Description

LINK Unlimited Scholars (LINK) is where hard work meets heart work. The work is demanding and fast-paced, but deeply rewarding. We push ourselves because our Scholars deserve nothing less. If that doesn’t scare you AND you’re adaptable, driven, and ready to invest in changing the trajectory of our Scholars lives and our city’s future, then we invite you to join our team!

We LINK students who have been historically underrepresented in higher education, especially Black students, with the resources and support needed for success as they advance to, through, and beyond college.

Chicago’s educational system amplifies persistent inequities, creating a significant college completion gap for historically underrepresented students, particularly Black students. LINK’s goal is to mitigate the effect of these systemic and structural forces by improving and increasing access to educational opportunities and college completion for students who have been historically underrepresented in higher education, especially Black youth in Chicago. By equipping our Scholars with the knowledge, skills, resources, and social equity that further college completion and career placement, LINK is increasing the economic mobility and stability of historically underrepresented students and cultivating a diverse leadership pipeline for our city.

Since 1966, we have successfully supported over 2,500 low- to moderate-income students.  In the 2025-2026 academic year, we will serve 300+ Scholars (Jr. LINK, High School & Collegiate Scholars). Our Scholars represent more than 60 Chicagoland neighborhoods, with a focus on ten South and West Side communities: Auburn Gresham, Austin, Bronzeville, Englewood, Garfield Park, Greater Grand Crossing, North Lawndale, Roseland, South Shore, and Washington Park.

Position Summary

The Director, Outreach & Enrollment leads the strategy, planning, and execution of LINK’s outreach, recruitment, admissions, and onboarding process. This role ensures organizational sustainability by recruiting and enrolling mission- and value-aligned Scholars and families. The Director manages recruitment pipelines, application and admissions processes, Scholar/family onboarding, and community partnerships to meet annual enrollment goals.

Outreach & Enrollment Strategy

• Lead the strategy, planning and execution of LINK’s student outreach, recruitment and enrollment process that yields 75-100+ new mission aligned Scholars annually (Jr. LINK & High School Fellowships).
• Develop and maintain school partnerships to support our Scholars and programming (including recruitment efforts, high school options for our middle school Scholars, partnership MOU’s, etc.).
• Manage the strategy for onboarding, offboarding, and deepening school partnerships, including the MOU/Partnership Agreement and process.
• Collaborate with CPS, Private and Parochial schools, and community-based organizations to recruit academically ambitious students into the program.
• Facilitate events and programming to garner interest for new applicants.
• Ensure our Scholars reflect the communities we serve by ensuring student applications and enrollment from each of our 10 focused neighborhoods.
• In alignment with organizational annual goals, establish annual team goals and strategies to achieve them.
• Stay apprised of best practices in the fields of recruitment and admissions.

Data Analysis & Strategic Direction

• Maintain and analyze recruitment and enrollment data to track progress toward goals.
• Develop reports to monitor application trends, yield rates, and enrollment outcomes.
• Use data to refine recruitment strategies and ensure equitable access.
• Maintain accurate data in Salesforce and other systems to monitor recruitment & enrollment progress.
• Use data to inform program improvements, report outcomes, and guide strategic decision-making.
• Design feedback strategies to gather stakeholder feedback to inform recruitment and engagement efforts.
• Manage the collection and organization of data to evaluate and measure outcomes.
• Maintain data relating to school demographics, point of contact, academic successes, etc. for all attended high school fairs and partners.
• Identify and recommend key recruitment and engagement indicators and outcomes.
• Track and report regularly on outcomes of recruitment & engagement efforts.
• Utilize and interpret data for program and process evaluation and decision making so as to make recommendations for continuous improvements.
• Maintain student/family and partner information in Salesforce.
• Translate findings from outcomes, survey data, and stakeholder feedback into actionable insights.

Stakeholder Engagement & Partnerships

• Develop and maintain a communications plan and cadence for check-ins with schools, families, and community partners.
• Build and steward long-term school and community relationships to strengthen pipelines.
• Collaborate with civic and community partners to increase organizational visibility and expand Scholar recruitment networks.

