Executive Director, Program Communications

Location: This is a fully remote role. Candidates who live near CB offices have the option of being fully remote or hybrid (Tuesday and Wednesday in office). 

Type: This is a full-time position. 

Please submit a cover letter and a portfolio of writing samples to support your application. 

About The Team 

The Communications team is responsible for building and protecting the College Board reputation and overseeing organization's communications efforts, which are designed to increase educational access and opportunity for all students. We are a close knit, dedicated team with a track record of success in promoting the work of the College Board to a variety of audiences, including students, parents, educators, policymakers, the media, member organizations and staff.  

About The Opportunity 

You will serve as executive director for program communications, overseeing the development of compelling, foundational messaging for the organization and designing effective communications plans to reach all audiences. You will play a key role in protecting the College Board’s reputation and telling our story through timely, proactive strategic communications. 

You will provide day-to-day leadership and manage a team of four communications experts with a focus on coaching and skill development. You will set a new bar of excellence for focused, clear, and useful content, and introduce innovative and creative ways to amplify narratives through owned, earned, and paid media. 

You will report to the Vice President of Communications and play an integral role on a team committed to broadening understanding of the College Board’s work, to highlighting its national leadership as a vibrant mission-driven non-profit, and to deepening public support for the organization’s various initiatives. 

In this role you will: 

Lead Program Communications for College Board Message Development (35%) 

• Develop and maintain core messaging for College Board’s programs to include AP, the SAT Suite of Assessments, and BigFuture. 

• Set a new bar of excellence for focused, clear, and useful content. 

• Integrate compelling data, research, and evidence into persuasive messaging. 

• Use storytelling and user-experiences to make value propositions vivid. 

• Lead timely distribution of new and updated messaging to internal staff. 

• Collect and respond to feedback to best meet organizational needs. 

• Provide regular messaging training for internal field teams.  

Leading a team of communications business (35%) 

• Lead a team of communications business partners who serve as subject matter experts and key communications points of contact for three core program areas.  

• In partnership with External Communications, develop and execute comprehensive communications strategies tracked against timelines and lifecycles across audiences and channels.  

• Seek regular feedback from program executives to ensure high value and continuous improvement. 

• Support operational and change management communications. 

• Ensure team members develop deep programmatic knowledge with the ability to translate complex content into simple and clear language. 

• In partnership with External Communications, support crisis communications and issues management.  

Management and Interdepartmental Collaboration (30%) 

• Set vision and direction for a remote team of communications professionals, including setting clear expectations, assigning rigorous work, and swiftly addressing any underperformance. 

• Function as editor and coach to ensure team is delivering work that meets the highest editorial standards. 

• Ensure roles are clear and organizational structure optimizes resources and achieves outstanding results. 

• Serve as the Communications lead on cross-department working groups and committees, providing communications strategy and execution.  

About You 

You have:  

• A Bachelor’s degree in English, journalism, communications, or related field. 

• Significant leadership experience in a Communications based role in public relations, journalism, or a related field required (10 years minimum, 15+ preferred) 

• Experience developing and executing strategic communications plans for national, state, and local communications campaigns (10 years minimum, 15+ preferred) 

• Experience managing a multi-person team, with responsibilities to include hiring, discipline, development, and performance reviews (5-10 years) 

• Seasoned expertise in content development and distribution within complex organizations, with a passion for message discipline and accuracy. 

• Excellent writing and editing skills with the proven ability to make the complex simple and the simple compelling. 

• Meticulous attention to detail. 

• Excellent presentation skills and experience briefing executives of large organizations on sensitive and critical issues. 

• The ability to model, mentor, and lead your team in the art of simplifying complicated information into impactful stories. 

• A background that includes direct support of a prominent principal (client/elected official/candidate). 

• Experience in crisis communications and issues management (10 years minimum, 15+ preferred), 

• Travel up to 25% to College Board offices and stakeholders. 

• Authorization to work for any employer in the USA  

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/video screen, hiring manager interview, performance exercise such as live coding, a panel interview, a conversation with leadership and reference checks.  

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 $144,000 to $208,000. 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.