Remote, with hybrid options available in New York City or Reston, VA
Type: This is a full-time position
About the Team
College Board's Operations division (130 ppl) aims to be a world class digital assessment delivery and customer engagement organization that supports millions of students and thousands of test centers, annually. Operations is also leading exciting work to advance customer experience through the use of innovative solutions, products and technology to enhance the delivery of digital assessments.The Customer Engagement department (65 ppl) is a combination of customer and technical support teams augmented by vendor operations, training and forecasting/planning to deliver all aspects of multi-channel support to our key constituents, including students, parents, educators, and our state partners representing approximately 2 million contacts per year.This integrated team serves as the organization's 'front line' and represents the voice of the customer, partnering across the organization to provide a positive and effective overall customer experience.
About the Opportunity
You'll direct our day-to-day customer engagement work and all aspects of customer support and service, plus guide customer experience strategy and vendor operations aswe aim to deliver a positive experience for each College Board customers. This position is responsible for the delivery of services and support for our wide range of customers, including educators, students, parents, states and districts. You will also be a key contributor to our Operations leadership team as we complete our transition to a digital testing operation. Ready to lead an extraordinary team? Keep reading!
In this role, you will be required to excel at the following to deliver effective and positive customer experience and support through excellent service, innovations and operational enhancements:
Strategic Leadership: Develop and execute the strategic vision and roadmap for Customer Engagement aligning with the overall College Board mission and Operations division priorities.
Team Leadership: Provide strong leadership and direction to the Customer Engagement team, fostering a culture of collaboration, excellence, inclusion and customer-centricity
Operational Excellence: Drive operational efficiency and effectiveness across all Operations customer-facing functions and large external vendors, optimizing processes, workflows, and systems to enhance customer satisfaction and drive business results
Customer Experience: Champion a customer-first approach throughout the organization, ensuring the delivery of exceptional experiences at every touchpoint of the customer journey
Cross-functional Collaboration: Collaborate closely with Program, Product, Technology and Field leadership, as well as Communications and Marketing to ensure alignment on customer needs, product enhancements, and go-to-market strategies
Performance Management: Define key performance metrics and benchmarks for Customer Engagement, regularly monitoring and analyzing performance data to drive continuous improvement and operational excellence
Customer Advocacy: Leverage the voice of our external customers and establish the people, processes and data required to advocate for them through a focus on their needs, feedback, and challenges to influence program and product policy and communications.
Talent Development: Recruit, develop, and retain top talent, providing coaching, mentorship, and growth opportunities to empower team members to reach their full potential
Risk Management: Identify potential risks and issues impacting customer satisfaction and experience and operational delivery, developing proactive mitigation strategies to address them effectively
Specific Responsibilities include:
Set Vision & Strategy (40%)
Set the overarching vision and direction for customer engagement at College Board and ensure a strong customer experience that is differentiated based on customer needs and expectations
Foster a customer experience mindset and framework for processes, products and decision-making
Work closely with different stakeholders across the organization to provide a strong service to our customers by addressing the root of the problem
Develop a deep understanding of College Board's customer base to drive change initiatives, business strategy and technology enhancement programs that improve the support and success of customers
Develop, monitor, and report on critical measurements and metrics that drive high levels of customer satisfaction; define clear measurements of success
Set a strategic vendor management and optimization strategy for a wide range of customer support models, with a focus on cost management and experience
Provide Team Leadership & Management (40%)
Effectively manage a high-performing, remote team of 5-8 direct reports to ensure they are engaged and working effectively toward accomplishing goals
Provide the leadership necessary to deliver results across the team
Build and drive a performance-based culture and actions to support an inclusive and engaged team
Establish critical forecasting and planning capabilities and anticipate and manage work volumes and budgets based on data; responsible for managing a vendor budget of ~$30M
Enhance the customer support vendor management function
Drive Continuous Improvement & Innovation (20%)
Provide actionable intelligence and insights via thorough analysis and assessment of all escalation data that comes into the team
Make data-driven decisions on continuous improvement for our escalations programs based on that analysis and insights
Foster an innovative culture to explore technology, AI and other solutions to help drive efficiencies in support models and improve experience metrics.
About You
You have:
15+ years of directly related experience in customer operations, customer experience, or customer service with 5+ years in an executive leadership position
Direct experience working in a customer service call center, either as an individual contributor or in a management capacity
Deep understanding of industry best practices, trends, and technologies related to customer operations and support
A proven track record of developing, coaching, training, and retaining top talent with high levels of engagement
The ability to empower others and effectively delegate work with accountability
Proven track record of driving operational excellence and delivering exceptional customer experiences
Excellent communication, negotiation, and interpersonal skills
Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, high-stakes, and dynamic environment and lead through change
Exceptional strategic thinking, analytical and planning skills - you can build a strategy, connect the dots, and build towards the future
Experience as a highly collaborative leader with ability to influence others and build strong relationships across internal and external stakeholders
The ability to communicate effectively with product leads and technologists to meet and drive business requirements
Experience leading high-visibility projects from start to finish with measurable results
Fluency with data and confidence in making data-driven decisions
A passion for education and the impact that educators have on students
The ability to travel, at least once a month
Eligible to work in the United States of America
About Our Process
Application review will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled
While the hiring process may vary, it generally includes: resume and application submission, recruiter phone screen, hiring manager interview, performance exercise and panel interview, finalist interview and reference checks. This is an approximately a 10 to 12-week process
About Our Benefits and Compensation
College Board offers a competitive benefits and compensation program that attracts top talent looking to make a difference in education. As a self-sustaining non-profit, we believe in compensating employees equitably in relation to each other, their qualifications, their impact, and the relevant market.
The hiring range for a new employee in this position is $176,000 to $260,000. College Board differentiates salaries by location so where you live will narrow the portion of this range in which you can expect a salary.
Your salary will be carefully determined based on your location, relevant experience, the external labor market, and the pay of College Board employees in similar roles. College Board strives to provide our best offer up front based on this criteria.
Your salary is only one part of all that College Board offers, including but not limited to:
A comprehensive package designed to support the well-being of employees and their families and promote education. Our robust benefits package includes health, dental, and vision insurance, generous paid time off, paid parental leave, fertility benefits, pet insurance, tuition assistance, retirement benefits, and more
Recognition of exceptional performance through annual bonuses, salary growth over time through market increases, and opportunities for merit raises and promotions based on increased scope of responsibility
A job that matters, a team that cares, and a place to learn, innovate and thrive
You can expect to have transparent conversations about benefits and compensation with our recruiters throughout your application process.
About Our Culture
Our community matters, and we strive to practice and improve our culture daily. Here are some headlines:
We are motivated to positively impact the educational and career trajectories of millions of students a year
We prioritize building a diverse and inclusive team where every employee can thrive, and every voice is heard
We welcome staff to join any or all six of our affinity groups: ARISE (Alliance for Asian Retention, Inclusion, Success, and Engagement; DIASPORA (Alliance for Pan-African Success and Achievement); Pride (alliance for LGBTQ+ staff and allies); Resilience (alliance for Native staff and advocates); SALSA (Staff Alliance for Latinx Success and Achievement); and WIN (Women's Impact Network)
We value learning and growth; we offer formal and informal ways to lead through your superpowers, sharpen your strengths, and meet your development goals
We know that our impact is strongest together. Our College Board Cares program offers all staff up to $1,000 annual match against partner non-profit organizations
We offer a transparent approach to promotions and merit raises, annual performance-based bonuses, and how to grow your career here over time
