Position:

 Managing Director, Advising

About Matriculate:

Matriculate is a national nonprofit working to ensure the nation’s talented, diverse students from low-income backgrounds have the opportunity to attend college and thrive. We aim to support high-achieving high school students from low-income backgrounds and underrepresented communities to apply, enroll, and succeed at their best-fit college or university. Matriculate does this through a near-peer mentorship model that connects undergraduates in college (“Advising Fellows”) with high-achieving high school students.  

In alignment with our Core Values, we believe in the power of team, people-centered approaches, equity-centered philosophies and practices, and a dedication to meaningful, lasting impact. With this in mind, we strive to be a place in which individuals can engage in meaningful work, contribute to the mission, collaborate with colleagues and stakeholders, and experience a culture in which there is room to reflect and grow, refine practices, contribute and collaborate, deliver outcomes, and have the spaciousness needed to rejuvenate to be your best self. 

Core Values:

Student-Centered Mindset: We serve as allies with our students to help them access opportunities they have earned to build a more just and equitable country. All our work advances our mission, and in all our work, we hold a student-centered mindset. 

Valuing and Supporting the Team: We value and support our team and their well-being in and out of work. We work hard and make time for levity and celebration. We actively make choices that promote flexibility and give team members the space to structure their time and maintain long-term sustainability.

Commitment to be a Diverse, Equitable, and Inclusive Organization: We are committed to fostering a diverse, equitable, and inclusive organization. Staff, Advising Fellows, and High School Fellows shape and inform a culture that invites differing perspectives and ongoing dialogue to inform how we interact, our practices, and our policies.

Continuous Learning: We embrace a mindset of continuous learning and recognize failure as a part of learning. We regularly give and receive feedback and are accountable for its intent and impact.

Ownership: We are all owners, accountable for our collective success and impact. We proactively identify problems, ask for what we need to be successful, and propose solutions. We communicate directly, respectfully, and with humility.

Position Overview:

The Managing Director, Advising, leads a team that stewards excellence in Matriculate’s advising model. This role will hold and advance a clear, cohesive vision for what high-quality, near-peer college advising looks like—and ensure our systems, training, coaching, and monitoring enable Advising Fellows to deliver on that promise.

They coordinate cross-functional workstreams, strengthen handoffs between teams, and drive strong project planning to ensure student-facing efforts remain aligned toward program goals. From onboarding to ongoing coaching to accountability structures, the Managing Director builds the connective tissue that ensures our advisors are equipped to succeed—and our High School Fellows get the consistent, high-impact support they need to thrive.

The Managing Director manages two program teams and a team of 8-12, of which 3 are direct reports. This role reports to the SVP Program & Operations and works collaboratively across the organization to engage and align with all staff in roles that contribute to our program growth.

This is a full-time exempt position with a competitive salary and benefits package.

Position Duties and Responsibilities:

Own and Maintain the Advising Model to Ensure Advisor Excellence: Lead and continually refine a clear, evidence-based vision for near-peer advising supporting High School Fellows' college access and success.

●      Create vision and alignment across the learning team and advising experience team on the skills and experiences necessary for High School Fellows to land at the best-fit college.

●      Oversee and set standards, vision, and criteria for onboarding, training, coaching, and holding volunteer Advising Fellows accountable to high expectations and consistent quality.

●      Ensure the team has a process for timely data collection, seeks internal and external evidence to assess advising effectiveness, and drives the utilization of learning to guide continuous program improvement.

●      Strengthen the program model to optimize cross-functional roles across teams to unite and streamline the advising experience.

●      Offer expertise, feedback, and guidance as the team builds and maintains shared tools, resources, and expectations to align staff and volunteers on success at every stage of the advising journey.

●      Anticipate risks and emerging needs across the advising pipeline; proactively develop solutions before they become barriers.

Manage and Support the Advising Team: Lead and develop a team responsible for measurement and evaluation, training, certification, advising support, and quality assurance, ensuring clarity of roles, strong collaboration, and aligned execution.

●      Facilitate and drive team culture, inclusive of a student-oriented and results-oriented mindset.

●      Lead internal systems and processes to drive efficiency, effectiveness, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

●      Actively create and drive project plans to ensure effective cross-team efforts.

Program Strategy and Leadership: Serve as a thought partner to the SVP Program & Operations and a senior team leader.

●      Model and institutionalize student-centered thinking, developing a culture of rigor, knowledge, transparency, and improvement

●      Develop and recommend programmatic structures, operational efficiencies, and new advising initiatives to ensure our program is best positioned to reliably and sustainably achieve impact while employing an equity lens.

●      Support the translation of strategy into operational plans and budgets, manage team budgets, and contribute to annual and strategic planning.

Candidate Qualifications:

●      Significant experience leading college counseling programs—with demonstrated success supporting first-gen, low-income, and/or underrepresented students.

●      A track record of successfully driving project management and creating and managing systems that enable multiple teams to deliver against milestones and deadlines.

●      Proven ability to scale, design, and improve programs and systems —especially those involving volunteers, training, or student support (in a virtual setting).

●      A depth of knowledge and expertise about the best practices in college advising, college admission, and financial aid.

●      Deep understanding of holistic review, admissions decision plans, scholarship strategy, need-based aid, CSS profile, and financial aid award comparisons.

●      Ability to convey ideas and plans clearly and compellingly to achieve shared understanding and direction across teams and partners.

●      Experience managing and coaching high-performing teams; strong ability to clarify roles, set goals, and support professional growth.

●      Highly organized, detail-oriented, and comfortable driving complex initiatives from planning through execution with multiple stakeholders.

●      Highly proficient in using data to set goals, monitor progress, and improve outcomes, especially around advising quality and student success.

●      Excellent cross-functional communicator who builds trust, navigates ambiguity, and fosters team alignment—ability to manage change.

●      A deep commitment to educational equity and a student-centered mindset, especially in service of first-gen and underrepresented students.

●      Experience working with volunteers, college/youth leadership development, and volunteer management is a strong plus.

Education and Experience:

●      Bachelor’s degree required.

●      15+ years of total professional experience leading a team and a complex program with a stellar track record of assessment, high impact, and growth.

●      Strong customer and student-centered orientation and excellent relationship-building skills.

●      Excellent communication skills, both written and oral.

●      Outstanding management skills and a track record of building a team and helping others reach ambitious goals.

Location:

We have a flexible, hybrid model for NYC-based staff. Employees in other areas are fully remote.

Compensation:

The salary range is $133,650 to $143,450, commensurate with experience. Matriculate offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes health, vision, and dental plans; 10 paid holidays from December 25th through January 1st; generous PTO; remote work opportunities; and professional development and personal growth opportunities.

To Apply:

Submit an application and include the following:

1. Resume
2. Cover Letter 

Applications not submitted per these instructions or missing documents will be deemed incomplete and not considered. All applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the role is filled.

We are committed to creating a diverse environment and are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to maximizing the diversity of our organization.  

We will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in according to applicable law.

All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply.