Director, State Partner Success Manager

About the role

The College Readiness Assessments (CRA) division is a team of mission-driven people who deliver the SAT Suite of Assessments (SAT, PSAT/NMSQT, PSAT10, and PSAT 8/9) to millions of students across the world each year to help open their paths to life after high school. The SAT Suite connects students to a wide range of post-high school opportunities, including scholarships, careers, colleges, and universities. In 2023, we retired the use of paper/pencil testing and are now a fully digital SAT Suite offering an assessment that is easier to give, easier to take, more secure, and more relevant. The Partner Success team owns the end-to-end success of College Board's state partnerships, ensuring that contracts are executed with excellence and that states realize the full value of the SAT Suite. The team is comprised of Success Managers and Success Specialists who serve as the primary operators and strategic partners to state customers. Success Managers lead day-to-day relationships and contract execution, while Specialists provide critical operational support and cross-functional coordination to ensure seamless delivery. The team is responsible for : Delivering consistent, high-quality execution across all state contracts Building and maintaining strong, trust-based relationships with state partners Translating complex program and policy requirements into clear, actionable guidance Proactively identifying risks and resolving challenges to ensure smooth implementation Partner Success is a proactive, outcomes-driven function that focuses beyond implementation to manage customer relationships prioritizing adoption, customer experience, and long-term partnership value. At its core, the Partner Success team ensures that what we deliver doesn't just work-it delivers meaningful, lasting impact for the states, educators, and students we serve. As Director, State Success Manager , you will serve as a strategic partner and trusted advisor to state education agencies and internal College Board stakeholders. You will oversee statewide readiness and execution for the SAT Suite of Assessments, ensuring seamless delivery, comprehensive training, and actionable data use across states. In this role, you will also lead the design and facilitation of statewide data workshops, empowering state leaders to utilize assessment data for continuous improvement and equity-driven policy decisions. You'll operate with high autonomy and influence, serving as the critical connector between College Board's strategy, state priorities, and implementation excellence. In this role, you will: State Contract Ownership & Strategic Relationship Leadership (40%) Serve as the single-threaded owner of assigned state contracts, acting as the primary strategic partner to State Departments of Education and the "go-to" for all contract-related engagement Lead overall relationship management, including executive engagement, long-term planning, and alignment to state priorities and policy context Set the direction for contract execution by defining priorities, guiding decision-making, and ensuring alignment across internal stakeholders Partner closely with SDP state leads and district account managers, Policy, Government Relations, and Higher Ed to inform state strategy, contribute to growth opportunities, and ensure delivery aligns with commitments made during the sales process Serve as a subject matter expert and trusted advisor to state assessment leaders, guiding them through implementation challenges and strategic planning Represent College Board in high-stakes customer moments (e.g., planning and implementation meetings and workshops, escalations, renewal conversations), ensuring clarity, confidence, and trust Contract Execution Oversight & Delivery Accountability (30%) Own end-to-end accountability for successful contract execution, ensuring all deliverables, milestones, and readiness activities are completed with consistency and quality Set the rhythm of the business across assigned states, including weekly, monthly, and annual touchpoints aligned to the state contract lifecycle (e.g., Summer Planning, Implementation Workshops, Readiness, Score Reporting) Oversee the work of Success Specialists, ensuring that day-to-day coordination, regular state communications, and general contract execution are delivered at a high level in addition to partnering on statewide implementation and training strategies across multiple stat