Director of Higher Education

Job Title: Director of Higher Education

Classification: Full-Time @ 40 hrs/wk,  Exempt, Work authorization is required

Salary Band: Band 5, Director

Compensation: $97,000 - $103,700

Location: Remote, work must be performed in California

Travel Requirements: 20% of time (includes local travel and other travel within CA and the U.S.)

Department: Higher Education 

Reports To: Director of Programs

Direct Reports: This position supervises 1 position

ABOUT IMMIGRANTS RISING

Founded in 2006, Immigrants Rising transforms individuals and fuels broader changes. With resources and support, undocumented people are able to get an education, pursue careers, and build a brighter future for themselves and their community. For more information, visit www.immigrantsrising.org.

ABOUT THE POSITION

The Director of Higher Education provides strategic and operational leadership for Immigrants Rising’s higher education portfolio as a core pathway to educational access, persistence, and completion for undocumented students.

This role is responsible for advancing a cohesive higher education approach that bridges direct services, institutional capacity building, and systems-adjacent change. The Director leads program strategy and execution, manages a growing team and portfolio of partners, and plays a central role in strengthening Immigrants Rising’s impact across colleges and universities.

As a departmental leader, the Director of Higher Education works closely with the Director of Programs and cross-functional teams to align higher education programming with Immigrants Rising’s broader mission, policy priorities, and organizational strategy. The role requires a balance of program leadership, people management, external partnership development, and a deep understanding of the structural barriers undocumented students face within postsecondary systems.

This position carries responsibility for departmental outcomes, grant performance, institutional partnerships, and the continuous improvement of higher education programs.

KEY ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES

Strategy, Vision, and Program Leadership (Approximately 30% of the role)

• Set and advance a clear, cohesive higher education strategy that aligns with Immigrants Rising’s strategic plan and advances equitable postsecondary access and success for undocumented students.
• Oversee the design, implementation, and continuous improvement of higher education programs, ensuring alignment across college access, persistence, and completion.
• Establish department-level goals, priorities, and success metrics, and hold the team accountable for outcomes and impact.
• Identify opportunities to strengthen and adapt higher education models in response to student needs, institutional dynamics, and field-level trends.
• Translate higher education policy, research, and program insights into programmatic direction and improvements.

Systems Change Leadership (Approximately 20% of the role)

• Serve as a senior programmatic leader advancing Immigrants Rising’s higher education agenda across external advocacy campaigns, coalitions, and strategy spaces, ensuring postsecondary access and success remain central pathways within the organization’s broader economic mobility framework.
• Partner closely with policy, research, and communications colleagues and external stakeholders to align higher education strategy with policy priorities, narrative change efforts, and systems-level interventions that expand access to in-state tuition, financial aid, and equitable postsecondary opportunities for undocumented students.
• Elevate insights from higher education programming to stakeholders to inform solutions related to college affordability, financial aid access, institutional support structures, and graduate and professional education pathways.
• Represent Immigrants Rising in coalitions, policy tables, and convenings focused on higher education equity and postsecondary systems change, strengthening cross-sector partnerships and institutional influence.
• Contribute to thought leadership—through presentations, written products, and field-building efforts—that elevate Immigrants Rising’s role in advancing equitable higher education systems for undocumented students.

Program Integration, Research & Narrative Alignment (Approximately 20% of the role)

• Partner closely with Program Directors and senior leadership to ensure higher education initiatives are integrated with direct services, institutional capacity building, and Immigrants Rising’s broader economic mobility framework.
• Collaborate with Research and Communications teams to align higher education priorities with data, evaluation, and narrative change efforts that elevate the experiences and outcomes of undocumented students.
• Translate insights from higher education programming—including outcomes, challenges, and lessons learned—into strategic guidance that informs program improvement, advocacy efforts, and organizational decision-making.
• Ensure higher education work strengthens Immigrants Rising’s role as a credible thought partner in the field, advancing a compelling narrative of postsecondary access and success as drivers of economic mobility.

