Job Description
Director, Program Communications – BigFuture and Higher Education
College Board – Engagement and Reach (EaR)
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). All CB employees are required to occasionally travel to meet in person for business purposes.
Type: This is a full-time position
About the Team
The Communications department plays a critical role in advancing College Board’s mission and ensuring our work is understood with clarity, accuracy, and impact. We define and align core messaging across the organization and lead strategic engagement with key audiences, including students, families, educators, policymakers, and the media. As a creative, strategically disciplined team, we hold ourselves to high standards and continuously innovate in how we tell our story—elevating thought leadership, strengthening executive visibility, and delivering clear, effective communications in moments that matter. We partner closely with leaders and teams across programs, research, policy, and operations to translate complex work into compelling narratives that expand understanding, strengthen trust, and drive meaningful impact.
About the Opportunity
As Director, Program Communications - BigFuture and Higher Education, you will shape how College Board communicates with students, families, and higher education partners. You will lead the development of clear, focused messaging and communications strategies that support both the BigFuture program and the Higher Education, Membership, and Access (HMA) division, helping students navigate the path to college and career while strengthening College Board’s relationships with higher education leaders.
In this role, you will translate complex ideas into clear, compelling, and useful narratives and lead the development and execution of integrated communications strategies across key channels and moments. You will partner closely with colleagues across Engagement and Reach to bring those strategies to life, and support executive communications and thought leadership in high-visibility engagements. This role requires exceptional writing, strong judgment, and the ability to bring clarity to complex, evolving issues. You will serve as a strategic partner to program and divisional leadership and report to the Executive Director, Program Communications.
In this role, you will:
Lead and own messaging and communications strategy for BigFuture and HMA, defining clear, compelling narratives that translate complex products, services, and research into useful and accessible stories for students, families, and higher education partners
Serve as an expert on key audiences—including students, families, and higher education partners—using insight to shape messaging, positioning, and communications strategy
Drive integrated communications initiatives from strategy through execution, including goal setting, message development, sequencing, and measurement—partnering with Reach, Marketing, and other teams to activate across channels
Develop and operationalize messaging frameworks, tools, and standards that ensure consistency, clarity, and adoption across external communications
Lead cross-functional alignment across Engagement and Reach, Product, and Media Relations to ensure coordinated, effective communications
Own and oversee the development of high-quality communications materials—including talking points, FAQs, presentations, and digital content—that support priority initiatives and high-visibility moments
Lead executive communications strategy for BigFuture and higher education, shaping leader visibility and preparing for high-impact engagements in partnership with Executive Communications and Media Relations, with messaging that is clear, consistent, and aligned to strategic priorities
Proactively identify and advance opportunities to elevate the BigFuture story, including validating voices and real-world impact
Serve as a strategic communications partner to BigFuture and HMA leadership, helping shape priorities, clarify messaging, and drive effective communications planning
About You
Exceptional candidates will bring:
Demonstrated ability to own and lead communications strategy in complex, cross-functional environments, with strong judgment in prioritizing work and navigating ambiguity
Exceptional writing and editing skills, with the ability to translate complex ideas into clear, compelling, and useful messaging for diverse audiences
Experience developing and driving integrated communications strategies, with a focus on measurable outcomes such as engagement, adoption, or audience understanding
Proven ability to lead through influence, partnering effectively across teams such as marketing, product, media relations, and executive communications
Strong understanding of audience needs and behaviors, with the ability to apply insight to shape messaging, positioning, and communications strategy
Experience supporting senior leaders in high-visibility communications, including preparing materials for external engagements or moments of scrutiny
Ability to manage multiple priorities while maintaining clarity, speed, and message discipline in a fast-paced environment
Familiarity with the education landscape and issues affecting students, families, and higher education institutions
Experience using data, feedback and experimentation to drive communications effectiveness
Qualifications:
Bachelor’s degree in communications, journalism, English, or a related field
5+ years of professional experience in communications, content strategy, marketing, or a related field, with a track record of increasing responsibility
Experience in education, consumer-facing products, or mission-driven organizations preferred
Success in the First 12 Months
By the end of the first 12 months, a successful Director, Program Communications will:
Establish themselves as the lead communications strategist and a trusted partner to the BigFuture and Higher Education, Membership, and Access (HMA) divisions
Deliver integrated communications strategies that support both BigFuture’s consumer-facing products and higher education–focused initiatives
Build and operationalize a forward-looking editorial and messaging roadmap that identifies key inflection points, proactive storytelling opportunities, and strategic engagement moments
Consistently deliver clear, compelling, and useful messaging and communications assets that translate complex products, services, and research into accessible narratives for key audiences
Strengthen clarity, consistency, and effectiveness of direct-to-student and higher education communications across channels, in close partnership with marketing and product teams
Elevate executive communications and thought leadership by preparing leaders for high-visibility engagements and helping position BigFuture and higher education work in external conversations
Contribute to College Board’s broader reputation by advancing clear, student-centered messaging and helping teams communicate with a unified, consistent voice
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 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.
About Our Process
Application review will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled. This role is expected to accept applications for a minimum of 5 business days.
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.
What We Offer
At College Board, we offer more than just a paycheck—we provide a meaningful career, a supportive team, and a comprehensive package designed to help you thrive. We’re a self-sustaining nonprofit that believes in fair and competitive compensation, grounded in your qualifications, experience, impact, and the market.
A Thoughtful Approach to Compensation
The hiring range for this role is $80,000 –$130,000.
Your exact salary will depend on your location, experience, and how your background compares to others in similar roles at the College Board.
We aim to make our best offer upfront—rooted in fairness, transparency, and market data.
We adjust salaries by location to ensure fairness, no matter where you live.
You’ll have open, transparent conversations about compensation, benefits, and what it’s like to work at College Board throughout your hiring process. Check out our careers page for more.
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