College Board - Governance, Membership, and Global Higher Education
Remote, California based highly preferred
Location: This is a fully remote role
Type: This is a full-time position
About the Team
This role is within the Strategic Higher Education team but will be working very closely with the State and District Partnerships teams.
The Strategic Higher Education unit and the State and District Partnerships teams are dynamic, high-energy teams focused on expanding opportunities for students by partnering with educators.
The Strategic Higher Ed team works with higher education institutions, states, and state systems of higher education to advance College Board programs and goals. The team provides leadership across the organization on higher education strategy and holds primary relationships with enrollment and admission leaders across the country.
The State and District Partnerships team partners with educators in state departments of education, school districts, schools and educational organizations to expand opportunities for students to own their futures through College Board programs including assessments (AP, PSAT, & SAT), BigFuture, and College Board Search.
About the Opportunity
As the Senior Director, Higher Education Strategic Initiatives, you are responsible for developing, coordinating, and influencing higher education public policies that improve the student educational pipeline and outcomes, with an immediate focus on enabling the growth and acceptance of Advanced Placement access courses in California. You will do this by bringing, building and maintaining strong and mutually beneficial relationships with the major public higher education systems and institutions in California (including the University of California and the California State University systems, the Community College Network, and other state level Higher Ed associations). You are the College Board "expert" on California-specific higher education trends, policies, and the current goals and needs of these major higher education systems.
You will leverage your know-how, experience and relationships in California to partner with Higher Education team members to help advance partnerships in other states. You are invested in and passionate about developing close working relationships with the university central offices, individual university campuses, and key university governance committees. You are solutions-oriented and will work closely with College Board's State and District leadership, Higher Education leadership, and account managers as well as with College Board senior leadership across the organization.
In this role, you will:
Relationship Management (50%)
Manage UC, CSU and community college system relationships to advance their understanding of the value of College Board's products and services.
Build strong relationships with UC, CSU, and CCC's central offices, administrative leadership and appropriate committees, and partner with and support the AP Higher Ed team in facilitating and coordinating key faculty and academic unit relationships in support of credit policy.
Provide intelligence and direction on a range of emerging trends affecting students getting ready, getting in, and getting through college at 2- and 4-year programs of study in California.
Design and conduct workshops and technical assistance trainings that help inspire California higher education officials and users to support the adoption of critical College Board products and services.
Working across internal teams in prioritized states, embed efforts to drive coordinated strategies and plans that align K12 and Higher Ed objectives and actions, with the goal of seamlessly supporting access and equity for all students.
Strategy and Project Management (50%)
Work across multiple programs and teams within the College Board and with the major California higher education systems to initiate dialogue and generate support for College Board products and services.
Recommend and enact strategies advocating utilization of College Board programs and services in California and other state systems, as assigned.
Provide strategic direction, monitoring and tracking of College Board products and services, especially trends and potential issues affecting student success in California and other states, as assigned.
Ensure strong strategic alignment, linkages, and communication between Higher Ed and K-12-focused efforts, including building necessary partnerships with other advocates and constituents who could help advance College Board's efforts in prioritized states.
About You
You have:
Master's degree and/or at least ten years of progressively responsible work experience
Extensive experience working in and knowledge of the public California higher education system, with experience working in a system central office, enrollment function, or on academic placement and credit policy strongly preferred
A passion for education and a deep commitment to the College Board's mission of promoting educational equity, access, and excellence for students of all backgrounds
Strong project management, problem solving capabilities, and analytical skills
Extensive knowledge of client needs and the ability to identify and meet the needs of prospective clients
Superior interpersonal skills and ability to relate to university staff and faculty at various levels
Collaborative and consultative approach to work
Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including oral presentation/public speaking skills
Excellent PowerPoint, Word, Excel, and MS Project skills
Willingness and ability to travel extensively (up to 40%)
Authorized to work in the United States
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/or panel interview, and reference checks. This is an approximately 8-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 $104,000 to $165,000. 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.
