Director, Vendor Delivery

College Board•Remote - Virginia, VA

21d•$80,000 - $125,000•Remote

About The Position

The Director, Vendor Delivery leads how educators and students engage with College Board, with responsibility for delivering a strong experience at every customer touchpoint. The role owns end-to-end delivery of SSD (Services for Students with Disabilities) Tier 1 support through third-party contact center partners and ensures interactions meet College Board’s service standards. The Director uses performance metrics, real-time insights, and direct observation to turn data into action, collaborating with Customer Engagement & Experience (CEE) leaders, program stakeholders, vendor delivery teams, and the Tier 3 SSD Customer Care Team to improve service quality and customer experience. The position oversees operational performance, vendor compliance, service quality, escalations, budgets, and continuous improvement. It leads contact center operations and vendor teams, ensures alignment between daily delivery and long-term service objectives, and supports coaching and training initiatives. The Director also serves as a program subject matter expert, communicates vendor performance and action plans to stakeholders, and builds strategic relationships across departments and partner organizations. This is a full-time remote role. Candidates near College Board offices may choose a hybrid arrangement, working in the office Tuesday and Wednesday. Employees occasionally travel for business; this role requires travel three to four times per year to College Board offices or for College Board business, potentially including international travel to vendors abroad.

Requirements

At least 7 years of progressive experience in contact center operations.
A strong track record managing large-scale, multi-channel environments, including voice, email, chat, and self-service.
Ability to lead and influence cross-functional and vendor teams.
Ability to optimize operational metrics such as SLAs, AHT, FCR, NPS, and CSAT.
Ability to design and implement scalable service delivery strategies.
Ability to drive continuous improvement across Tier 1 and Tier 2 support models.
Expertise in workforce management and capacity planning.
Expertise in quality assurance and performance monitoring.
Expertise in coaching frameworks and frontline development.
Ability to independently learn new tools and apply emerging industry best practices.
Ability to travel three to four times a year to College Board offices or for College Board business, potentially including international travel to vendors abroad.
Clear and concise written and verbal communication skills.
Authorization to work in the United States.
Commitment to mission-driven work that expands educational and career opportunities.
Willingness to experiment with and adopt AI-driven solutions and independently learn and apply digital tools.
Learner's mindset, openness to diverse perspectives and feedback, and commitment to continuous improvement.
Ability to solve complex problems, make data-informed decisions, and prioritize impact and excellence.
Collaborative and empathetic approach, including the ability to work across differences and foster trust.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field such as Business, Operations, or Organizational Leadership; equivalent practical experience in contact center operations and leadership will also be considered.
Familiarity with Generative AI applications in contact center operations.

Responsibilities

Own the operational integrity of SSD Tier 1 support and ensure vendor teams comply with defined standards, policies, and handling procedures.
Monitor vendor performance against SLAs and KPIs, including contact volumes, call efficiency, abandonment rates, staffing utilization, shrinkage, and occupancy.
Support budget alignment and manage vendor incentive and penalty structures.
Build and maintain quality gates, audits, and checkpoints to identify compliance gaps and ensure Tier 3 escalations are complete, accurate, and well documented.
Track escalation quality and hold vendors accountable for complete and accurate handoffs while keeping Tier 3 escalation rates low and valid.
Interpret performance data, identify trends, diagnose issues, and make data-driven operational decisions.
Implement measurable improvement strategies with vendor teams using methods such as Lean or Six Sigma.
Identify agent-level performance outliers and use targeted coaching, action plans, and performance tracking to improve outcomes.
Use ERP systems, analytics tools, and automation platforms to identify inefficiencies and optimize workflows.
Partner with SSD stakeholders to update vendor procedures as policies, accommodation guidelines, or eligibility rules change.
Assess and mitigate operational risks and develop contingency plans that protect service continuity and customer satisfaction.
Lead strategic delivery of vendor-led customer support services and ensure high-quality engagement for educators and students.
Manage contact center operations, including coaching sessions and documentation, QA score reviews, business review preparation, and outlier and glide-path performance management.
Collaborate with Senior Directors of Customer Engagement & Learning Development to implement, assess, and adjust coaching plans and training initiatives.
Conduct root cause analyses and implement remedies to ensure services meet or exceed expectations.
Lead and motivate vendor teams, fostering accountability and continuous improvement.
Serve as the program subject matter expert for vendor teams and provide leadership and guidance in complex, multi-stakeholder environments.
Communicate vendor performance, escalations, and action plans to CEE leaders and program partners in collaboration with the Director, Customer Engagement Strategy & Solutions.
Build strategic relationships across departments, divisions, vendors, and partner organizations.
Drive cross-functional collaboration on customer-facing action plans, ensuring transparency, alignment, and accountability.
Implement scalable solutions in complex scenarios to improve workflows and service delivery.