KAP 2026-2027 - Manager of Admissions - Reformers Academy

About the position

Reformers Academy is seeking a mission-driven professional to lead our twice-annual admissions process and help shape the next generation of policy reformers. This role sits at the center of our talent pipeline, overseeing the applicant review and evaluation process and prioritizing candidates with the greatest potential for long-term placement in high-impact policy positions across the country.

The Manager of Admissions will design, run, and continually improve the systems that power our application, interview, and selection processes for all three RA fellowships. This includes refining application materials to ensure we collect the right information for downstream placement, coordinating and scheduling more than 100 interviews per cycle, managing candidate communications, and ensuring every applicant has a clear, professional, and mission-aligned experience.

Beyond operations, this role requires strong judgment. You will assess ideological alignment, evaluate candidate strengths and growth areas, track cohort composition, and help ensure each class reflects the mix of skills, experience levels, and geographic representation needed to strengthen our policy networks. You will collaborate closely with RA’s outreach team to build strong state-by-state pipelines and maintain a running list of high-potential emerging leaders.

As RA grows, this position represents half of a newly split function—giving the Manager of Admissions the opportunity to build scalable systems, introduce new tools and processes, and help define what excellence in admissions looks like for a fast-moving, impact-oriented organization.

Key Duties

Admissions Operations & Systems

• Lead and manage the full admissions cycle for all three RA fellowships, from application launch through final cohort selection.
• Design, refine, and improve admissions systems, workflows, and evaluation tools to ensure a consistent, high‑quality process as RA scales.
• Maintain accurate, organized candidate data across Airtable and other platforms; ensure information is complete and ready for downstream placement.

Candidate Evaluation & Selection

• Review applications, assess ideological alignment, and evaluate candidate strengths, experience, and growth areas.
• Coordinate and schedule 100+ interviews per cycle; ensure interviewers have the materials and context needed to evaluate candidates effectively.
• Track cohort composition to ensure a balanced mix of experience levels, skills, and geographic representation.
• Coordinate with placement staff to study what characteristics that emerge in the admissions process tend to lead to good placements over time.

Recruitment Strategy & Collaboration

• Partner closely with RA’s outreach team to build strong state‑by‑state recruitment pipelines and ensure a healthy mix of applicants for each fellowship.
• Convene informal recruitment councils (state‑ or policy‑specific) to identify emerging leaders and strengthen local networks.
• Support content creation for LinkedIn and other recruitment campaigns to attract high‑potential candidates.

Stakeholder Coordination & Representation

• Serve as a primary point of contact for applicants, providing timely, professional communication and a strong candidate experience.
• Represent RA at select events, conduct occasional trips to priority states, and participate in biannual fly‑in weekends.
• Prepare accepted fellow directories and other materials needed for onboarding and cohort launch.

Success

• Deliver a smooth, timely, and well-organized admissions cycle with timelines set well in advance. Maintain high standards of applicant evaluation that result in strong cohorts.
• Ensuring we are leveraging technology, when appropriate, to screen candidates and collect the information needed to set the cohorts and be available for future placement efforts.

Requirements

• Attention to detail and accuracy in managing complex, multi-step processes.
• Demonstrated ability to improve systems and workflows. A systems-builder mindset looking for ways to streamline, and/or automate.
• Strong judgment and discernment, including the ability to evaluate ideological alignment, candidate strengths, and areas for growth with professionalism and nuance.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Comfort with learning new technologies and data systems.

Preferred

• 3+ years of experience in admissions, recruiting, talent selection, or project management involving complex administrative workflows.
• Familiarity with policy ecosystems (state legislatures, think tanks, advocacy organizations, or government roles).
• Experience conducting structured interviews or using evaluation rubrics.
• Knowledge of Airtable, LinkedIn Recruiter, or similar CRM platform—or a demonstrated ability to learn them quickly.

To Apply

Qualified candidates should submit the following application materials (in order) in one PDF document

• Cover letter including:
• An introductory paragraph describing three distinct reasons you are drawn to Reformers Academy’s mission…