Executive Director, Media Relations

Executive Director, Media Relations 

College Board – Engagement and Reach 

Location:  This is a remote role. Candidates who live near CB offices have the option of being fully remote or hybrid (Tuesday and Wednesday in office). All CB employees are required to occasionally travel to meet in person for business purposes. 

Role Type: This is a full-time position 

About the Team  

The Communications department plays a critical role in advancing College Board’s mission and ensuring our work is understood with clarity, accuracy, and impact. We define and align core messaging across the organization and lead strategic engagement with key audiences, including students, families, educators, policymakers, and the media. As a creative, strategically disciplined team, we hold ourselves to high standards and continuously innovate in how we tell our story—elevating thought leadership, strengthening executive visibility, and delivering clear, effective communications in moments that matter.

We partner closely with leaders and teams across programs, research, policy, and operations to translate complex work into compelling narratives that expand understanding, strengthen trust, and drive meaningful impact. 

About the Opportunity   

As Executive Director of Media Relations, you will lead a high-performing team responsible for shaping and safeguarding College Board’s national visibility and reputation. You will design and drive a disciplined, forward-looking media strategy across national, state, and local markets—strengthening trust and demand for our flagship programs, including the SAT Suite, Advanced Placement, and BigFuture, while elevating emerging priorities such as career readiness, AI-related initiatives, and program growth in rural areas. In a complex and highly scrutinized landscape, you will leverage media intelligence and strategic foresight to anticipate emerging issues, steward relationships with top-tier journalists, elevate executive visibility and thought leadership, and lead high-stakes media engagement in moments that shape public understanding.

This is a consequential leadership role for a strategic, creative communicator who thrives under pressure and is motivated by the opportunity to shape national narratives and expand opportunity for all students. 

In this role, you will:  

Lead a high-performing media relations team and strengthen cross-divisional collaboration (15%) 

Set vision and priorities for the team, track and 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 College Board’s Manager Expectations in your work. 

Develop and execute a comprehensive enterprise media strategy (25%) 

Translate organizational priorities and enterprise messaging into proactive and reactive media strategies that strengthen institutional credibility and public understanding 

Identify and drive media opportunities aligned to College Board’s mission, strategic goals, and reputational priorities 

Partner closely with teams across the organization to ensure message consistency, strategic alignment, and impact 

Advise senior leaders on media engagement strategy, visibility, and reputational risk 

Oversee media intelligence and anticipate emerging issues (15%) 

Lead comprehensive monitoring and analysis of media coverage, sentiment, and narrative trends  

Translate insights into actionable executive guidance that informs communications and operational decision-making 

Identify emerging issues, policy dynamics, and reputational vulnerabilities early 

Recommend proactive engagement or mitigation strategies to shape narratives before they escalate 

Guide high-stakes media engagement and reputational response (20%) 

Serve as the senior media lead during high-risk, high-visibility issues and sensitive inquiries 

Assess complex or high-profile media requests and recommend engagement strategy, including whether and how to respond and who should serve as spokesperson 

Develop clear, accurate, and strategically positioned statements, background materials, and Q&A documents 

Coordinate executive interviews and media engagements when appropriate, ensuring preparation, message discipline, and follow-through 

Partner closely with a range of College Board leaders and subject matter experts to deliver aligned, timely responses 

Maintain and strengthen crisis protocols, escalation frameworks, and organizational readiness 

Cultivate trusted media relationships to strengthen credibility and coverage quality (15%) 

Build and maintain long-term, trust-based relationships with national, regional, and trade journalists 

Engage reporters proactively through background briefings, contextual education, and strategic outreach 

Serve as a reliable, credible resource to enhance accuracy and depth of coverage 

Act as senior escalation point for sensitive or complex inquiries to protect and reinforce institutional reputation 

Prepare and advise executive leaders for effective external engagement (10%) 

Provide candid strategic counsel on engagement posture, tone, and risk in high-stakes media environments 

Develop high-quality briefing materials, talking points, and Q&A that ensure message clarity and consistency 

Deliver media training and rehearsal sessions that build confidence and discipline 

Support high-profile interviews and public moments to maximize impact and minimize risk 

 ​ 

About You  

To qualify for this role, you must have:  

Bachelor’s degree in journalism, communications, public affairs, or related field required