Associate by providing ongoing feedback, professional development, and support to ensure high-quality execution of recruitment strategies, consistent messaging across all family touchpoints, and exceptional service for both English- and Spanish-speaking families.
• Represent the Student Recruitment team in meetings and decision-making in the absence of the Director of Communications and Student Recruitment, ensuring continuity of operations and effective team leadership.

QUALIFICATIONS

Skills & Mindset

• Strong relationship-building and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build trust and connect authentically with families, school leaders, community partners, and colleagues.
• Highly organized and detail-oriented, with the ability to manage multiple priorities, deadlines, and complex projects simultaneously.
• Data-driven, analytical, and intellectually curious, with the ability to interpret recruitment metrics, identify opportunities, and translate insights into action.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to craft compelling messaging for diverse audiences.
• Collaborative, relationship-oriented, and committed to equity, continuous improvement, and exceptional service for families.
• Positive leadership and values-driven mindset. Demonstrates a solutions-oriented, can-do approach while consistently modeling DC Prep's values. Brings energy, joy, and enthusiasm to engaging prospective families and actively coaches and encourages others to demonstrate the same values-driven behaviors.
• Adaptable, proactive, and resilient, thriving in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.

Experience

• Five or more years of experience in student recruitment, admissions, enrollment management, marketing, or a related field, preferably within K–12 education or charter schools.
• Two or more years of people management experience with a demonstrated ability to coach, develop, and support direct reports.
• Demonstrated success developing and executing recruitment, outreach, or marketing campaigns that drive measurable engagement and enrollment outcomes.
• Experience managing complex projects, coordinating events, and leading cross-functional initiatives.
• Proven ability to use data to inform decisions, improve processes, and achieve organizational goals.
• Experience managing Student Information Systems (SIS), Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platforms, and enrollment databases to support recruitment, communication, reporting, and operational decision-making

Role specific

• Knowledge of My School DC and OSSE enrollment systems, policies, and requirements, or the ability to quickly develop expertise in compliance requirements, timelines, enrollment processes, and regulations to ensure accurate guidance and compliant recruitment practices.
• Demonstrated experience independently using CRM and marketing automation platforms to build prospect lists, segment audiences, create automated workflows and email nurture campaigns, monitor engagement across multiple touchpoints, and optimize conversion throughout the recruitment funnel. Experience with HubSpot is strongly preferred. Experience with Salesforce, Slate, TargetX, or similar CRM and marketing automation platforms is also valued.
• Knowledge of student recruitment, enrollment processes, family engagement strategies, and community outreach best practices.
• Experience working with diverse families and communities, demonstrating a strong commitment to equitable recruitment and culturally responsive family engagement.
• Commitment to continuous professional development. Demonstrates curiosity and a willingness to continuously build expertise in recruitment, marketing, enrollment, and community engagement by participating in virtual and in-person learning opportunities and applying emerging best practices to improve recruitment outcomes.
• Comfortable representing DC Prep at school events, community meetings, public presentations, and other external-facing opportunities.
• Spanish language proficiency is preferred but not required to effectively engage and support DC Prep's diverse students, families, and community partners.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS 

• Represent DC Prep with professionalism, integrity, and enthusiasm while consistently modeling the organization's mission and core values.
• Maintain accurate recruitment, enrollment, and family engagement records in accordance with organizational policies and legal requirements.
• Travel regularly between DC Prep campuses and community locations to support recruitment initiatives.
• Communicate effectively in person, virtually, by phone, and in writing with families, colleagues, community partners, and external stakeholders.
• Maintain accurate records and data related to prospective students, families, and recruitment activities to ensure compliance with organizational and legal requirements.
• Participate in key school and organizational events, including open houses, enrollment fairs, and community engagement initiatives, as needed. This role requires flexibility to work occasional evenings and weekends, as needed, to support recruitment events and family engagement activities 
• Collaborate with team members, school staff, and external partners to ensure smooth execution of recruitment initiatives and enrollment processes.
• Manage and prioritize multiple responsibilities effectively, demonstrating accountability and follow-through on all assigned tasks.
• Support operational processes related to student recruitment and enrollment, including scheduling, outreach communications, and reporting metrics.
• Occasionally lift and transport recruitment materials, displays, or event supplies.
• Perform additional responsibilities as assigned to support DC Prep's mission and evolving organizational priorities.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

The physical demands and environmental conditions described below are representative, but not exhaustive, of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of the role.  All of these physical requirements should be able to be performed with clarity, coherence and connectedness to DC Prep's vision.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these essential functions.

• Must be able to sit and work at a desk/computer for extended periods of time
• Must be able to spend the majority of the day standing or mobile throughout the classroom, as well as talk, hear, grasp, reach and lift up to 30lbs with or without accommodations
• Ability to concentrate in active and noisy environments such as cafeterias and playgrounds, to more moderate situations such as classrooms or large group professional settings
• Must be able to have repetitive wrist/hand/finger movement to work on computer and/or related office equipment
• Ability to handle potential high stress conditions

JOIN US

Do you believe that Learning Has No Limits? Are you eager to join a supportive, innovative, and collaborative community of educators? Are you committed to growing your strengths as an educator through individualized professional development and coaching? Apply today!

We're an equal opportunity employer and hire without consideration of race, religion, creed, color, national origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, or disability. We strongly encourage diverse candidates to apply.