Director of Admissions

PRIMER; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Primer is seeking a Director of Admissions to lead enrollment across campuses, owning the funnel, outcomes, and team development. This role blends strategic leadership with hands-on execution, using data and coaching to drive growth while maintaining a high-quality family experience, and you will build plans to support 2x enrollment growth.

The ideal candidate has 5+ years leading admissions or enrollment teams, a proven record of scaling processes, and strong cross‑functional collaboration with

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience leading admissions or enrollment teams.
• Proven track record of scaling processes and teams during growth.
• Strong analytical skills with funnel management and forecasting experience.
• Excellent communication and cross-functional leadership abilities.

Responsibilities

• Own enrollment performance across all Primer campuses.
• Maintain visibility into lead flow, conversion, funnel health, capacity, and forecasts.
• Identify bottlenecks, risks, and opportunities before they escalate.
• Develop and implement process improvements to increase conversion, efficiency, and scalability.
• Partner with Growth, Academics, Product, and Campus Leadership to improve enrollment outcomes.

Skills

Leadership

Analytics

Process improvement

Coaching

Cross-functional collaboration

Job description

About Primer

Primer is a growing network of K–8 schools restoring the timeless foundations of American education. Inspired by the original teaching primers that shaped a nation of readers, thinkers, and builders, our schools begin with what has always worked, and build for what lies ahead. Close-knit learning environments. Skilled educators. A culture that takes kids seriously as learners and leaders.

Primers shaped the first 200 years of American children. Primer will ready them for the next.

Position Summary

The Director of Admissions is responsible for enrollment performance across Primer campuses. This leader owns the admissions funnel, enrollment outcomes, and development of the admissions team. The role requires a hands-on operator who can balance strategic leadership with day-to-day execution, using data, coaching, and process improvement to support Primer's continued growth.

Enrollment & Funnel Management

• Own enrollment performance and admissions outcomes across all campuses.
• Maintain deep visibility into lead flow, conversion rates, funnel health, capacity, and enrollment forecasts.
• Proactively identify bottlenecks, risks, and opportunities before they become escalations.
• Build and execute plans to support 2x enrollment growth while maintaining a high-quality family experience.
• Monitor and report on key admissions metrics, performance trends, and forecasting accuracy.
• Develop and implement process improvements that increase conversion, efficiency, and scalability.
• Partner cross-functionally with Growth, Academics, Product, and Campus Leadership to improve enrollment outcomes.
• Use data to prioritize initiatives, allocate resources, and drive business decisions.
• Establish operational rigor and accountability across the admissions function.

Team Leadership & Development

• Lead, coach, and develop a team of Admissions Representatives and future admissions leaders.
• Establish clear performance expectations, activity standards, and conversion goals.
• Conduct regular coaching sessions, pipeline reviews, call reviews, and performance management.
• Build a culture of accountability, ownership, and continuous improvement.
• Ensure team members are effectively trained on admissions processes, systems, messaging, and best practices.
• Work side-by-side with Admissions Representatives to improve execution, remove obstacles, and develop skills.
• Lead by example through a player-coach mentality, stepping in when needed to support enrollment goals and team success.
• Create development plans that improve individual performance and prepare future leaders within the organization.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience leading admissions, enrollment, sales, customer success, or customer acquisition teams.
• Proven track record of building and managing high-performing teams in a growth-oriented environment.
• Experience scaling processes and teams through periods of rapid growth.
• Strong analytical skills with experience managing funnels, pipelines, and conversion metrics.
• Hands-on leadership style with a willingness to coach, execute, and solve problems directly.
• Excellent communication and cross-functional leadership skills.

Primer is a mission-first company. We believe our mission is the highest-leverage way we can create positive change. In service of that.