Director, Career Strategy & Engagement-South & Southwest Region

Director, Career Strategy & Engagement – South & Southwest Region 

College Board – Strategic Reach and Workforce Partnerships, GPER 
Location: Remote but must reside within South & Southwest Region  

This is a full-time position. 

About the Team 

The Strategic Reach and Workforce Partnership Team drives integrated career state plays; ensuring College Board is seen as a state’s talent development advisor via partnerships across government, education agencies, employers, and workforce development partners. We aim to enable all CB products, and especially AP Career Kickstart courses, to thrive and both students and states see a broader set of future options for ALL students.    

About the Opportunity  

At this pivotal moment in education, College Board is deepening its commitment to preparing students for success – both in college and in high-growth careers.  As states accelerate access to career-connected learning, we are seizing the moment with programs like AP Career Kickstart helping to reimagine what’s possible for students—by bridging rigorous academics with real-world career skills and opportunity. 

This role is central to realizing that vision. It brings strategic clarity, operational excellence, and inspirational leadership to three high-impact domains: 

Strategic External Engagement 

Cultivate enduring partnerships across CTE, government, and industry—building trust and positioning College Board as a visionary, long-term ally in workforce development at the state level. 

Career-Connected Event Execution 

Lead the design and delivery of high-profile convenings that energize the field, elevate our mission, and catalyze momentum—while streamlining the experience for external partners and internal teams. This is about elevating visibility and momentum without increasing the load on external partners – or internally for our field staff team. 

Internal Enablement and Scale 

Develop an actionable toolkit of playbooks, training, and resources that empower our State & District Partnerships (SDP) and Government Policy & External Relations (GPER) teams to scale what works across multiple states. 

We’re looking for a dynamic, collaborative, mission-driven leader to champion career-connected engagement strategies across the South & Southwest Region.

Reporting to the Executive Director of Strategic Reach and Workforce Partnerships—and in close collaboration with state and regional leaders on the State and District Partnerships (SDP) team—this Director will: 

• Accelerate regional adoption of career-aligned offerings that unlock opportunity for students 

• Build cross-sector partnerships with education, workforce, and industry leaders 

• Equip internal teams with the tools and training to scale what works 

This role demands a strong communicator and collaborator—someone who can navigate complexity, align stakeholders, and drive impact across teams. While this person will report directly to the ED in Strategic Reach and Workforce Partnerships, he/she will work closely with the State and District Partnerships (SDP) team in their given region. Day-to-day priorities and strategic direction will be heavily influenced by Regional and state leadership, requiring someone with strong communication and collaboration skills. 

Ultimately, your leadership will help ensure students gain access to high-quality, future-ready pathways grounded in real-world opportunity and informed by labo