Director, Operations Portfolio and Planning

As the Director, Operations Portfolio & Planning, you will create and lead a centralized portfolio management and planning capability within Operations. You will develop and maintain a single, integrated view of all operational initiatives, both the work Operations leads and the support required for product and program delivery, to ensure alignment, prioritization, and sequencing across teams and release cycles. 

Working in partnership with Product, Program, Technology, and Operations leaders, you’ll provide a single point of engagement and a unified “One Ops” view for roadmap integration ensuring Operations keeps pace with product timelines and launches. You’ll ensure that Operations designs complete, connected solutions for how work gets done. This includes establishing clear pathways for automation and technology solution requests through a single, visible intake point that connects Operations to Technology and enables scalable, reusable solutions. 

You’ll drive the operational rhythm of the business by coordinating planning activities, creating transparency into priorities, dependencies, and ownership across Operations. As a spokesperson for Operations, you will represent the portfolio to internal and partner audiences communicating our collective roadmap, priorities, intended outcomes and advocating for shared wins with clarity and confidence. 

In this role, you will:  

Planning, Prioritization & Operational Rhythm (40%) 

• Lead planning strategies that shape the priorities for Ops internal platforms & product integration  

• Establish planning cadences across Operations supporting continuous intake, prioritization, and delivery routines that bring structure and predictability to how work flows. 

• Create transparency into work in progress and dependencies across Ops teams. 

• Manage the rhythm of execution by running internal reviews, surfacing blockers, escalating risks, and ensuring on-time delivery. 

• Communicate clearly with leaders and stakeholders on what is moving forward, when, and why. 

Portfolio Strategy Integration & Roadmap Alignment (30%) 

• Work with stakeholders to maintain a consolidated view of product and program initiatives that intersect with operational initiatives, activities, and functions. 

• Organize engagements to ensure Operations’ portfolio needs are captured. Facilitating Operations leaderships prioritization of features with robust analysis. And guiding efforts to ensure planning alignment between Operations, Product, Program, and Technology teams. 

• Ensure Ops delivery milestones are fully aligned with product launch timelines so the front stage and backstage stay in sync. 

• Establish an Ops cross-portfolio approach to analyze, document and deliver analytic insights and data that influence product and service design. 

• Support the evolution of Ops’ Knowledge Management (KM) systems and learning development by maintaining team visibility on emerging and future operational systems and requirements. 

Solution Enablement (30%) 

• Establish and manage a single intake process for technology solution requests, ensuring visibility and consistency across to deliver scalable solutions that improve efficiency. 

• Track and communicate the outcomes and impact of delivered solutions, using data to inform future prioritization decisions. 

• Advocate for Operations’ portfolio priorities with stakeholders, identifying win-win opportunities to improve existing systems and ensuring new systems are ready to meet the unique needs of Operations and the customers it serves. 

 About You  

• 7+ years of experience in operations planning, portfolio management, or product/program management within a complex, matrixed organization. 

• Strong understanding of product development and technology delivery lifecycles, with the ability to translate operational needs into clear, actionable work for technical teams. 

• Demonstrated success partnering with Product, Program, and Technology leaders to align goals, identify dependencies, and deliver complete, scalable solutions. 

• Highly comfortable operating in ambiguity: you can start from a blank slate, make sense of scattered inputs, and shape structure where none exists. You adapt quickly as new information surfaces and see ambiguity as an opportunity, not a blocker. 

• A collaborative, low-ego teammate who builds trust across diverse groups. You naturally work through influence rather than authority, and you’re energized by shared ownership, joint problem-solving, and helping others succeed. 

• Exceptional organization and prioritization skills, with the ability to move multiple projects forward independently and collaboratively. 

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, using data to inform prioritization, assess impact, and measure delivery outcomes. 

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including facilitating planning sessions, leading reviews, and presenting to senior leadership. 

• Proven ability to influence and build relationships across diverse teams, bringing structure without adding bureaucracy. 

• Ability to travel 6-8 times a year to College Board offices or on behalf of College Board business. 

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 such as live coding, a 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 $80,000–$135,000. 

• 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. 

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