Program Director, State Partnerships

ACT Education•Iowa City, IA

1d•$100,000 - $130,000•Remote

About The Position

At ACT, Your Work Makes a Difference Education has power a power that changes lives forever. It creates opportunities that lift up individuals, their families, and sparks societal change that echoes through generations to come. From our grassroots we have fought the good fight for equity in education, and we remain devoted to helping anyone who struggles to access that power. This is what matters to us and we must do better -- weve never been more sure of our purpose. ACT team members are part of an organization dedicated to a mission that has never been more important: Helping people achieve education and workplace success. Advancing that mission within our organization, by helping our team members achieve education and workplace success of their own, is core to our values. ACT values a diverse workplace and is committed to fostering an inclusive, equitable environment in which every team member has an opportunity to grow. We want our team members to have the well-being and confidence they need to do their best work, in an environment where both they and ACT thrive. To support this, our total rewards include company paid life insurance, medical, dental, vision, flexible health and dependent spending accounts, 401(k) retirement savings with company match, paid holidays, paid time off, and so much more. You can find a comprehensive list of our benefits here . We are seeking a Program Director, State Partnerships to help us fulfill that mission. The Program Director, State Partnerships position identifies strategic growth opportunities with state partners to further ACT's mission and better state/student outcomes. State director is responsible for contract renewals, extensions, additional solutions, leading RFP responses, and the pursuit of new business / clients. This position works to establish key relationships with existing and potential state partners to ensure continued program growth and success. A strategic and key individual contributor, the State Director works collaboratively across a multitude of ACT departments to solution and position ACT products. You will be joining an experienced, knowledgeable and well-established team made up of dynamic leaders who have engaging relationships with state leadership. The finalist will be hired at the salary and level commensurate with their qualifications. For this position, we anticipate offering an annual salary in the range of $100,000 to $130,000. ACT manages salaries within the range based on relevant factors including, skills, experience, and internal equity. This position is incentive eligible. Location: This is a remote position, based in the United States. Applicants must be authorized to work in the U.S. without the need for visa sponsorship

Requirements

Requires at least 7 years of progressively responsible experience in education and/or workforce industry, preferably with account management or sales experience
Ability to gain and apply working knowledge of ACTs products and services, including how those products and services are collectively used to provide solutions to state clients
Demonstrated ability to influence and engage key state executives
Ability to gather and use competitive intelligence to create strategies that advance and/or protect ACTs interests
Ability to work effectively with individuals inside and outside the organization
Actively seeks, engages with and promotes diverse perspectives and invites a sense of belonging
Strong communication skills including ability to communicate effectively across all levels in the organization, as well as outstanding presentation skills
Must be able to act decisively with sound judgement; uses data to analyze options and form opinions
Is able to apply continuous improvement to existing processes and programs and develop ideas that are new, better, or unique
Ability to manage change and navigate positively in an environment experiencing change at a fast pace
Takes initiative using self-starter approach, ability to multi-task, proactively anticipates and acts on information and details needed, willingness and ability to learn
Takes responsibility and follows through on commitments
Ability to travel up to 40%
Skills and knowledge required for success in this position attained through experience and education (Bachelors degree in Education, Business, or related area of study), or a combination of both.

Nice To Haves

Assessment industry experience, a plus if at a state education agency
K-12 experience that includes deep knowledge of the state and district landscape
Experience working with individuals at the state executive level
Experience developing educational programming or support/training of college and career planning/readiness initiatives
Sales experience, preferably in the assessment/education space

Responsibilities

Build strategic partnerships with State Education Agencies to align ACT solutions with statewide K12 priorities and advance key goals and initiatives.
Drive growth and protect existing contracts by identifying and pursuing state business opportunities, aligning ACT solutions to deliver client success and exceed revenue targets.
Analyze state assessment landscapes and gather competitive intelligence to identify opportunities and challenges, providing actionable insights and strategic guidance to leadership.
Develop and execute comprehensive sales plans for assigned states, collaborating across ACT units to maintain current contracts and secure new business.
Lead state procurement processes as the business sponsor, partnering with the RFP team to develop and submit proposals that successfully secure ACT state business.
Provide visibility into sales efforts and key client activities by effectively sharing information through the company CRM as well as other reporting avenues
Lead strategic negotiations and decision-making to achieve mutually beneficial outcomes for ACT and state partners.
Support existing state partnerships to ensure successful implementation and outcomes for state testing programs.