Lead Growth. Build Partnerships. Create Life-Changing Opportunities.

At Aspire, we believe every person deserves opportunities to learn, grow, belong, and thrive. We are seeking a strategic, relationship-driven leader to serve as our Director, Admissions & Census Growth—a critical leadership role responsible for expanding access to our services, strengthening community partnerships, and ensuring exceptional experiences for individuals and families from their first interaction with Aspire through enrollment and beyond.

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced admissions, healthcare, human services, or business development leader who thrives on building relationships, driving sustainable growth, leading high-performing teams, and making a meaningful impact in the lives of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD).

About the Role

The Director, Admissions & Census Growth provides strategic and operational leadership for Aspire's admissions, outreach, and census development efforts across multiple programs and locations. This role is responsible for driving sustainable growth, optimizing admissions operations, cultivating referral partnerships, and ensuring a person-centered experience for every individual and family exploring Aspire's services.

Working closely with executive leadership and program teams—including Residential Services, Academies, Clinical Services, Employment Training, and Independent Living—the Director develops and executes strategies that expand Aspire's reach while ensuring operational excellence and exceptional customer experiences.

This multi-site leadership role supports Aspire's Academy North location in Waukegan, Academy South location in Hillside, the Shannon Center, and offsite programs throughout the community.

What You'll Do

Drive Strategic Growth

• Lead initiatives that achieve and exceed census and enrollment goals across multiple programs.
• Analyze referral trends, occupancy data, conversion metrics, and market opportunities to identify growth strategies.
• Develop and execute outreach and market development plans that respond to community needs and demographic trends.
• Advise executive leadership on growth opportunities, capacity planning, and emerging market dynamics.

Lead Admissions Excellence

• Oversee admissions operations and assessment workflows to ensure responsive, efficient, compliant, and person-centered processes.
• Design and implement admissions strategies that create a seamless experience from inquiry through enrollment.
• Optimize CRM platforms, admissions systems, and technology solutions to improve workflow efficiency and data integrity.
• Support individuals and families through complex decision-making with empathy, clarity, and mission-centered communication.

Build Powerful Community Partnerships

• Develop and maintain strategic relationships with schools, referral sources, healthcare providers, advocacy organizations, managed care organizations, and community stakeholders.
• Represent Aspire at conferences, networking events, community meetings, advocacy forums, and professional organizations.
• Expand awareness of Aspire's services and strengthen referral pipelines through meaningful community engagement.
• Collaborate with organizational leaders to elevate Aspire's visibility and reputation within the I/DD services community.

Leverage Data for Impact

• Develop and monitor key admissions, outreach, and growth metrics.
• Translate performance data into actionable recommendations for executive leadership.
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives that strengthen admissions processes, reporting capabilities, and operational effectiveness.
• Support implementation and optimization of systems that improve forecasting, reporting, and strategic planning.

Lead and Develop a High-Performing Team

• Provide leadership, coaching, and performance management for the Admissions Specialists and Outreach Specialist.
• Foster a culture of accountability, innovation, collaboration, and exceptional service.
• Build leadership capabilities within the team to support organizational growth and scalability.
• Partner closely with program and executive leaders to align admissions strategy with operational capacity and service delivery goals. 

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience in Human Services, Healthcare Administration, Social Work, Business, or a related field. Master's preferred.
• Minimum of seven (7) years of progressive experience in healthcare admissions, behavioral health, long-term care, skilled nursing, social services, or related fields.
• Demonstrated success leading multi-site or multi-program admissions, outreach, or growth initiatives.
• Experience working with healthcare payers, including Medicaid, Medicare, and Managed Care organizations.
• Experience utilizing CRM systems, reporting tools, and data analytics to drive operational and strategic decisions.
• Valid driver's license, reliable transportation, and ability to travel regularly between Aspire locations and community partner sites.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with Medicaid-funded services and regulatory requirements.
• Familiarity with intellectual/developmental disability services, post-acute care, community-based supports, or related sectors.

The Ideal Candidate

You are a strategic thinker and relationship builder who combines operational excellence with a passion for mission-driven work. You are energized by growth, motivated by meaningful outcomes, and skilled at bringing people together to achieve ambitious goals.

You excel at:

• Building trusted partnerships and referral networks
• Navigating complex systems and organizational dynamics
• Supporting families through important life transitions
• Using data to drive decision-making and continuous improvement
• Leading teams through change and growth
• Balancing strategic vision with hands-on execution

Leadership Competencies

Successful candidates will demonstrate the ability to:

• Achieve Results – Deliver exceptional outcomes and drive performance, even under challenging circumstances.
• Build Effective Teams – Create engaged, collaborative teams that leverage diverse strengths to achieve shared goals.
• Cultivate Innovation – Develop new and better ways to serve individuals, families, and community partners.
• Make Quality Decisions – Analyze information, assess risks, and make timely decisions that move the organization forward.
• Tackle the Tough Issues – Address difficult situations directly, thoughtfully, and with integrity.

Why Aspire?

At Aspire, our work is about more than services—it's about creating opportunities for people to live meaningful, connected, and fulfilling lives. Our team members are driven by purpose, inspired by possibility, and committed to making a lasting difference every day.

If you're a strategic and collaborative leader who is passionate about growth, partnerships, innovation, and helping people thrive, we'd love to meet you.

Join Aspire and help create pathways to belonging, opportunity, and meaningful life experiences.