Team Leadership and Department Management (Approximately 15% of the role)

• Build, lead, and manage a high-performing higher education and career pathways team, including direct supervision of staff, fellows, and consultants.
• Set departmental goals, priorities, and performance expectations aligned with organizational strategy.
• Provide strategic direction, coaching, and professional development to team members, ensuring clarity of roles, strong delegation, and accountability.
• Foster an inclusive, equity-centered, and results-driven team culture aligned with Immigrants Rising’s values.
• Support cross-functional collaboration and ensure alignment across Immigrants Rising’s programs, as well as research, communications, and development teams.

Financial & Operational Oversight (Approximately 15% of the role)

• Support fundraising efforts related to higher education programming by contributing program concepts, data, and narrative to grant proposals.
• Oversee grant-funded higher education initiatives, ensuring deliverables, reporting, and compliance requirements are met.
• Manage and oversee the department budget, ensuring fiscal responsibility, transparency, and alignment with organizational goals.
• Partner with development, finance, and executive leadership to identify sustainable funding strategies for the department.
• Lead operational planning and infrastructure for the department, strengthening internal systems, workflows, and cross-functional coordination to ensure effective execution, accountability, and long-term sustainability.

Requirements

Role Specific Qualifications

• 7–10 years of relevant professional experience within higher education access, student success, immigrant justice, or related fields, with progressively responsible leadership roles.
• At least 3–5 years of people management experience, including direct supervision and responsibility for team performance and development within higher education systems.
• Demonstrated expertise in CA higher education systems, including college access, persistence, and completion, with a strong understanding of how immigration status shapes opportunity.
• Proven ability to lead complex higher education program portfolios bridging direct services, institutional capacity building, and systems-adjacent work.
• Experience working within CA colleges, universities, and higher education partners to advance inclusive practices for undocumented students.
• Experience overseeing grant-funded programs, including accountability for deliverables, reporting, and compliance.
• Strong facilitation, communication, and partnership-building skills.

Preferred Skills & Experience

• Experience operating at a CA statewide or multi-institutional level across colleges and universities.
• Experience contributing to CA institutional or systems-adjacent change in higher education.
• Experience working in cross-sector partnerships involving community-based organizations, philanthropy, or public agencies in CA.
• Familiarity with research, data, and evaluation approaches used to inform higher education practice and policy.
• Experience contributing to CA public-facing higher education work, such as panels, reports, or convenings.
• Training or experience in equity-centered, student-centered, or trauma-informed practices.

Organization-Wide Requirements

• Thoroughly committed to Immigrants Rising’s mission and vision.
• Deep passion and commitment to immigrant rights with a personal connection to the undocumented experience.
• Expected to attend organizational fundraising events and relay key information from interactions with potential donors and funders to fundraising staff, represent the organization professionally and in accordance to organizational values.
• Eager to learn and develop new skills. 
• Adaptive to changing circumstances.
• Demonstrates strong active listening skills, with the goal of understanding the perspectives, needs, and concerns of others before responding.
• Open to giving and receiving constructive feedback on communication efforts and able to implement suggestions to improve future interactions.
• Demonstrates awareness and respect for cultural differences in communication, ensuring inclusivity and avoiding miscommunication.
• Participates in organization-wide efforts to bolster organizational health, address implicit bias, inequitable practices, structural inequities in the workplace, and infuses equity & inclusion skills and principles to programs and external work. Pursues personal and professional learning and development opportunities.

DO YOU THINK THIS MIGHT BE YOU?

If you see yourself in this job description but don’t feel like you meet every single criteria, we encourage you to apply anyway! Research shows that individuals from historically marginalized groups, particularly women, trans, non-binary folks, and BIPOC, tend to self-select out of opportunities at higher rates. We take a holistic approach to all of our hiring practices and want to hire those who best align with our mission and goals.

TO APPLY

Please submit a job application via the Workable platform. No phone calls please. Applications will be accepted until May 4th. We plan to hold interviews in May and June and our desired start date is in early August.

For questions, email Alejandra Guillen, Deputy Director, [email protected].

Benefits

TIME COMMITMENT, COMPENSATION & LOCATION

This is a full-time, exempt position paid at an annual salary of $97,000 - $103,700. Immigrants Rising has a generous benefits package that includes ample vacation, sick leave, and holidays, 100% employer-coverage of health, dental, and vision insurance, a Health Reimbursement Account (HRA), and a 3% employer contribution to employee retirement. This is a remote position based in California.