Edtech.com's Summary

College Board is hiring a Senior Director of Government Relations for the Southeast. This role leads state government relationships across multiple states, driving awareness and growth of College Board programs, while also developing policy partnerships and implementing cross-divisional strategies to support organizational goals.

Highlights

Lead and manage government relations in multiple Southeast states, focusing on Arizona, Wisconsin, Idaho, Louisiana, and Nevada.
Build strong networks with governors, legislators, education policy advisors, AP Advocates, and education organizations.
Drive growth and revenue for College Board products such as AP, Pre-AP, CLEP, PSAT, SAT, and Search.
Own national relationships or groups to maximize advocacy impact and establish formal partnerships between states and College Board.
Collaborate with Policy and State & District Partnerships teams to develop and implement long- and short-term strategies.
Required qualifications include a bachelor’s degree (master’s preferred) in public administration, government, or education, and experience with state legislatures and education policy in Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and South Carolina.
Expertise in government relations with 10+ years of relevant experience and strong written and verbal communication skills.
Must be authorized to work in the U.S. and able to travel up to 50% annually.
Compensation range is $112,000–$170,000, adjusted by location and experience.
Mission-driven focus with emphasis on collaboration, strategic thinking, and adeptness in using emerging technologies and AI-driven solutions.

Senior Director, Government Relations- Southeast Full Description

Senior Director, Government Relations- Southeast

Remote - USA

Full time

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 Senior 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:

Lead 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

Drive 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

Implement 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
Deep relationships and proven experience in Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, South Carolina
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

Location Note: Candidates living in the Southeast, ideally in one of the above states, are strongly preferred.

Exceptional candidates can effectively speak to:

Expertise in Government Relations and Affairs with 10+ years performing relevant work
Extensive experience in government relations and demonstrated work with state legislature, educational policy agencies, schools, districts, colleges, and universities in higher education systems in Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, South Carolina
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
Comfort working in a fast-paced environment

All roles at College Board require:

A passion for expanding educational and career opportunities and mission-driven work
Curiosity and enthusiasm for emerging technologies, with a willingness to experiment with and adopt new AI-driven solutions and comfort with learning and applying new digital tools independently and proactively.
Clear and concise communication skills, written and verbal
A learner's mindset and a commitment to growth: welcoming diverse perspectives, giving and receiving timely, respectful feedback, and continuously improving through iterative learning and user input.
A drive for impact and excellence: solving complex problems, making data-informed decisions, prioritizing what matters most, and continuously improving through learning, user input, and external benchmarking.
A collaborative and empathetic approach: working across differences, fostering trust, and contributing to a culture of shared success

About Our Process

Application review will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled. This role is expected to accept applications for a minimum of 5 business days.
While the hiring process may vary, it generally includes: resume and application submission, recruiter phone/video screen, hiring manager interview, performance exercise, a panel interview, a conversation with leadership and reference checks.

What We Offer

At College Board, we offer more than a paycheck- we provide a meaningful career, a supportive team, and a comprehensive package designed to help you thrive. We’re a self-sustaining nonprofit that believes in fair and competitive compensation grounded in your qualifications, experience, impact, and the market.

A Thoughtful Approach to Compensation

The hiring range for this role is $112,000–$170,000.
Your exact salary will depend on your location, experience, and how your background compares to others in similar roles at the College Board.
We aim to make our best offer upfront, rooted in fairness, transparency, and market data.
We adjust salaries by location to ensure fairness, no matter where you live.

You’ll have open, transparent conversations about compensation, benefits, and what it’s like to work at College Board throughout your hiring process. Check out our careers page for more.

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Original Job Description