Program Lead (Advanced Associate, Customer Service)

At Pearson, our purpose is to help people realize the life they imagine through learning. We’re a place where talented people with different viewpoints can have their voices valued and heard and we’re intentionally building a culture of belonging designed to attract and promote innovative, and skilled people, where everyone has the opportunity to make progress in their careers.

Your Opportunity   

Join the Evaluations Systems group of Pearson customer contact center team where we are dedicated to helping support candidates and clients throughout their certification testing process. The Evaluation Systems group of Pearson offers dynamic teacher licensing and performance assessment solutions. Our custom teacher licensure testing programs are 100 percent aligned to state standards. We also provide a wide variety of teacher licensure testing services such as test development, administration, and scoring.  We work in a collaborative environment and are passionate about education.

Pearson VUE is a business of Pearson, the world's leading learning company with global reach and market-leading businesses. Pearson is listed on both the London and New York stock exchanges (UK: PSON; NYSE: PSO).

The Program Lead serves as a liaison between assigned Program teams, the Customer Contact Center, and other internal departments. This role maintains awareness of Customer Contact Center activity associated with assigned programs, communicates program changes and updates, manages escalations and callbacks, supports Tier 2 technical support needs, maintains accurate documentation, and reports trends to support consistent service delivery. If you are looking to work with a company that cares about its employees, including the importance of work-life balance, takes ownership of customer satisfaction, and cultivates an environment that integrates our Pearson values into everything we do, this is the place for you.

The Program Lead is responsible for supporting assigned programs through escalation management, accurate and timely customer support, cross-functional communication, documentation maintenance, and trend identification. This role works independently within the Customer Contact Center (CCC) and collaborates with Operations, Program Management, and other internal teams to ensure candidate and client needs are addressed according to established procedures and service expectations.

Like every department within Pearson, our work goes beyond delivering exams and focuses on our ability to allow learners to flourish. We are looking for team members who are ready and able to deliver a first-class level of customer service to our candidates and clients through skills we will help sharpen and grow. Our teams focus heavily on empathy, clear communication, consistent program support, and timely responses to candidate and client needs.

• Title: Advanced Associate

• Location: This is a remote position based in the United States.

• Hours: This is a regular full-time position working a 40-hour shift, five days a week. Customer Contact Center hours of operation are Monday–Friday 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. and Saturday 8:45 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. Eastern Time.

• New Hire Training: During your first few weeks of onboarding, you’ll be asked to adhere to a training schedule that provides a foundation in program operations, systems, escalation management, documentation, and Customer Contact Center processes.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES  

Program Support and Escalation Management

• Acts as a liaison with assigned Program teams and other departments, bringing information into the Customer Contact Center and communicating program updates out to CCC staff.

• Maintains awareness of Customer Contact Center activity associated with assigned programs and identifies issues, trends, or service impacts that require follow-up.

• Manages escalations and escalated callbacks, ensuring candidate and client inquiries are handled accurately, professionally, and according to established procedures.

• Manages Tier 2 technical support needs and uses available systems, resources, published materials, and websites to research and resolve issues.

• Ensures callbacks and cases are managed according to service level agreements and properly documented in the appropriate CRM or case management system.

• Makes up-to-date documentation readily available to CCC staff and keeps knowledge articles maintained and accurately updated.

• Informs CCC staff of program changes, updates, process revisions, and other information needed to support consistent service delivery.

• Collects and analyzes relevant information to report on trends, share findings with internal stakeholders, and support solutioning.

• Ensures proper security procedures are followed during all customer interactions and when handling candidate, client, or customer information.

• Collaborates with managers, Program teams, Operations, and Customer Contact Center staff to resolve program-specific issues and support consistent service delivery.

• Performs other duties as assigned.

Deliver first-class customer service

• Understands candidate and client expectations and adapts communication style to meet the needs of each interaction while delivering service that exceeds expectations within department guidelines.

• Identifies customer needs by using active listening, asking clarifying questions, and adapting communication to support phone, email, live chat, callback, and case interactions as needed.

• Uses effective verbal and written communication skills to provide clear, accurate, and concise information when explaining policies, testing procedures, program updates, and case resolutions.

• Promptly and accurately addresses customer inquiries by using approved systems, published materials, websites, internal procedures, and other available resources to research and resolve issues.

• Anticipates customer needs, identifies issues that may impact service delivery, and follows through on commitments to support timely and accurate resolution.

• Demonstrates the ability to research, analyze, interpret, and document candidate interactions, program issues, and escalation outcomes.

• Exhibits a positive, solutions-focused attitude and meets new challenges and changes with an open mind while supporting candidates, clients, and internal stakeholders.

Background Requirements

Education and Experience

• Minimum High School Diploma or equivalent    

• Previous customer service experience, 3+ years preferred

• Previous experience in a call center environment preferred

• Basic technical troubleshooting experience preferred

Key characteristics we are looking for

• Passion for customer service and helping others succeed.

• Patient, positive, compassionate, and professional demeanor.

• Strong organizational, time management, and multi-tasking skills.

• Effective analytical, follow-through, and problem-solving skills.

• Strong attention to detail and ability to maintain accurate documentation.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English.

• Proficient with Microsoft Office products, including Word and Excel, and comfortable using standard business, CRM, and case management systems.

• Eagerness to learn and willingness to adapt as program requirements, business needs, and service demands change.

• Conflict management skills and the ability to communicate diplomatically with candidates, clients, and internal stakeholders.

• Spanish language skills are a plus but not required.

• Willing and able to work assigned shifts; flexible work arrangements and time off may be limited during specific times due to business demands. All overtime must be approved in advance.

Benefits

Pearson offers a generous benefits package that includes:

• Salary: $20.75–$23.18 per hour.

• Paid sick time, 10 observed holidays, and vacation allotments.

• Medical, dental, life insurance, tuition reimbursement, and 401(k) retirement package.

• Work from home with Pearson-supplied hardware and support. Employees are responsible for securing reliable internet and are required to have a smartphone to set up Multifactor Authentication (MFA).

• This position also has the potential for an annual bonus.

Schedule

• 40 hours, five days a week.

Workplace Environment

We provide ongoing training and development to support success in program operations, escalation management, documentation, customer service, and cross-departmental collaboration.

Compensation at Pearson is influenced by a wide array of factors, including but not limited to skill set, level of experience, and specific location. As required by Colorado, California, Washington State, New York State, and New York City laws

The pay range for this position is as follows: the full-time salary range is $20.75–$23.18 per hour.

This position is eligible to participate in an annual incentive program, and information on benefits offered is available through Pearson at https://pearsonbenefitsus.com/

Applications will be accepted through August 21, 2026. This window may be extended depending on business needs.