Director, Employer Engagement

College Board•NYO, NY

7d•$80,000 - $130,000•Remote

About The Position

The Global Policy & External Relations Policy and Advocacy team shapes the policy, partnership, and external conditions that allow College Board programs to reach more students and retain public trust. The team sits at the intersection of program strategy, state policy, government relations, higher education, state and district partnerships, engagement, research, and external influence. Our Employer Engagement team is a trusted talent and economic development partner to states and employers. We advance College Board's mission by expanding access to AP Career Kickstart courses, which align with high-value, employer-endorsed credentials. The Employer Engagement team also serves as the internal subject matter experts on the workforce needs of employers — ensuring those skills and industry insights are incorporated into the coursework students experience. At this pivotal moment in education, College Board is deepening its commitment to prepare students for success — both in college and in high-growth careers. As states accelerate access to career-connected learning, AP Career Kickstart is helping to reimagine what's possible for students by bridging rigorous academics with real-world career skills via courses on AP Cybersecurity, AP Networking, and AP Business w/Personal Finance, and more new courses. These new courses will depend on close collaboration with industry to be rigorous, relevant, and employer-valued. As our Director, Employer Engagement, you'll be the engine behind our efforts to build, grow, and deepen relationships with employers. You'll manage both ends of the partnership lifecycle: sourcing and qualifying new employer partners through targeted outreach and nurturing active partners to deepen their investment in AP Career Kickstart and emerging courses. A distinctive part of this role is your involvement in course development itself — you'll identify and vet employer representatives to serve on advisory committees for AP, connecting industry voices directly to curriculum design. Critically, you'll serve as College Board's internal expert on specific industry workforce needs — synthesizing patterns from employer conversations into strategic recommendations that shape how our courses are built and positioned. Your work will help hundreds of thousands of students earn industry-recognized credentials while in high school and build a stronger, more inclusive talent pipeline for one of the nation's fastest-growing sectors. You will build/maintain a portfolio of healthcare employer partners focused on these responsibilities: Strengthen Partner Retention and Visibility (35%) Cultivate and retain a portfolio of active employer partners in key industries like healthcare, engineering/manufacturing, marketing and sales, serving as their primary point of contact and trusted advisor. Build strong, mission-aligned relationships by understanding each partner's unique goals and aligning them with opportunities across AP Career Kickstart and emerging courses. Recognize and elevate partner contributions through visibility opportunities (logos, newsletters, events, success stories) to demonstrate the value of their investment. Conduct regular check-ins to assess satisfaction, gather feedback, and demonstrate impact. Guide partners to expand involvement across multiple pathways — advisory boards, course development committees, student site visits, career spotlights, capstone judging, work-based learning, providing automatic interviews, and more. Drive Employer Pipeline Growth (30%) Build, manage, and grow your own employer pipeline — proactively sourcing, qualifying, and prioritizing high-potential employer leads in target states. Maintain rigorous tracking in Salesforce and Asana to drive conversion and contribute to teamwide growth objectives. Design a prospecting strategy that combines outbound outreach with inbound interest in cultivation. Use labor market data and insights to identify and qualify employers most aligned to our mission. Build segmented lead lists and execute personalized outreach campaigns to grow and diversify the employer partnership pipeline. Source and qualify employer representatives — to serve on AP course advisory and development committees. Coordinate political sensitivity reviews and facilitate handoffs to the AP Course Development team. Execute multichannel outreach campaigns (email, LinkedIn, events, webinars) designed to elevate brand awareness, articulate our unique value proposition, and gather direct market insights from HR, talent, and workforce decision-makers in specific sectors. Develop Executive Briefings to prepare College Board senior leaders for key employer meetings, tailored to each employer's talent strategy and industry context. Co-Create Work-Based Learning Opportunities (20%) Engage employer partners in developing "day in the life" videos, work-based learning experiences, and project-based learning scenarios that bring real career context into the classroom. Support employers participating in AP advisory committees in sharing relevant early talent training materials, curriculum, and industry expertise with the AP New Course Development team. Collaborate with internal instructional and product teams to ensure co-created materials align with AP Career Kickstart goals and are widely adopted by educators. Monitor student engagement and feedback to continuously improve the effectiveness of employer-developed resources. Internal Enablement (15%) Serve as College Board's internal subject matter expert on employer needs, workforce trends, and talent priorities — translating patterns from employer conversations into strategic recommendations for course design and positioning. Synthesize employer feedback to inform AP Career Kickstart course design, credential alignment, new course development, and broader College Board strategy. Deliver regular insights reports and facilitate feedback sessions with AP&I teams. Connect employer hiring needs and job description skill requirements to AP CK coursework and emerging courses, demonstrating the bridge between education and employability. Document and share insights that influence program design and strengthen internal alignment.

