Director, Government Relations (Candidates located in AZ, LA, WI, NV or ID will have preference)

Director, State Government Relations (AZ, LA, WI, NV & ID)   

College Board – GPER   

Location: This is a fully remote role. Candidates located in any of these states AZ, LA, WI, NV & ID would be ideal but a preference on AZ.

Type:  This is a full-time position

About the Team    

Global Policy and External Relations (GPER) is a close-knit team of 14 policy and government relations (GR) professionals who drive policy proposals and appropriation priorities from design to implementation. Our core capabilities are policy design and adoption to reach a broader group of students, and to help College Board programs innovate, adapt, and grow.  GR also focuses on advocacy and policy implementation to build and maintain a powerful network of external allies that will help us advance our organizational goals. This position will report to the Executive Director for State Government Relations.  

About the Opportunity     

As a Director, State Government Relations, you are a strong leader who collaborates with colleagues to create strategies to increase awareness in support of College Board programs that help grow them. You are a relationship expert: you build and manage a network of governors, education policy advisors, legislators, AP (Advanced Placement) Advocates, and education associations and organizations. You can operate at the state and national levels, owning a national relationship or an external grouping of relationships important to the College Board and optimize our engagement and investment. You establish formal partnerships between the states and the College Board. You are a strong communicator with expertise in a specific policy area, which allows you to clearly communicate policy statements and proposals.    

In this role, you will:    

State Government Relations (60%)   

• Build and manage relationships across multiple states (Arizona, Wisconsin, Idaho, Louisiana and Nevada), with a focus on Arizona  

• Maintain a deep understanding of the key decision-makers that influence legislation in the state   

• Understand the legislative environment across multiple states and be able to distill key information and strategy recommendations to organization leadership   

• Able to take on new states and prioritize quickly to reach College Board goals   

• Set and achieve measurable maintenance, and growth, in volume and revenue for College Board products (including AP, Pre-AP, CLEP, PSAT, SAT and Search) in all states in their portfolio. Measurable metrics include state and federal appropriations, new AP courses in schools, and student participation   

Policy & Partnership Development (20%)   

• Own a national relationship or group of relationships i.e., policy makers, contract lobbyists, Higher Education GR officials – ensuring maximum return on investment.   

• When possible, establish formal partnerships between your assigned states and College Board.   

• Develop understanding of AP credit policies and their applications in various states   

• Develop expertise in a specific policy area such as internal data used to support GR work and teacher certification/shortages, and work closely with the Policy Team and Comms to craft policy statements and proposals   

Cross-Divisional Strategy (20%)   

• Collaborate with colleagues on the Policy team and in the States and District Partnerships Division to develop long-term strategies for your states   

• Move agilely to develop and implement short-term strategies in additional states when needed   

About You   

You have:   

• A bachelor’s degree, preferably a master's degree, in public administration, government or education   

• Extensive experience in government relations and demonstrated work with state legislature, educational policy agencies, schools, districts, colleges, and universities in higher education systems   

• Excellent storyteller, with strong verbal and written communication skills   

• Proactive, strategic and agile thinker, able to clearly discern and communicate priorities with organization leadership, colleagues, policymakers, and potential partners   

• Comfortable working in a fast-paced environment   

• Based in one of the assigned states (AZ, ID, NV, WI & LA, with a experience working in AZ preferred)

• The ability to travel 50% of the year to College Board offices or on behalf of College Board business 

• Authorization to work in the United States 

About Our Benefits and Compensation   

College Board offers a strong compensation and benefits package that attracts top talent looking to make a difference in education.     

• Our robust benefits package includes health, dental, and vision insurance, tuition assistance, paid time off, paid parental leave, retirement benefits with a generous matching program, and more.    

• We reward performance through annual bonuses and provide opportunities for salary growth over time through base compensation increases, merit raises and promotions.   

• We believe in compensating staff members fairly in relation to each other, their qualifications, and their impact. The salary range for a new employee in this position is $80,000-$135,000. The salary offer of an individual candidate within this range is specific to their location and qualifications.   

• Each salary offer is determined carefully using internal and external benchmarking and adjusting for the candidate’s location. You will have an opportunity to discuss salary in more detail after you begin the application process.   

As a self-sustaining non-profit organization with global impact, College Board offers a job that matters, a team that cares, and a place to learn, innovate and thrive!   

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 offer a transparent approach to promotions and merit raises, annual performance-based bonuses, and how to grow your career here over time     

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