Edtech.com's Summary

College Board is hiring a Senior Director, Government Relations- West. This role requires leading state government relations across multiple states, driving policy and partnership development, and implementing cross-divisional strategies to support and grow College Board programs. The Senior Director builds and manages relationships with key stakeholders, communicates policy proposals, and contributes to organizational goals through strategic advocacy and collaboration.

Highlights

Lead state government relations in Arizona, Wisconsin, Idaho, Louisiana, and Nevada with a focus on Arizona.
Build and maintain relationships with governors, legislators, education policy advisors, and education organizations.
Drive growth metrics for College Board products including AP, Pre-AP, CLEP, PSAT, SAT, and Search.
Develop expertise in specific policy areas and collaborate with policy and communications teams to craft policy statements.
Manage national relationships with policymakers, lobbyists, and higher education government relations officials.
Collaborate cross-functionally to develop and execute long-term and short-term strategies across states.
Require a bachelor’s degree, preferably a master's, in public administration, government, or education.
Must have 10+ years of relevant government relations experience, especially in California, Arizona, Nevada, and Montana.
50% travel expected to College Board offices or events on behalf of the organization.
Compensation range between $112,000 and $170,000, adjusted by location, with fair and transparent salary determination.

Senior Director, Government Relations- West Full Description

Senior Director, Government Relations- West

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 California, Arizona, Nevada, and Montana
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 California 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 California, Arizona, Nevada, and Montana
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 such as live coding, 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.

#LI-REMOTE

#LI-GG1

Original Job Description