Senior Program Director - Postsecondary Education

At ACT, Your Work Makes a Difference

Education has power – a power that changes lives forever. It creates opportunities that lift up individuals, their families, and sparks societal change that echoes through generations to come. From our grassroots we have fought the good fight for equity in education, and we remain devoted to helping anyone who struggles to access that power. This is what matters to us and we must do better -- we’ve never been more sure of our purpose. 

ACT team members are part of an organization dedicated to a mission that has never been more important:  Helping people achieve education and workplace success. Advancing that mission within our organization, by helping our team members achieve education and workplace success of their own, is core to our values. ACT values a diverse workplace and is committed to fostering an inclusive, equitable environment in which every team member has an opportunity to grow.

We want our team members to have the well-being and confidence they need to do their best work, in an environment where both they and ACT thrive. To support this, our total rewards include company paid life insurance, medical, dental, vision, flexible health and dependent spending accounts, 401(k) retirement savings with company match, paid holidays, paid time off, and so much more. You can find a comprehensive list of our benefits here.

We are seeking a Senior Program Director, Higher Education to help us fulfill that mission. 

The Senior Program Director for Higher Education develops and executes ACT’s higher education communication outreach and engagement with the postsecondary education community, including institutional and other market leaders such as, but not limited to, SHEEO, enrollment managers, student success, community colleges, NACAC and state ACACs, AACRAO, ACAOPU, etc. This leader is the link between ACT’s higher education community and ACT, providing critical insights into trends, opportunities, and emerging issues impacting postsecondary education and ACT’s business interests, and communicating to the higher education market on ACT updates. Working at the enterprise level alongside executive and senior leadership, the Senior Program Director develops and manages key relationships with national educational organizations, while serving as a liaison and key ACT spokesperson to postsecondary education. This leader will identify higher education environmental pressures and articulate the voice of the customer, with the goal of extending ACT’s credibility and establishing new visibility in the postsecondary education markets to accelerate the achievement of ACT’s mission, market share, revenue, and growth goals.  This leader also ensures the higher eduation market is informed of the work at ACT and has a voice into our roadmap through both structured and organic feedback channels.  Through purposeful and strategic relationship management, the Senior Program Director will identify and understand the fundamental needs and challenges faced by postsecondary education and will act as the leader for ACT in ensuring the higher education market is informed and knowledgeable of our product, research, and organizational updates.   

The finalist will be hired at the salary and level commensurate with their qualifications. For this position, we anticipate offering an annual salary in the range of $150,000 to$170,000.  ACT manages salaries within the range based on relevant factors including, skills, experience, and internal equity. 

Location:  Remote (can also be onsite or hybrid if in Iowa City, Iowa area)

What you will be working on:

• Lead, execute, and evaluate ACT’s postsecondary education communication strategy and outreach
• Develop the higher education agenda and speaker programming for the ACT Summit, ACT’s premiere national conference; serve as a core contributor to the Summit planning team; and provide direct outreach to potential higher ed speakers and attendees
• Lead ACT’s Postsecondary Senior Leadership Council of key advisors to the organization; develop timing, agendas, and collateral; and facilitate engagement between these advisors and ACT leaders, including follow-up discussions and actions
• Create other higher education communication channels for consistent and strategic outreach to ensure higher education feels knowledgeable, informed, and influential of ACT’s roadmap and activities.
• Create a monthly newsletter for our higher education partners
• Serve as a recognized ACT expert on postsecondary education issues with the media, as well as at conferences, events, forums, symposia
• Cultivate knowledge of technologies, trends, and research in the postsecondary education market with proactive responses and plans for any mitigation
• Maintain a thorough and up-to-date understanding of ACT’s programs and services for postsecondary education stakeholder engagement, and take initiative in researching, proposing, and championing new and better ways of communicating messages and brand value
• Develop a network of higher education advocates and thought leaders
• Work with associations, organizations, and governmental entities to identify top postsecondary education research opportunities for ACT Research
• Communicate with postsecondary education clients about the use of basic and advanced uses of the ACT scores, about in-depth test data opportunities, and any updates on research or product

Role Progression:

30 days

• Evaluate current Higher Education councils for effective members, agenda, purpose, and cadence.
• Meet with each of the Higher Education council members.

60 days

• Determine what other councils will be needed and members, purpose, and cadence.
• Begin implementation of these councils with agenda and follow up.
• Listen to their voice to drive further agendas.
• Create an internal feedback loop process.

90 days

• Create monthly newsletter and list serv.
• Drive Higher Education needs with internal teams. Provide feedback to Higher Education.
• Ensure all Higher Education is comfortable and informed of enhancements.

This could be the job for you if you have (minimum requirements):

• A minimum of ten (10) years of progressively responsible experience in the postsecondary education arena, preferably at an educational institution, system office, administrative office, association or policy center.
• Demonstrated leadership roles within education, postsecondary, and/or policy membership organizations.
• An understanding of multiple aspects of the postsecondary education market, including some combination of enrollment management, assessment (admission, placement, outcomes), academic affairs, teacher education, advising, accountability or accreditation.
• A history of successfully developing and implementing strategic plans.
• The ability to work effectively with individuals inside and outside the organization.
• The ability to communicate effectively across all levels in the organization.
• Experience with public speaking; comfortable with addressing executive committees, large postsecondary convenings, legislative bodies, and the media.
• Acts decisively with sound judgement; uses data to analyze options and form opinions.
• Ability to manage change and navigate positively in an environment experiencing change at a fast pace.
• Remains current in area of expertise, seeks opportunities to expand and grow skills.
• Takes responsibility and follows through on commitments; acknowledges and learns from mistakes without blaming others; recognizes the impact of one's behavior.
• Bachelor's degree in education, business management or related area of study, or an equivalent combination of education and experience from which comparable knowledge and abilities can be acquired.

It’s a plus if you have:

• Experience working at a large university.

When ACT was founded in 1959, it disrupted the assessment industry with a new approach to helping students better understand their readiness so they could take steps to improve it.  By leveraging our expertise and authority in assessment and research, we will again disrupt the industry—helping more people learn, better measure their progress, and improve their navigation through life’s transitions. 

More than ever before, ACT is fulfilling its mission of helping people achieve education and workplace success. We’re doing it by pushing the boundaries of learning innovation through the work of our people, who we call team members because we’re all in this together.

We know transformation does not come without challenge. That’s why ACT invests in a variety of experiences for team members to strengthen their connections, explore ideas, learn from customers, and celebrate success.

Learn more about working at ACT at act.org!

ACT is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. ACT values diversity in people and ideas and participates in E-verify. ACT's online position announcements are intended only to provide general descriptions of employment opportunities; none of the information provided for any position should be interpreted as a commitment by ACT to specific terms and conditions for employment.

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