Director, Session Lead

Director, Session Lead 

College Board - AP&I 

Location: This is a fully remote role. Candidates who live near CB offices have the option of being fully remote or hybrid (Tuesday and Wednesday in office). 

Type: This is a full-time position 

About the Team  

The AP Program Planning team is responsible for the successful execution of the annual AP Reading event where millions of student exam responses are scored. The team supports strategic planning, workforce coordination, logistics, vendor alignment, and data-driven decision making to ensure accurate and timely scoring across 40+ AP subjects. This work sits within the broader AP Delivery organization, which manages the AP annual cycle from course setup through exam administration, scoring, and score reporting. Each year, millions of students generate tens of millions of constructed responses that must be scored accurately, on time, and at scale by a distributed Reader workforce operating both onsite and remotely. 

About the Opportunity   

Leads planning and execution of AP Reading operations for an assigned portfolio of subjects, ensuring that all Readers—both onsite and at-home—are effectively deployed, scheduled, and supported to deliver accurate, timely scoring while contributing to a high-quality and consistent Reader experience. 

Operates within the Site Logistics & Execution track as the subject-level execution owner, translating site plans and enterprise priorities into real-time delivery across a distributed workforce, while owning subject-level scoring performance and operational outcomes. 

Serves as the primary escalation point during the Reading for all assigned subjects, engaging directly with vendors, partners, and leadership to resolve issues and escalating when challenges exceed session-level authority or require site-wide intervention. 

In this role, you will:  

Subject-Level Scoring Execution and Orchestration 

• Own execution of AP Reading operations for an assigned portfolio of AP subjects, ensuring scoring delivery aligns to throughput, quality, completion targets, and prompt-level coverage needs. 

• Own real-time operational performance for assigned subjects, ensuring scoring progress, pacing, and coverage remain aligned with enterprise targets. 

• Ensure all Readers assigned to those subjects—onsite and at-home—are working on the correct exam prompts and are deployed in alignment with real-time scoring needs. 

• Monitor subject- and prompt-level scoring performance, including Reader productivity, coverage, completion pacing, and emerging operational risk. 

• Manage real-time assignment of Readers to exam prompts, executing rebalancing and staffing adjustments to maintain scoring progress. 

• Identify and propose scoring adjustments such as prompt reassignment or staffing shifts, consulting with the Reader Demand & Utilization Director before major strategy changes are executed. 

• Maintain continuous engagement with Chief Readers and subject leadership to assess scoring progress, resolve issues, and align on real-time adjustments. 

Session-Level Workforce Deployment and Reader Support 

• Plan and prepare for AP Reading execution across assigned subjects, including coordination with Chief Readers and validation of staffing, logistics, and scoring readiness. 

• Execute workforce deployment plans at the session and subject level, ensuring staffing assignments stay aligned to scoring demand and live operating conditions. 

• Validate readiness of all assigned Readers across environments, including system access, training completion, scheduling accuracy, and operational support needs. 

• Manage real-time Reader allocation across prompts, including approved reassignments, gap coverage moves, and staffing adjustments in coordination with workforce and demand partners. 

• Support attendance tracking, no-show handling, exception management, and other staffing controls tied to assigned subjects. 

• Balance operational efficiency with Reader experience considerations, recognizing when execution choices may create confusion, fatigue, or dissatisfaction and adjusting accordingly. 

Site Logistics Execution and Component Ownership 

• Lead subject-level planning for onsite execution, including room setup, floor and table assignments, leadership placement, workstation readiness, signage, materials distribution, and session configuration aligned to scoring needs. 

• Execute site logistics plans at the session and subject level, including leadership placement, workstation readiness, signage, materials distribution, and session configuration. 

• Lead planning and execution for defined onsite Reading components such as hotel assignment approaches, transportation operations, airfare rules or booking processes, evening event oversight, or other designated logistics areas. 

• Engage vendors directly to resolve real-time operational issues affecting assigned subjects or components, including hotels, transportation providers, convention center partners, or onsite service teams. 

• Escalate to the Site Logistics Manager when vendor responsiveness is insufficient, when the issue affects broader site operations, or when added authority is required to secure the desired outcome. 

• Support late-scoring readiness and launch activities as needed. 

Distributed Scoring Management and Communication 

• Ensure clear, consistent coordination across onsite and at-home Readers, maintaining clarity of assignments, expectations, and updates. 

• Manage subject-level communications in partnership with workforce teams so Readers receive timely direction without conflicting messages. 

• Identify communication or process gaps that could affect scoring accuracy, efficiency, or Reader satisfaction and move quickly to correct them. 

• Ensure a consistent, high-quality Reader experience through clear communication, responsiveness, and timely issue resolution. 

Session Leadership and Analyst Direction 

• Direct the work of 1–2 Value Chain Analysts supporting assigned subjects during the Reading cycle and associated planning periods. 

• Delegate work to support issue resolution, monitoring, and execution, ensuring effective coverage of operational needs. 

• Set priorities and guide analytical focus so analyst work helps the session respond quickly to staffing issues, prompt imbalances, no-shows, and throughput risks. 

• Translate operational and analytical signals into actions, while recognizing that issue identification may come from analysts, direct observation, Chief Readers, workforce partners, or demand partners. 

• Ensure analyst outputs are accurate, actionable, and integrated into live decision making, documentation, and escalation workflows. 

Issue Resolution, Reporting, and Continuous Improvement 

• Serve as the primary escalation point for subject-level issue resolution, addressing execution challenges quickly across both onsite and at-home environments and escalating when needed. 

• Coordinate with the Site Logistics Manager and Reader Demand & Utilization Director on significant scoring adjustments to ensure subject-level actions align with overall Reading performance. 

• Monitor performance, identify risks, and implement corrective actions to maintain scoring progress and operational stability. 

• Provide structured reporting on scoring progress, staffing status, Reader issues, vendor concerns, and other operational risks. 

• Capture insights and contribute to post-Reading retrospectives that improve staffing models, site logistics, communication practices, and vendor approaches in future cycles. 

About You  

• Strong real-time operator with experience managing complex, high-volume workflows in dynamic environments. 

• Comfortable leading in ambiguity, engaging directly with partners and vendors, and making adjustments under pressure. 

• Able to connect scoring needs, staffing realities, logistics constraints, and Reader experience into one integrated execution lens. 

• Analytical enough to spot patterns and use data well, but pragmatic enough to act quickly without waiting for perfect information. 

• Strong people and stakeholder leader who can direct analysts, coordinate with peers, and keep subject leadership aligned. 

• Minimum of 4 years of experience leading operations, with strong command of logistics, vendors, and live-event execution in complex environments 

• Experience working with complex data sets, advanced MS Excel user, familiarity with data analysis tools such as PowerBI and other platforms 

• Bachelors Degree preferred 

• This role also includes the ability to travel 3-5 times a year to College Board offices or on behalf of College Board business. Travel may range from 1-2 days to multi-week stays during peak operational periods supporting AP Reading activities in late May through June.  

• This role may entail standing and or walking for extended periods of time. 

All roles at College Board require:  

• A passion for expanding educational and career opportunities and mission-driven work 

• Authorization to work in the United States for any employer 

• Curiosity and enthusiasm for emerging technologies, with a willingness to experiment with and adopt new AI-driven solutions and a comfort 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. 

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, a panel interview, a conversation with leadership and reference checks.    

What We Offer 

At College Board, we offer more than just 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 - $130,000 

• 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.