Leadership & Supervision

• Collaborate with 2–3 Program Coordinators in a project-based manner, providing clear direction, coaching, and day-to-day oversight to ensure project plans are executed with excellence, on time, and aligned to LINK’s goals, while also fostering Coordinators’ professional growth.
• Collaborate with peer Directors and co-lead initiatives to ensure Scholars experience holistic, seamless support across programs (e.g. Scholar Orientations, Kick-Off, Scholar Celebration).
• Create detailed project plans, timelines, and budgets, ensuring projects are completed on time and within scope.
• Work collaboratively with departments to ensure project success.
• Clearly communicate organizational priorities and translate them into actionable tasks in guiding team collaboration and Scholar outcomes.
• Model and reinforce LINK’s values in daily work, decision-making, and expectations of others.
• Manage program budgets and allocate resources effectively.
• Other duties as assigned.

Work Schedule

Full-Time, Monday through Friday, 9:00am-5:00pm, but requires 40-50 hours per week. Hybrid schedule: remotely twice a week (Mondays & Fridays) and in-office Tuesday through Thursday.  Must also have flexibility to work on occasion Saturdays and evenings to support programming or other organizational events.  

Compensation

Salary range $75,000-$85,000. Our salary scale is intended to align with experience relative to THIS position. Those with the least amount of directly relevant experience are considered at the lower end of the scale, while those with the most directly relevant experience are considered toward the top of the scale. Candidates should be prepared to share their salary expectations and explain how their background and experience align with the responsibilities of THIS position.

Full-time employees are eligible for health, dental, and vision insurance, Retirement, PTO days, 11 Holidays, and a holiday shut down from Christmas Eve through New-Year’s Day.

LINK Unlimited Scholars is an equal opportunity employer. 

Requirements

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a relative field REQUIRED. Master’s degree or higher preferred.
• Minimum of 10 years of professional work experience.
• Minimum of five (5) years of student recruitment, admissions, community outreach or equivalent REQUIRED.
  • Experience working with students and families in the nonprofit sector, preferably with Black students, highly desired.
  • Catholic, urban public school, and/or charter school experience is a plus.
• A minimum of five (5) years Supervisory experience that has included full or part-time direct reports is REQUIRED.
• Program event management and facilitation experience required.
• Demonstrated success developing and managing external relationships with schools, community-based organizations, and civic leaders.
• Proven ability to design and execute strategic recruitment plans and meet enrollment targets.
• Strong experience managing data to track recruitment pipelines, application trends, and enrollment outcomes.
• Exceptional public speaking, presentation, and relationship-building skills; comfortable representing LINK with schools, families, community groups, etc.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Excellent time management skills with proven ability to meet deadlines.
• Demonstrated ability to work at a rigorous pace, prioritize multiple projects/assignments, communicate about challenges, plan, and most importantly, follow through to meet deadlines and objectives.
• Strong experience using data systems to monitor outcomes (applications, acceptances, scholarships, financial aid), track staff deliverables, and enforce accountability.
• Ability to independently lead strategy, planning, and execution without the need for detailed oversight or step-by-step direction; proactively identify challenges, propose solutions, and drive work forward aligned with organizational goals.
• Strong experience using data to drive and achieve programmatic outcomes, programmatic improvement, and demonstrate impact, including survey design and analysis.
• Problem Solving and Critical Thinking: Ability to break down tasks into manageable sections to make informed decisions to tackle a larger problem.
• Proven ability to operate with an entrepreneurial mindset, including ownership, accountability, efficiency, and hustle to achieve results in evolving environments.
• Proficiency in project management tools (preferably Basecamp) and data platforms (Salesforce preferred).
• Advanced skills with Microsoft Office Suite, Google Workspace, or similar software with the ability to learn new or updated software.

Characteristics

• Embodies LINK Unlimited Scholars’ mission, vision, and values with integrity and consistency.
• Demonstrates an entrepreneurial mindset: resourceful, proactive, and innovative; takes full ownership and accountability for results and works with the urgency and hustle needed to deliver for Scholars.
• Operates with a solution-oriented, can-do attitude; persistent and proactive in addressing challenges.
• Flexible and adaptable, thrives in fast-paced, evolving environments, and comfortable working with ambiguity.
• Scholar-centered: prioritizes the needs and outcomes of Scholars above personal convenience.
• Resilient and growth-minded: seeks feedback, learns quickly, and continuously improves.
• Collaborative and community-minded; builds strong relationships with staff, Scholars, families, and partners.
• Creative and forward-thinking; unafraid to pivot when necessary.
• Exercises sound judgment and discretion, with an unwavering commitment to excellence.