About the Role 

The Sr. Director of Admissions will serve as the senior leader responsible for setting direction and owning performance of InStride’s admissions function while maintaining the highest standards of clinical integrity, patient experience, and regulatory alignment. This role owns the admissions funnel from application through enrollment and serves as a key bridge between Commercial and Clinical Services, and defines and evolves how InStride operationalizes access to care as a core growth system.

Reporting to the Chief Clinical Operations Officer, with a dotted-line partnership to the Chief Commercial Officer, this individual will lead both clinical and non-clinical admissions teams and work cross-functionally with Commercial, Clinical, Finance, Operations, and Product to ensure that clinically appropriate families access care efficiently and confidently.

This is a high-impact leadership role that blends disciplined execution with cross-functional collaboration. The ideal candidate brings experience leading admissions or intake functions in complex healthcare environments and thrives in a high-growth setting that requires both accountability and adaptability.

Responsibilities 

Enrollment Performance & Funnel Ownership

• Set the strategic direction and operating model for the admissions function, ensuring alignment with growth goals, clinical standards, and evolving business needs
• Own enrollment outcomes end-to-end, including conversion from application through clinical evaluation and enrollment
• Establish and lead the operating cadence (forecasting, KPI tracking, performance reviews) and monitor key metrics such as conversion, speed to enrollment, show rates, and cost per enrolled patient
• Identify and resolve operational bottlenecks impacting performance, partnering cross-functionally as needed

Operational Discipline & Unit Economics

• Own performance and cost discipline within the admissions function, including staffing efficiency, productivity, and resource allocation
• Refine workflows and staffing models to support sustainable, scalable growth aligned with demand and financial targets
• Partner with Finance and Growth to align enrollment performance with broader business goals while driving consistent execution and continuous improvement

Clinical Alignment & Patient Experience

• Ensure families receive clear, accurate, and compassionate guidance throughout the onboarding journey
• Reinforce consultative, ethically grounded enrollment practices that prioritize clinical appropriateness and patient safety
• Partner with clinical leadership to ensure consistency in eligibility, safety standards, and patient selection
• Support transparency in cost and insurance conversations and maintain a focus on long-term engagement and retention

Team Leadership & Performance Management

• Lead and develop a multidisciplinary admissions organization, including clinical and non-clinical teams, with direct oversight of leaders for Clinical Evaluators and Patient & Family Advisors
• Build a culture of accountability, empathy, and operational excellence through clear expectations, performance management, and incentive structures
• Partner with senior leadership to evolve team structure and capabilities as the organization grows

Process & Technology Enablement

• Ensure onboarding workflows are efficient, scalable, and consistently executed
• Partner with Product and Technology to optimize tools (e.g., CRM, scheduling, eligibility) and improve accuracy, efficiency, and patient experience
• Identify and implement opportunities to reduce manual work and leverage automation to drive operational performance

Capacity Planning & Growth Readiness

• Own admissions capacity planning in alignment with growth forecasts
• Partner with Clinical and Operations leaders to ensure supply and demand alignment across markets
• Support readiness for new state launches, payor relationships, and program expansions

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Serve as a senior cross-functional leader across Commercial, Clinical, and Operations, aligning on how admissions performance is defined, measured, and achieved
• Partner with Commercial to monitor application quality and funnel performance, informing upstream targeting and expectations
• Collaborate with Legal, Compliance, and Payor teams to ensure regulatory alignment and operational readiness while supporting broader strategic initiatives

What Success Looks Like

Examples of outcomes this role will drive include:

• Improved conversion from application to enrollment while maintaining clinical quality and integrity
• Reduced time to care and improved evaluation and initial treatment show rates
• Increased patient and family satisfaction during onboarding
• Clear operating rhythms, forecasting accuracy, and accountability across the admissions funnel
• Strong alignment between enrollment decisions and long-term patient engagement and retention
• A scalable, predictable admissions function with clear ownership, visibility, and cross-functional alignment

What You Need to Succeed in the Role 

Required Qualifications

• 10+ years of professional experience, including significant experience in healthcare admissions, intake, revenue cycle, healthcare operations, or clinically informed sales environments.
• Experience leading admissions or intake functions in complex healthcare environments.
• Strong track record of driving measurable performance outcomes.
• Experience operating in high-growth or evolving organizations.
• Comfort working in fast-paced environments while building structure and discipline.
• Proven leadership experience managing multidisciplinary teams and developing other leaders.
• Strong financial and operational acumen, including familiarity with healthcare unit economics and insurance fundamentals.
• Demonstrated ability to influence across clinical, Commercial, and operational stakeholders.
• Deep respect for clinical governance and commitment to balancing performance with patient safety and quality.
• Strong interpersonal skills aligned with our “Give Heart” value.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in behavioral health, specialty care, telehealth, or value-based models.
• Experience working with insurance eligibility and cost transparency processes.
• Experience with CRM platforms and operational workflow tools.
• Background in healthcare operations, growth, or performance management roles.

The expected annual base salary for this role is between $153,000-$170,000. Actual starting salary will be determined on an individualized basis and will be based on several factors including but not limited to specific skill set, work experience, etc. In addition to base compensation, this role offers a target performance-based bonus.