at The College Board in Springfield, Illinois, United States
Job Description
Senior Director, Outreach and EngagementCollege Board - College Readiness Assessments
New York, New York; Washington DC.; Remote
About the Team
The College Readiness Assessments ("CRA") division is a team of mission-driven people who deliver the SAT Suite of Assessments (SAT, PSAT/NMSQT, PSAT10, and PSAT 8/9) to millions of students across the world each year to help open their paths to life after high school.The SAT Suite connects students to a wide range of post-high school opportunities, including scholarships, careers and colleges and universities. In 2023, we retired the use of paper/pencil testing and are now a fully digital SAT Suite offering an assessment that is easier to give, easier to take, more secure, and more relevant.
The SAT Market Development and Outreach team is responsible for supporting our market, sales and outreach strategy, stakeholder engagement, and SAT Suite messaging. Capitalizing on the compelling benefits of the SAT Suite including our new digital testing experience, this team is hyper-focused on ensuring stakeholders including students and families, K-12, and higher education utilize the SAT Suite and have the resources and supports needed to do so.
About the Opportunity
As the Senior Director, Outreach and Engagement, you will be responsible for articulating, refining and communicating the value proposition of the SAT Suite to all stakeholders, including students and families, educators, K-12 leaders and decision-makers, and Higher Ed leaders and decision-makers. Serving as the lead partner to our College Board Communications and Marketing teams, you will inform our strategic messaging about the SAT Suite in an evolving K-12 and Higher Ed context. You will support the Executive Director, SAT Suite Market Development in ensuring they have the messaging and resources to engage with the K-12 market. Finally, you will support the Senior Vice President, College Readiness Assessments with presentation preparation for key stakeholders and media engagements.
Responsibilities of the Role
- Partner with Communications/Marketing team to develop and refine the SAT Suite value proposition and how it is optimally conveyed to all stakeholders
- Develop and maintain the gold source resource that holds the full set of messaging and communications across CRA, Communications/Marketing, and partner teams across College Board
- Serve as expert on the SAT Suite program and product offerings and ensure messaging alignment amongst teams as they conduct presentations and trainings to internal and external constituents
- Liase with College Board field teams (K-12 and Higher Education) and marketing teams to continually iterate on the best ways to communicate with stakeholders and the most salient messages about the SAT and PSAT-related assessments, incorporating field feedback into communications strategies
- Support senior College Board leadership, including the CEO, the President, the SVP of the College Readiness Assessments division, and Executive Directors in CRA with external presentation preparation for key stakeholders (e.g., Board of Trustees and other governance bodies, College Board Forum and other major conferences, university and K12 system leadership convenings, media interviews, etc.)
- Serve as an internal liaison for communicating rationale around our key data and operational facts about the SAT Suite in conjunction with the Director, Program Strategy and Analysis
- Compile field feedback for product and program management teams, to inform product enhancements and innovations
- Develop and maintain fluency in the following to support training and communications:
- Assessment market and competitive landscape
- Key psychometric concepts such as concordance, equating, validity, and reliability
- Product pricing, features & benefits, and core value proposition
- Assessment content, structure, policies and key research
- Assessment reporting and data usage
About You
- Bachelor's degree or equivalent required; MBA or related master's degree preferred
- 7+ years of experience in communications, sales and/or training
- Knowledge of the K-12 assessment landscape, trends, and market
- A passion for supporting educational and career opportunities for millions of students
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills
- Experience presenting in high stakes internal and external settings, seeking to drive understanding and alignment
- Experience deciding what data to present, and how to present it to tell a compelling story, including both for in-person presentations and written communications. Must be adept at communicating dense and complex data in an understandable way.
- Strong organization and prioritization skills and the proven ability to move forward multiple projects at the same time, both independently and as a member of the team
- Proven ability to build relationships and influence others to action
- This position requires occasional travel (up to 20%)
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 $108,000 to $160,000 . 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.
