Director of Enrollment

New York City

About Democracy Prep

Democracy Prep educates responsible citizen-scholars for success in the college of their choice AND for lives of active citizenship. In close partnership with families, we empower young people with the skills and values to flourish as community leaders who will strengthen our American democracy and change the world.

Our schools are grounded in rigorous academics, high expectations, and joyful, structured environments where scholars are challenged, affirmed, and known. Students benefit from extended learning time, access to strong college-preparatory curricula, and robust college access and persistence support to ensure they thrive in college and beyond.

A defining feature of a Democracy Prep education is our deep commitment to civic engagement. We prepare students to be lifelong active citizens who uplift their communities and sustain our democracy. Across grade levels, scholars take informed stances on important issues, engage respectfully across lines of difference, serve their communities, study current events, organize voter registration drives, and complete “change the world” capstone projects that translate research and advocacy into meaningful action.

To learn more about Democracy Prep, visit: https://democracyprep.org

About the Opportunity

With direction from the Chief Operating Officer, the Director of Enrollment sets the strategy for all student recruitment, enrollment, and retention efforts across the 10 schools in the Democracy Prep Public Schools network.

Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer, the Director of Enrollment is a key leader within the organization’s operational function and directly supervises the central Enrollment Team, consisting of two teammates and several contractors responsible for maintaining strong enrollment across the network.

Through strong project management, data analysis, and cross-functional partnership, the Director of Enrollment ensures that families in our communities apply to our schools and that Democracy Prep consistently meets enrollment, student retention, and family satisfaction goals at every campus.

Who You Are

• An enthusiastic teammate with an unwavering commitment to Democracy Prep’s mission of college success and authentic civic engagement for our scholars.
• A highly motivated collaborator who identifies problems, understands root causes, and proposes thoughtful solutions for change.
• An organized, data-driven project manager who partners effectively with schools and central teams to build strong systems and drive results.
• A leader with a demonstrated record of achieving ambitious goals and establishing meaningful metrics to support data-driven decision-making.
• A strong communicator (written and oral) who adapts messaging to different audiences in order to build shared purpose and move work forward.
• A relationship builder who believes deeply in engaging families in meaningful ways and understands that family involvement is key to maintaining a thriving school system.
• A reflective practitioner who uses varied data sources to evaluate school-facing systems and challenges the status quo when necessary.
• A professional who brings maturity, humility, a strong work ethic, and a sense of humor to DPPS, and who responds thoughtfully to feedback in order to continuously improve.

What You’ll Do

Enrollment Strategy, Management & Execution

• Design and implement a dynamic, multi-faceted, year-round enrollment strategy that yields strong year-over-year results.
• Collaborate with the Chief Schools Officer, Deputy Superintendents, and School Leaders to tailor enrollment strategies to the context of each campus.
• Lead enrollment strategy meetings and coach team members to independently lead these efforts when appropriate.
• Manage the enrollment budget and oversee external partners and contractors supporting recruitment and marketing efforts.
• Partner with the Marketing & Communications Team to plan and execute campaigns that engage current and prospective families.
• Manage the application portal and SchoolMint platform, continuously evaluating systems for ease of use and effectiveness.
• Participate in on-the-ground canvassing efforts as needed to provide coaching, feedback, and change management.
• Build and maintain strong community relationships that support recruitment and retention efforts.
• Serve as an ambassador of Democracy Prep in the communities we serve and ensure team members do the same.

Student Retention Strategy, Management & Execution

• Create and communicate clear bottom lines for Democracy Prep’s approach to student retention and re-enrollment.
• Design and implement retention strategies tailored to the unique needs of each school.
• Oversee the development and annual revision of family-facing retention materials.
• Monitor retention and family satisfaction data, provide regular progress reports to stakeholders, and develop targeted improvement plans.
• Provide tailored coaching and support to school leaders based on retention and satisfaction data.
• Ensure strong matriculation plans for students transitioning between Democracy Prep campuses and monitor implementation.

Data Management, Analysis & Professional Development

• Lead systems to ensure enrollment data accuracy, projection management, and ongoing analysis.
• Partner with the COO to deliver national and board presentations on enrollment and retention performance.
• Oversee year-end analyses of enrollment and retention data, including recommendations for improvement.
• Plan and facilitate professional development for school-based operations teams aligned to the enrollment and retention cycle.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of operational leadership experience, ideally in community organizing, marketing, charter school student recruitment, enrollment management, or related K–12 systems leadership.
• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree preferred.
• Written and spoken proficiency in Spanish a plus.
• Strong systems orientation and experience building scalable processes in complex environments.
• Deep understanding of K–12 school systems and the nuances of student recruitment and retention.

Work Requirements and Schedule

This is a hybrid role with a minimum of three days per week on-site at schools or the central office. During peak enrollment periods (e.g., school opening in August/September), work will be fully in person.

This role requires occasional evening or weekend work, including attendance at and leadership of enrollment events.

Compensation & Work Environment

Salary range for this role is $140,000 to $155,000 and is commensurate with equivalent experience leading development in the education or another nonprofit space.

Democracy Prep staff members are provided with comprehensive benefits and a working environment that includes the necessary technology and resources to succeed. Democracy Prep employees work on a hybrid schedule with three days based in our New York City office and two days at home each week. Some evenings and weekends will be required, including attendance at board meetings, fundraising events, or other network events.

Application Process

This search is supported by JoHo Talent Network. The application deadline is March 30, 2026, and applications should be submitted through the JoHo portal.

Equal Opportunity Statement

Democracy Prep is an Equal Opportunity Employer and will not discriminate against an applicant or employee on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, national origin, or ancestry, sex, age, physical or mental disability, pregnancy, veteran or military status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, familial status, domestic violence victim status, or any other legally recognized protected basis under federal, state, or local laws, regulations, or ordinances.

Our mission is to educate responsible citizen-scholars who will change the world. We strongly believe that by building a DREAM team that represents numerous perspectives, backgrounds, and areas of expertise, we can achieve this goal together. This is a value we highly support and strongly encourage candidates of all backgrounds to apply.