Assistant Director, Governance Operations

Assistant Director, Governance Operations

College Board - Governance, Membership, Events and Access (GMEA)

Location: This is a hybrid role and requires the candidate to be on-site at the New York office every Tuesday and Wednesday, as well as on-site for all Governance meetings, national events as needed, and in person division meetings.

Role Type : This is a full-time position

About the Team

The Governance, Membership, Events & Access (GMEA) team at College Board is a close-knit, dedicated team of 20 people who are committed to member-led, mission-driven work. GMEA is organized around three connected functions: Governance stewards the enterprise structures and institutional relationships that anchor College Board's legitimacy, accountability, and influence, including oversight of the 31-member Board of Trustees, 3 national and 6 regional assemblies, and the annual nominations and election cycles for all governance bodies; Membership leads operations, strategy, and execution for a national network of 6,000+ member institutions, spanning colleges, universities, secondary schools, districts, systems, and nonprofits, including the delegate structure that elects Trustees and council members; and Events leads strategy and execution of College Board's most consequential enterprise convenings, including six national events and the Board of Trustees retreat, such as Forum, the AP Annual Conference, NASAI, A Dream Deferred, the HBCU Conference, and Prepárate. The team serves as the direct link between member institutions and College Board, ensuring the voices of our members and the students they serve are at the center of our work, and oversees the development of content for annual Forum governance meetings, national assembly meetings, and Board of Trustees meetings, along with management of all meeting logistics and strategic communications.

About the Opportunity

As the Assistant Director, Governance Operations, you will manage the meetings, logistics, and relationships that keep our governance program running seamlessly, from Board of Trustees convenings to Council meetings and events. This is a highly visible role, serving as a first point of contact for some of our most influential member leaders and regularly working across senior leaders internally and externally, while forging strong partnerships with the administrative staff and executive assistants who support them. You bring a detail-driven, customer-centric mindset, thrive in fast-paced environments, and are eager to become an expert in College Board's governance structure and bylaws. Scheduling is a major, ongoing part of this work: you will juggle multiple calendars, competing priorities, and tight timelines across Trustees, Council members, and internal stakeholders, so precision and consistency are essential.

In this role, you will:

Meeting and Logistics Planning (40%)

Ensure flawless execution of high-profile governance meetings and retreats, including but not limited to: attendee logistics and itineraries, scheduling of events and dinners, and meeting execution

Serve as advance and day-of logistics lead, liaising with A/V technicians, venue staff, and external partners to ensure events run smoothly and meet the needs of all stakeholders

Develop and maintain an archive of governance communications around event planning, capturing best practices and streamlining future logistics support

Coordinate onboarding and support orientation of Board of Trustee and Council member leaders

Develop and manage meeting budgets.

Manage forward planning of governance meetings and events, proposing future dates and sites across Trustee and Councils

Support the national events team as needed in the planning, communications, and on-site logistics at various annual events in support of member leaders and GMEA team.

Help compile presentation decks and documents for Council and Trustee meetings in Boardvantage system

Coordinate calendars and share invites for rehearsal meetings

Develop and maintain strong, reliable working relationships across the organization and with our members on behalf of the team

Procurement and Travel (30%)

Own the full procurement lifecycle, including purchase orders, contracts, and invoice processing, working closely with Finance and Legal to ensure vendors are paid on time and within budget

Manage College Board travel to deliver seamless travel logistics for member leader travel and/or group bookings; track and audit travel activities, and process and track expenses and payments for trustees and council members

Manage College Board travel vendors to ensure seamless support for Trustees

Manage ordering and selection of swag gifts and materials for member leaders for special events

Coordinate logistics and attend, as needed, off-cycle Trustee events such as visits to the AP Readings, hosting at College Board conferences, and special events

Trustee and Member Leader Committees (20%)

Manage administrative execution for all Trustee subcommittees, including but not limited to: scheduling, material preparation, forward planning, and meeting date selection

Serve as a key liaison to the administrative staff and executive assistants supporting Trustees and senior leaders, building trusted partnerships that ensure seamless coordination across offices

Database and Member Management (10%)

Maintain core membership data in Salesforce and the Governance website, processing contact and organizational updates and managing member leader rosters

Provide prompt and meticulous customer service to member leaders, via the Governance email inbox as well as phone calls or texts.

Maintain confidentiality and exercise sound judgment in handling sensitive information, while responding to internal inquiries and escalating issues when appropriate

About You

2-4 years' experience providing high-level administrative and logistical support in a fast-paced, executive-facing environment

Command of the technologies that guide our work, or the ability to quickly learn to navigate them, specifically Microsoft Outlook, Slack, Salesforce, Cvent, NASDAQ BoardVantage, and Concur

Bachelor's degree

The ability to travel 25% – 30% a year to events and conferences

Impeccable attention to detail, highly organized, with strong follow-through

Well-developed systems and routines that drive daily efficiency and productivity

Ability to perform well under pressure while actively seeking out and applying feedback

Trustworthy, with excellent judgment and strong collaboration skills

Executive maturity, discretion, and sound judgment given the sensitive nature of the role's interactions

High level of precision and consistency in written and verbal communications, given the visibility of this role with Trustees and senior leadership

Adaptable and even-keeled, with the ability to stay calm, prioritize, and problem-solve in high-stakes, fast-moving environments

Love for education, and experience with governance and membership organizations

Experience with Governance or Boards

Light lifting, packing, and moving may be needed when running events

A sense of humor and grace under pressure

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