Senior Program Director, State Chief Liaison

About the Role

The Senior Program Director, State Chief Liaison will focus on connecting K-12 Commissioners, Deputy Commissioners, and Boards of Education to ACT's policy-driven strategies that influence revenue and long-term positioning.

What You Will Be Working On

• Build and maintain relationships with state-level decision-makers (Commissioners, Boards of Education, Deputy Commissioners)
• Advise on policy trends and accountability shifts impacting assessment and readiness programs
• Serve as ACT's policy liaison for executive-level discussions, ensuring ACT solutions align with state priorities
• Influence and guide RFP executive summaries and "model" frameworks to reflect policy priorities
• Provide strategic intelligence on state education policy changes and their implications for ACT's offerings
• Collaborate with Government Relations (GR) to ensure unified messaging without duplicating lobbying efforts

Success Metrics

• Overall revenue generation and growth of assigned states (indirect / influence)
• Number of quality strategic policy engagements at commissioner/board level
• Influence on RFP language and executive summaries
• Policy-driven opportunities identified and converted into actionable business strategies
• Number of ACT solutions added to state level pathways/requirements

Role Progression

At the end of 3 months you will have:

• Become familiar with ACT products and services and internal/external stakeholders
• Establish relationships across the organization where there are common goals
• Identify states, create a territory map to include decision makers, history and vulnerabilities

Within 6 Months You Will:

• Begin developing strategic initiatives and how to deliver on them
• Identify RFPs and deliver multi-level plans for opportunities to flip states
• Monitor legislation via tracking system and document actions and progress

Within 9 Months You Will:

• Achieve successful outcomes via legislative process and Governor-led initiatives
• Influence RFP language to align with ACT products
• Start seeing tangible results -- additional states using our products and blocking competition

Minimum Requirements

• At least 10 years of progressively responsible experience in education industry
• Experience serving in a leadership role at a State Department of Education, a State Higher Education Executive Officers (SHEEO) agency, or a State Department of Labor, in roles such as Commissioner, Deputy Commissioner, Assistant Commissioner, Chief of Staff, State Director, or equivalent executive leadership roles
• Demonstrated ability to engage and influence senior state officials
• Deep understanding of state education policy, accountability systems, and governance structures
• Proven experience translating complex policy landscapes into strategic organizational action
• Exceptional communication skills, especially in executive-level environments
• Ability to travel frequently (approx. 30%) and manage executive relationships across multiple states
• Ability to gain and apply in depth product knowledge of ACT's products and services, including how the products and services are collectively used to provide solutions to state customers
• Demonstrated ability to influence and engage key state executives
• Ability to gather and use competitive intelligence to create strategies that advance and/or protect ACT's interests
• Ability to work effectively and build relationships with individuals within the organization
• Strong communication skills including ability to communicate effectively across all levels in the organization, as well as outstanding presentation skills
• Strong analytical abilities and the ability to determine logical solutions to complicated problems
• Ability to set goals and priorities and manage to completion
• Strong negotiation skills
• Skills and knowledge required for success in this position attained through experience and education (Bachelor's degree in Education, Business, or related area of study), or a combination of both

Preferred Qualifications

• Assessment industry experience
• Account management or sales experience
• Previous experience and demonstrated success leading, managing, and building teams

Pay

For this position, we anticipate offering an annual salary in the range of $120,000 to $160,000. ACT manages salaries within the range based on relevant factors including skills, experience, and internal equity. The position is incentive eligible.

Location

This is a remote position, based in the United States. Applicants must be authorized to work in the U.S. without the need for visa sponsorship.

Benefits

To support team member well-being and confidence, ACT's 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, and paid time off.