Executive Director, Indy Scholars

Executive Director

Indy Scholars is a new, high-impact initiative designed to dramatically increase college completion and economic mobility for students across Marion County. As Executive Director, you will serve as the founding leader and chief builder of Indy Scholars—responsible for designing, launching, and scaling a scholarship and postsecondary success platform from the ground up. You will lead the effort to support hundreds of students entering college each year and build the systems, partnerships, and team needed to ensure 80% or more of scholars graduate college debt‑free.

This role requires an entrepreneurial leader who loves helping young adults succeed, thrives in ambiguity, takes full ownership of outcomes, and can translate vision into disciplined execution at scale.

• Supports scholars through mentoring, career exploration, and academic success
• Supports scholars in applying for scholarships and financial aid, campus visits, selecting a major, etc.
• Supports college success through academic support and by leveraging campus resources
• Supports scholar career readiness through paid internships, resume writing, mock interviews, and financial coaching
• Supports scholars in securing good‑paying jobs upon graduation

• Design, implement, and oversee high school programs that support scholars, including academic support, mentoring, college readiness, career exploration, and leadership development
• Develop program curricula, materials, and resources to meet the needs of diverse scholars
• Ensure programs align with the organization’s mission, goals, and meet the needs of scholars
• Lead high school network convenings and workshops for partner high school staff

• Build and maintain positive relationships with scholars, families, and school administrators
• Develop and implement strategies to engage families in their scholars’ academic success and college completion goals
• Collaborate with schools, community organizations, and other stakeholders to enhance program offerings and support services

• Recruit, hire, train, supervise, and foster a collaborative, supportive team environment
• Develop and lead the Indy Scholars Team to ensure persistence, enrollment, and completion rates among scholars in our program are continuously increasing
• Create, implement, and maintain standard operating procedures (SOPs) for core program processes
• Work collaboratively to develop and/or improve systems, processes, controls, and procedures that improve the overall efficiency of the program
• Develop team culture and organizational structure through training, succession planning, and career development pathways

• Collect, analyze, and report on program data, including scholar participation, outcomes, and feedback
• Evaluate program effectiveness and make data‑driven decisions for continuous improvement and program growth

• Graduation Rate:
  Double college graduation rates for first‑generation scholars to exceed 80% by providing comprehensive coaching, summer bridge programs, and last‑dollar scholarships
• Persistence Rate:
  Maintain an annual student persistence rate of at least 90% through year‑round mentoring from Scholar Advocates and the development of campus‑based Ambassador programs
• Enrollment Growth:
  Increase college enrollment rates for under‑represented students in Marion County by 20% through targeted pre‑college advocacy and 21st Century Scholars eligibility support
• Program Scale & Growth:
  Support 500+ scholars annually while expanding the program by at least 100 new scholars every year through recruitment pipelines starting as early as 6th grade
• Scholar Advocacy:
  Transition the support model to include dedicated Scholar Advocates as one‑on‑one case managers for every student to ensure no scholar navigates college alone
• Financial & Resource Readiness:
  Ensure 100% of departing scholars receive “care packages” and identify secondary scholarships to cover non‑tuition costs, including room, board, and technology
• Family Income & Support:
  Help scholar…