Requirements

8–10 years of experience in employer partnerships, business development, consultative sales, or a strategic advisory role
Bachelor’s degree required
Demonstrated persistence and urgency in pursuing ambitious outcomes, with a track record of setting high standards and following through to achieve measurable goals that create value
Ability to synthesize employer and market intelligence into strategic recommendations that influence program or product decisions
Strong consultative and advisory skills — comfortable serving as a thought partner to both external employers and internal cross-functional teams, anticipating and responding to their needs and building trust through tailored, high-quality experiences
Experience sourcing and managing stakeholders for advisory committees, industry councils, or similar multi-stakeholder governance structures, and cultivating strategic relationships across sectors to create opportunities and amplify impact
Strong background in content co-creation, ideally developing resources with external partners for students or early-career talent
Strong attention to detail and accountability for follow-through, with the ability to track and prioritize a high volume of employer relationships and balance outreach, follow-up, and deep engagement to maximize time and outcomes
Comfort using Salesforce, Microsoft Suite, and other CRM tools
Adaptability in a fast-paced, changing environment — you navigate ambiguity and find creative solutions with limited guidance, proactively identifying opportunities and removing barriers
Willingness to travel ~12–15 times per year on behalf of College Board
A passion for expanding educational and career opportunities and mission-driven work
Authorization to work in the United States for any employer
Curiosity and enthusiasm for emerging technologies, with a willingness to experiment with and adopt new AI-driven solutions and a comfort 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.

Nice To Haves

experience in the healthcare, engineering, manufacturing, marketing or sales sectors is a significant advantage and strongly preferred

Responsibilities

Cultivate and retain a portfolio of active employer partners in key industries like healthcare, engineering/manufacturing, marketing and sales, serving as their primary point of contact and trusted advisor.
Build strong, mission-aligned relationships by understanding each partner's unique goals and aligning them with opportunities across AP Career Kickstart and emerging courses.
Recognize and elevate partner contributions through visibility opportunities (logos, newsletters, events, success stories) to demonstrate the value of their investment.
Conduct regular check-ins to assess satisfaction, gather feedback, and demonstrate impact.
Guide partners to expand involvement across multiple pathways — advisory boards, course development committees, student site visits, career spotlights, capstone judging, work-based learning, providing automatic interviews, and more.
Build, manage, and grow your own employer pipeline — proactively sourcing, qualifying, and prioritizing high-potential employer leads in target states.
Maintain rigorous tracking in Salesforce and Asana to drive conversion and contribute to teamwide growth objectives.
Design a prospecting strategy that combines outbound outreach with inbound interest in cultivation.
Use labor market data and insights to identify and qualify employers most aligned to our mission.
Build segmented lead lists and execute personalized outreach campaigns to grow and diversify the employer partnership pipeline.
Source and qualify employer representatives — to serve on AP course advisory and development committees.
Coordinate political sensitivity reviews and facilitate handoffs to the AP Course Development team.
Execute multichannel outreach campaigns (email, LinkedIn, events, webinars) designed to elevate brand awareness, articulate our unique value proposition, and gather direct market insights from HR, talent, and workforce decision-makers in specific sectors.
Develop Executive Briefings to prepare College Board senior leaders for key employer meetings, tailored to each employer's talent strategy and industry context.
Engage employer partners in developing "day in the life" videos, work-based learning experiences, and project-based learning scenarios that bring real career context into the classroom.
Support employers participating in AP advisory committees in sharing relevant early talent training materials, curriculum, and industry expertise with the AP New Course Development team.
Collaborate with internal instructional and product teams to ensure co-created materials align with AP Career Kickstart goals and are widely adopted by educators.
Monitor student engagement and feedback to continuously improve the effectiveness of employer-developed resources.
Serve as College Board's internal subject matter expert on employer needs, workforce trends, and talent priorities — translating patterns from employer conversations into strategic recommendations for course design and positioning.
Synthesize employer feedback to inform AP Career Kickstart course design, credential alignment, new course development, and broader College Board strategy.
Deliver regular insights reports and facilitate feedback sessions with AP&I teams.
Connect employer hiring needs and job description skill requirements to AP CK coursework and emerging courses, demonstrating the bridge between education and employability.
Document and share insights that influence program design and strengthen internal alignment.