Executive Director, Assessment

Executive Director, Assessment

College Board – AP&I

Location:   This is a 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.

Role Type:   This is a full-time position.

About the Team

The New Course Design   (NCD) department leads the research, design,   development, and launch   of new courses   and their associated exams,   instructional   resources, and teacher professional learning programs , ensuring   consistency across these inter-related AP Program components   and that   they are engaging, feasible, and grounded in evidence . After launching a new course, the NCD department   focuses on continuous improvement of new courses, exams,   instructional interventions,   and   teacher   professional learning programs . NCD partners closely with   the Learning and Assessment division to design and validate new item types for use in new, career-focused AP exams, and then integrates with AP Program   Enablement to produce the annual exam   versions   within the Bluebook digital testing platform (copyright, editorial, layout, design), and to   develop annual rubrics and training materials necessary to conduct the annual AP Reading of student responses.

About the Opportunity

As Executive Director,   New AP Course   Assessment s , you will own   the exploration and identification of   assessment   design options   for   6-8 new career-focused AP courses currently in focus, and then   every new course the department builds . You   will   then   be responsible for   ongoing assessment development for new courses,   from   initial   test blueprint s   through pilot exam version s   and into ongoing, year-over-year assessment item   and   version   development. You will   partner closely with assessment innovation leaders within the Learning and Assessment   department   to identify, select, refine, and implement innovative item types for the AP Exams for the new career-focused AP courses,   , selecting the right   blend   of   format s   and modalities   for each course   (e. g.,   traditional, skills-based, project-based, or performance-based )   based on what most validly measures the target skills, and prioritizing formats that support employer recognition or industry credential status where relevant. You'll partner closely with the   College Board’s Psychometric department   and c urriculum   experts   to keep course design and assessment design moving together, and you'll build the internal case, and the stakeholder buy-in, for new assessment approaches alongside the traditional formats that remain part of our portfolio.

You are someone who can hold both rigor and reinvention at once:   in addition to your core expertise in design of authentic, relevant assessments, you are   fluent enough in psychometric fundamentals to have credible technical conversations, and skilled enough in stakeholder management to bring skeptical partners along on new approaches   to   assessment .

In this role, you will:

Assess ment Design & Development (40%)

- Partner with Learning and Assessment innovation leaders to identify, select, refine, and incorporate promising and innovative item types within the New Course AP Exams   and that clearly and distinctly measure the skills identified as the targets of measurement for the new course, thereby inspiring productive and relevant classroom focus and student practice .
- Lead design and development of test blueprints and pilot exam versions for new courses,   partnering with AP Program Enablement to   select the assessment format, traditional, performance-based, or project-based,   and scoring models that will enable on-time, accurate, and efficient scoring of free-response questions.
- Define and o wn assessment model s   that   generate , store, and enable student   utilization   of   workforce credentials, not just an exam score.
- Partner with AP Program Enablement to   identify   annual   version   development and usage braiding plans and then take responsibility for managing and delivering   ongoing, year-over-year assessment   item   and version   development   beyond   initial   pilot versions.
- Partner with Learning and Assessment to   recommend and set the vision for new   AP   assessment models, working with measurement partners to   establish   validity and defensibility for each format introduced; ensure this vision   cascad es across their direct reports and the NCD team .

Cross-Functional Partnership & Change Leadership (20%)

- Partner with the measurement/psychometrics team on exam version assembly, equating,   and standard settings ,   including for   novel formats that   don't   fit legacy models.
- Win buy-in from stakeholders attached to traditional assessment models; build trust and   shared   ownership of   new approaches .
- Represent assessment considerations in cross-functional project reviews with curriculum, design, and program management partners.

Leadership & Team Management ( 4 0%)

- Build and hire a team of assessment design staff   who have subject matter   expertise   in the new course domains and will enact the annual cycle of item and   version   development   and administration   responsibilities for the new course exams .
- Oversee calibration and training of subject matter expert panels on writing and reviewing all assessment types, new and existing.
- Sign off on assessment deliverables at each project decision point, i.e., the milestones where a   course's   assessment work must be approved before design can   proceed   to the next stage.

About   You

You have:

- 1 0 -15+   years in assessment design, test development,   or curriculum leadership roles with direct, hands-on exposure to how assessment and measurement work, even if the role sat on the curriculum side rather than the psychometrics side.
- A demonstrated   track record   of innovation in assessment design, ideally in skills-based, project-based, or credential-connected models.
- Working fluency in   assessment   data and psychometric output (item statistics, score distributions, equating concepts)   sufficient   to partner credibly with measurement specialists.
- Experience running complex, multi-stakeholder timelines against fixed external deadlines, such as field-testing windows and item-review cycles.
- A track record   of driving change and building buy-in across stakeholders with differing perspectives to advance   new approaches .
- Experience building and leading teams in a matrixed organization.

All roles at College Board require:

- A passion for expanding educational and career opportunities and mission-driven work.
- Curiosity and enthusiasm for emerging technologies, with a willingness to experiment with and adopt new AI-driven solutions and comfort with 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.
- Authorization to work in the United States

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, panel interview,   a conversation   with leadership, and reference checks.

What We Offer

At   College   Board, we offer more than 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 $144,000–$210,000.
- 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.