Executive Director, Strategic Innovation, Greenhouse

College Board•New York, NY

1d•Remote

About The Position

Greenhouse is an innovation team focused on tackling complex and persistent challenges in education. As a mission-driven, not-for-profit organization, College Board’s mission is to clear a path for all students to own their future. We serve 7 million students each year and partner with thousands of member institutions to expand access to higher education and support college and career readiness. Through Greenhouse, we are investing in building scalable, sustainable, and human-centered solutions that can drive meaningful progress in education. Despite decades of effort across K-12 and higher education, major challenges persist. Student outcomes have remained largely unchanged in key areas; chronic absenteeism has increased, and fewer than 40 percent of community college students complete a credential within six years. At the same time, institutions face growing pressure from shifting demographics, questions about the value of postsecondary education, and the rapid impact of emerging technologies like AI. Greenhouse exists to take on these challenges directly by identifying high-impact opportunities and developing solutions that can improve outcomes for learners, particularly those underserved by existing systems. Our team brings together a unique mix of product leaders, engineers, and service designers, many of whom come from startup environments and public service. We operate in small, cross-functional teams with a shared commitment to human-centered design, rapid learning, and building alongside the users we serve. As a team, we value curiosity, candor, and shared ownership, and we are continuously shaping how we work as we build new solutions and contribute to broader innovation across College Board. As the Executive Director, Strategic Innovation, Greenhouse, you are an innovative and driven product, design, or engineering leader who will drive our work focused on community college transfer success. You will directly manage a cross-functional team and guide collaboration across stakeholders to increase successful two-year to four-year student transfers, reduce the administrative burden of articulation, and minimize excess credit accumulation for learners, with the goal of building a new product or service that supports student success. You bring an end user-focused and organizationally aware mindset, using curiosity, learning agility, and creative problem solving to shape solutions that drive meaningful impact for the students and institutions we serve. Leveraging your background and experience, you’ll drive best practices and methods to help our new portfolio and new product development thrive, leading your team through ambiguity and clarity of focus. You will spend the majority of your time working closely with your team to understand the problem space, guide discovery, and move from concept to pilot and scale, while also serving as a key thought partner to Greenhouse leadership. You build strong, productive relationships and influence across stakeholders, communicate effectively at all levels, and create an environment where teams are empowered to do their best work. You will report directly to the General Manager, Greenhouse. As a leader, you will embody College Board’s manager expectations by aligning priorities, roles, and goals, optimizing team performance, hiring and developing top talent, and unlocking your team’s potential through coaching and growth opportunities.

Requirements

12–15+ years of experience in product management, engineering, design, or a related field, with a strong track record of leading teams in ambiguous, zero-to-one environments
5+ years of experience leading high-performing, cross-functional teams, with demonstrated ability to advise and empower senior-level talent and foster ownership without heavy-handed direction
A visionary, strategic mindset, with a demonstrated ability to connect the dots across complex challenges and translate ideas into action
An entrepreneurial mindset with a track record of building from zero to one, shaping new products and business lines in ambiguous spaces
Strong operational leadership, with the ability to prioritize effectively, align teams around the highest-impact work, and drive accountability for results in fast-paced, ambiguous environments
A distinctive problem-solving ability, with strong organizational discipline and a track record of simplifying complex challenges into clear, actionable paths forward
Exceptional relationship-building and communication skills, with the ability to influence across diverse stakeholders
A strategic and inclusive leadership style: you set clear priorities, build effective team structures, plan for future needs, and foster a culture of belonging.
A proven ability to drive performance and growth: you set high expectations, deliver real-time, evidence-based feedback, and coach team members to take smart risks, stretch their skills, and achieve meaningful impact.
Deep commitment to mission-driven work, with a passion for advancing educational equity and expanding access
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 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 education, higher education, or the community college ecosystem, particularly related to transfer, enrollment, or student success, is a strong plus; candidates without this background bring humility and curiosity to quickly build domain expertise

Responsibilities

Develop strategic plans and vision (40%) Collaborate with the Greenhouse General Manager and other key stakeholders to identify and prioritize high-impact opportunities within the educational landscape that will drive significant change and advance educational equity and access
Conduct comprehensive discovery research and analysis to understand user needs, key trends, and the educational landscape, ensuring a user-first approach to create a detailed product roadmap
Establish processes and timelines to evaluate ideas, determine viability, and iteratively test and scale new programs and services
Determine quarterly and annual performance metrics through which to evaluate the product/program development cycle and employee performance and progress
Lead Product Development (40%) Spearhead the ideation, design, and development of the new product from concept to launch, ensuring alignment with College Board’s mission
Foster collaboration with cross-functional teams, including other product leaders, designers, engineers, data scientists, and other stakeholders, to drive innovation and excellence
Maintain high standards of quality, usability, and customer satisfaction throughout the product development lifecycle
Team and Project Management (20%) Lead and mentor an experienced product, design, and engineering team, enhancing their existing strengths and fostering a high-performing environment grounded in candid communication, creativity, curiosity, and tenacity in service of our users
Set ambitious goals, clear success metrics, and delivery plans, managing timelines, resources, and budget while monitoring progress and making adjustments to ensure strong execution and outcomes
Provide ongoing feedback and growth opportunities to support the development, performance, and impact of team members
Set vision and priorities for the team, track and manage progress to goals, and provide coaching and support to ensure team members meet and exceed goals, remain engaged, and contribute meaningfully to our mission
Cultivate an inclusive and high-achieving culture that enables all team members to live out College Board’s Operating Principles effectively
Bring proven leadership experience and consistently embody College Board’s Manager Expectations in your work