Job Description

Vice President,New Course Design and Development, Advanced Placement Program

College Board -APand Instruction

Location:This is a remote role. Candidates who live near CB offices have theoptionof being fully remote or hybrid (Tuesday and Wednesday in office). All CB employeesare required tooccasionally travel to meet in person for business purposes.

Role TypeThis is a full-time position

About the Team

The College Board’s Advanced Placement and Instruction division (300+staff) develops and administers coursework taken by more than3 million studentsworldwide each school year, and the related subject-matter examsutilizedby more than 4,000 colleges and universities for course placement and awarding of college credit. These include credit and placement examination programs like CLEP andACCUplacer; Advanced Placement (AP) and Pre-AP courses in 40+ disciplines; and associated teacher professional learning programs.   

The Advanced Placement Program is the largest offering in the division’s portfolio, and currently has five departments: Curriculum and Assessment, whichmanages the ongoing development and evolution of AP’s coursesand examswithin the Arts, English, History, Mathematics, Natural Sciences, and World Languages; Production andDelivery, which manages the annual cycle of transactions with schools – from student registrationand exam productionto exam administration, scoring, and score reporting; Access, which focuses on expanding availability of AP and Pre-AP courses, participation among traditionally underserved students, and supporting teachers; Strategy, which measures and evaluates the program’s components and leads the development and implementation of strategic initiatives, and New Course Design and Development, whichleads the development, launch, and refinement of new AP courses designed to reach students not currently engaged with AP

Aboutthe Opportunity

The Vice President ofNew Course Design and Developmentwillestablishvision and methods for the design, development, and launch of new AP courses intended to extend AP coursework to students not currently engaged by AP’s offerings. Accordingly, this Vice President will develop new AP courses and exams in fields of especial post-secondary relevance for a broader group of high school students than currently participate in AP, designing these courses in ways that maximize relevance, student engagement, and career connections while maintaining alignment with standards for awarding of “advanced placement” and college credit by Higher Ed institutions.

As part of this effort, the Vice President willidentify,validate, and incorporate innovative assessment models and item types (e.g., simulations, project portfolios) that effectively measure career-essential knowledge and skills that are the focus of these courses. Following the development and launch of thesenew AP courses and exams, the Vice President will partner with theresearchersto evaluate and refine the design of these courses and exams, and will instantiate processes for efficient, streamlined semi-annual course and exam updates in rapidly changing technology and career fields.

The initial scope of theNew Course Design and Developmentdepartment is to develop and launch six-to-eight new AP courses in Fall 2028 and Fall 2029, from a current list of possibilities that includes: Introduction to Health Science; Anatomy and Physiology; Marketing and Sales;Digital Media and Design; Engineering; Data Science; Agricultural Science;Advanced Manufacturing.

You willdirectlymanage a team ofExecutive Directors withexpertisein instructional designand assessment design,who in turn will lead teams of curricular analysts, instructional designers, assessment specialists, and project managers responsible for building the new courses, exams, and associated instructional resources.  

In this role, you will:

Lead and Manage theNew Course Design and DevelopmentTeam(50%)

• Effectively manage a high-performing, remote team of ~25 curricular researchers, instructional designers, and project managers, ~4 of whom are direct reports, to enable growth and success inaccomplishingannual goals.  

• Set vision and priorities for the team,trackand mange progress to goals, and provide coaching and support to ensure team members meet and exceed goals, remain engaged, and contribute meaningfully to our mission

• Cultivate an inclusive and high achieving culture that enables all team members to live out College Board’s Operating Principles

• Bring proven leadership experience and consistently embody CollegeBoard’sManager Expectationsin your work.

• Sit on the College Board’s AP Leadership Team, meeting weekly with the other senior leaders of the Advanced Placement Program,identifying, structuring, and enacting new opportunities to expand AP opportunities to students not yetbenefitingfrom such.

• Represent the AP Program in presentations to teachers, professors, administrators, and policymakers, particularly at conferences and events where the focus is on curriculum and instruction.   

• Partner with the Access department and State and District Partnerships colleagues toobserveclassroomstesting and implementingnew content   

Lead theNew Course Design and DevelopmentDepartment through several phases for each new AP course, including (50%):

• Analysis:Lead research and optiondevelopment for new AP courses, evaluating curricular andassessmenttrade-offs to recommend whether toproceed

• Course Design & Development:Oversee creation of rigorous, nonpartisan course frameworks aligned to college credit standards and designed for broad student engagement and teacher usability.

• Exam Design & Development:Guidedevelopment of innovative, high-quality assessments and supporting resources, balancingnew approacheswith operational feasibility and ongoing refinement.

• Instructional Resources:Direct rapid prototyping and development of instructional materials that support effective teaching and expand AP’s reach to diverse learners.

• Evaluation & Continuous Improvement:Partner across teams to assess impact and continuously improve courses, exams, and instructional supportsbased on data and feedback.

About You

You are a strategic and detail-oriented leader who can set a bold vision for expanding AP to new audiences while translating that vision into high-quality, discipline-specificcourseand exam designs. You balance big-picture thinking with precision, making thoughtful trade-offs to ensure courses are rigorous, relevant, and accessible to a broad range of students and teachers. You are collaborative, data-informed, and comfortable making tough decisions in service of clarity, depth, and impact.   

To qualify for this role, you must have:

• 15+ years of experience in education, curriculum, or assessment development; experience with career-focused or CTE pathways strongly preferred

• Deep understanding of secondary education, including state standards, career pathways, and authentic assessment of knowledge and durable skills

• Proven ability to lead complex, high-impact initiatives from concept through execution

• Strong analytical and data-driven decision-making skills

• Excellent communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to work across disciplines and influence diverse stakeholders

• High attention to detail paired with creativity and problem-solving

• Openness to feedback and a commitment to continuous learning

• Passion for education and student impact

• Willingness to travel 6–12 times per year

• Experience building, developing, andretaininghigh-performing teams

• Ability to delegate effectively, empower others, and drive accountability

• Strong strategic thinking and planning skills, with the ability to connect near-term work to long-term goals

• Skilled at leading through change in fast-paced, high-stakes environments

• Demonstrated ability to influence, collaborate, and build relationships across stakeholders

• Commitment to inclusive leadership and fostering a culture of belonging

• Track recordof settinghigh expectations, coaching others, and driving performance and growth

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 receivingtimely, 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 beginimmediatelyand will continue until the position is filled.This role is expected to accept applications for a minimum of 5 business days.

• Whilethehiring processmay vary, it generallyincludes:resume and application submission, recruiter phone/video screen, hiring manager interview, performance exercise,a panel interview, a conversation with leadership and reference checks

What We Offer

AtCollegeBoard, we offer more than a paycheck- we provide a meaningful career, a supportive team, and a comprehensive package designed to help you thrive.We’rea 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 $275,000–$310,000.

• Your exact salary will depend on your location, experience, and how your background compares to others in similar rolesatthe 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’llhave open, transparent conversations about compensation, benefits, and whatit’slike to workatCollegeBoard throughout your hiring process. Check outourcareers pagefor more.