United States onlyLocation: Remote + up to 6 weeks of travel during the summer
Hours: Some evenings and occasional weekends due to Scholar schedules
EmploymentType: Full-time, exempt
Salary Range: $68,640 - $70,304
Start Date: May 1st, 2026
Benefits: High-quality health and dental insurance, paid vacation, employer-matched retirement plan
The Organization
At Thrive Scholars, we provide high-achieving students from under-resourced communities the opportunities they need to thrive at top colleges and in meaningful careers.
Our comprehensive and data-drivenprogram model focuses on the key inflection points that can be the difference between graduating from any college and graduating from a top college with the grades, degree, career skills, and network needed to thrive in any career. Thrive Scholars originated in Los Angeles as South Central Scholars (“SCS”) twenty years ago. Over this time, the organization has refined its program model and, in the last five years, has focused on expanding nationally; reaching more high-achieving students from under-resourced communities, growing the number of Scholars we serve; and deepening our program impact. Thrive Scholars has begun to grow its footprint with new summer program offerings in three additional cities. The organization has approximately 75 year-round employees and close to 200 summer employees.
College Access
At Thrive Scholars, we know that graduating from an elite college can directly impact earning potential and career opportunities. Elite colleges offer smaller class sizes, stronger student support services, and better financial aid packages so that our Scholars graduate with little to no loans. Our high school Scholars receive tailored guidance and admissions support from our highly trained College Access Managers. We help our Scholars find “best fit” selective colleges and showcase their qualifications for acceptance into these elite schools.
The Position
Thrive Scholars is looking to recruit a student-focused and results-driven College Access Manager to support our students in the admission and financial aid process at highly selective colleges and universities. The College Access Manager provides strategic admissions support by providing individual and group coaching sessions, running college access events, and offering asynchronous support for academically and personally motivated students from across the country. Additionally, the College Access Manager will have opportunities to leverage project management skills in supporting the planning and logistics of the year-round College Access curriculum.
Reporting to the Associate Director of College Access, the College Access Manager works closely with their fellow College Access Managers, as well as colleagues on the Scholar Recruitment, College Success, and Career Development teams.
During the summer, the College Access Manager will be expected to travel to various Academy sites during a six-week span to provide on-the-ground support. There is also potential for travel for a few in-person events during the college application season.
Key Responsibilities:
- College Advising (60%):
- Deliver college access counseling through 1:1 student engagement, with an emphasis on selective college admissions.
- Create and execute college access programming, which may include admissions information sessions, group coaching sessions, community building events, and student engagement opportunities through synchronous and asynchronous methods.
- Topics for college access support include but are not limited to: college list building, major and career exploration, college essay creation and revision, recommendation letter support, and financial aid and scholarship counseling.
- Engage with admissions officers to build collaborative relationships to strengthen the college access pipeline and remain current on admissions trends.
- There is potential opportunity for travel to facilitate in-person college access events in our largest regions.
- Administrative Tasks (15%):
- Monitor student progress and performance towards goals, recording applicable activities via Salesforce in a timely and accurate manner.
- Collect and use data to understand admission trends and develop strategies to support Scholars in their pursuit of highly selective institutions.
- Academy Logistics and Facilitation (15%):
- Contribute to the planning of Summer Academies, including logistical preparation, curriculum and content curation, and program delivery.
- Cross-Departmental Collaboration and Support (10%):
- Support cross-departmental and organization-wide events and initiatives, including student recruitment and selection, college success transition programs, development opportunities, and career exploration programming.
Qualifications and Experience
There are innumerable ways to learn, grow, and excel professionally. We respect this when we review applications and take a broad look at the experience of each applicant. The qualifications and experiences listed below are intended as a guide; we do not expect candidates to check every box. If you believe you can meet the expectations and responsibilities of this position, we want to get to know you and the unique strengths you will bring to the work.
- 2+ years of professional experience required
- 2+ years of experience in college admissions, financial aid, or college advising, with a focus on selective colleges
- Passion for working with students from under-resourced communities, and expertise in the experience of first-generation students in selective college admissions
- Exceptional verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to lead presentations and workshops
- Highly skilled relationship-builder, who is able to build trusting relationships with high school students as well as parents, school counselors, college admissions professionals, and community partners
- Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and ability to document and manage detailed data
- Ability to leverage technology to provide remote support to and maintaining strong rapport with students across the country
Travel Expectations:
This position requires some travel, up to six weeks, to different Summer Academy sites between June - August. There may also be some travel for in-person college access events during the fall. The travel schedule will be set in consultation with the Director of College Access and Success to support the Director’s team management time and college access goals.
Equal Employment Opportunities
Thrive Scholars provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment based on race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, national origin, sexual orientation, age, disability, or veteran status. We strongly encourage people of all backgrounds to apply.
For more information, please visit thrivescholars.org
