Director, Project Management

College Board - Advanced Placement and Instruction

Location: This is a fully remote role. Candidates who live near CB offices have the option of being fully remote or hybrid (Tuesday and Wednesday in office).

Type: This is a full-time position.

About the Instructional Design Department

The Instructional Design Department leads the creation and design of innovative educational content for the AP Program, focusing on developing new courses, teacher resources, and examination types to enhance educational experiences across various disciplines.

About the Opportunity

As the Director, Project Management within the Instructional Design Department, you will play a crucial role in setting strategic priorities, establishing robust project governance structures, and overseeing end-to-end project execution for new course developments and revisions. Beyond project management, you will lead the strategic alignment of project deliverables with AP's mission, drive process innovation, and enhance cross-functional collaboration across the AP Program, ensuring successful outcomes from initial concept to final implementation. This role requires a visionary and critical thinker who can elevate project standards, streamline processes, and deliver impactful results within the educational space.

In this role, you will:

• Provide Strategic Project Leadership and Management (50%):
• Co-lead the development of strategic project roadmaps for new and revised AP courses, aligning each project with overarching AP goals and long-term department objectives.
• Oversee the entire project lifecycle, from conceptualization and scope definition to execution and delivery, ensuring seamless cross-functional integration and proactive risk mitigation.
• Advise key stakeholders, providing strategic insights on project feasibility, go/no-go decisions, and long-term impact.
• Facilitate key project milestones, such as kickoffs and strategic planning sessions, ensuring alignment and accountability across all project participants.
• Coordinate with other project managers to align project timelines and dependencies across departments, exploring the use of AI-powered planning or tracking tools to flag risks and bottlenecks early.
• Track and manage resource allocation and workload capacity across the department, leveraging tools like Power BI and AI-driven forecasting models to inform staffing strategies for course development
• Lead Strategic Process Optimization and Standardization (30%):
• Spearhead the creation and continuous improvement of standard operating procedures, templates, and best practices across the PMO, driving efficiencies and setting a high bar for scalable project management excellence.
• Evaluate repetitive or manual workflows for opportunities to automate using Power Automate, Power Apps, or similar tools, with an eye toward long-term process efficiency.
• Implement advanced portfolio management practices to assess project impact, monitor resource utilization, and apply change control processes with rigor and consistency.
• Champion a culture of innovation by identifying use cases for AI to streamline administrative tasks, generate project insights, or support decision-making
• Reporting and Documentation (20%):
• Design and implement high-level dashboards and reporting mechanisms to provide real-time insights into project health and strategic alignment to departmental goals.
• Compile and present complex project data and recommendations to executive leadership, supporting data-driven decision-making and fostering transparency across the department.
• Maintain an organized repository of project data, enabling historical analysis and continual improvement of project management practices.

About You

You have:

• 7+ years of progressive project management experience, with a proven track record of leading large-scale, strategic initiatives in an educational or instructional design context
• Skilled in using data visualization tools and techniques to present complex project data in a clear, actionable format for stakeholders at all levels
• Demonstrated ability to think strategically and execute tactically, managing end-to-end project deliverables and aligning them with organizational priorities
• Strong strategic acumen and leadership capabilities, with a history of influencing cross-functional teams and executive stakeholders
• Advanced proficiency in project management methodologies, tools, and best practices, including portfolio and resource management
• Strong technical fluency and ability to quickly learn new platforms and tools. Familiarity with Microsoft tools such as Power Automate, Power Apps, and Power BI is highly desirable. Experience in integrating and automating workflows to increase operational efficiency is a plus
• Interest or experience in leveraging AI tools to enhance productivity and streamline project execution
• Bachelors degree in a relevant field; Masters degree or PMP certification preferred
• Advanced skills in project management software and tools, with proficiency in Smartsheet, Microsoft Project, and other PMO platforms to drive consistency and efficiency across projects
• Ability to travel up to 10%
• Authorized to work in the United States
• All roles at College Board require: 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 learners 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. 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.

About Our Benefits and Compensation

College Board offers a competitive benefits and compensation program that attracts top talent looking to make a difference in education. As a self-sustaining non-profit, we believe in compensating employees equitably in relation to each other, their qualifications, their impact, and the relevant market.

The hiring range for a new employee in this position is $80,000 to $130,000. College Board differentiates salaries by location so where you live will narrow the portion of this range in which you can expect a salary.

Your salary will be carefully determined based on your location, relevant experience, the external labor market, and the pay of College Board employees in similar roles. College Board strives to provide our best offer up front based on this criteria.

Your salary is only one part of all that College Board offers, including but not limited to:

• A comprehensive package designed to support the well-being of employees and their families and promote education. Our robust benefits package includes health, dental, and vision insurance, generous paid time off, paid parental leave, fertility benefits, pet insurance, tuition assistance, retirement benefits, and more
• Recognition of exceptional performance through annual bonuses, salary growth over time through market increases, and opportunities for merit raises and promotions based on increased scope of responsibility
• A job that matters, a team that cares, and a place to learn, innovate and thrive