Associate Director, AP New Course Product Development - AP New Course Product Development

Associate Director, AP New Course Product Development 

College Board – AP&I 

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 term position that will last for 2 years from the start date.   

About the Team  

AP® is a rigorous academic program built on the commitment, passion, and hard work of students and educators from secondary schools and higher education. With 40+ courses in a wide variety of subject areas, AP provides willing and academically prepared high school students with the opportunity to study and learn at the college level.   

Through the New Course Initiative, the AP Publications team is partnering with the larger AP Program to expand the course portfolio, with several new courses currently in development. The team consists of professionals with expertise in a variety of domains that are integral to the editorial development and production of AP course products. The team builds the publications that bring each new course to life: Course Frameworks (CFs), Course and Exam Descriptions (CEDs), Practice Exams (PEs), and teacher- and student-facing course resources such as project-based learning (PBL) implementation guides and project guides. The team partners closely with course experts, development committees, editors, and outside vendors to deliver clear, accurate, high-quality materials on schedule. 

About the Opportunity   

As Associate Director, AP New Course Product Development, you will play a key role in moving new AP course publications from early drafts through final page proofs. You will build and prepare turnover manuscripts for CFs, CEDs, and course resources; keep publication schedules accurate and visible to everyone who depends on them; plan and support meetings with course stakeholders; and serve as a reliable point of contact for AP colleagues and outside vendors. As priorities shift, you will also lend the same type of support to existing AP courses. 

This is an ideal opportunity for a highly organized, detail-oriented early career professional who enjoys the craft of publishing, thrives in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment, and is motivated by mission-driven work in service of expanding access to college-level learning. 

In this role, you will:  

Build Manuscripts, Support Page Reviews, and Deliver Final Files for New Course Publications and Resources (40%) 

• Prepare and assemble turnover manuscripts for CFs, CEDs, PE, and course resources (PBL guides, project guides, and related materials) using approved templates, styles, and AP editorial conventions 

• Incorporate content, reviewer, and editorial revisions accurately across iterative drafts, maintaining clean version control 

• Track and prepare supporting elements, such as graphics requests, permissions, and sample exam item delivery, so manuscripts are complete at handoff 

• Perform quality checks, including copy-to-copy comparisons and consistency checks, before manuscripts move to editorial review or paging 

• Perform cross-check reviews of PDF page proofs to verify that edits from prior rounds were made accurately and completely 

• Consolidate stakeholder and leadership review comments onto a single revision PDF for the external vendor, flagging conflicting feedback for resolution and ensuring each edit is clear and actionable 

• Close the loop on each publication by delivering final approved content and files to the appropriate teams for posting  

Manage Schedules and Coordinate Stakeholder Meetings (25%) 

• Track and maintain publication schedules for assigned new courses, keeping milestones, dependencies, and owners current in Smartsheet 

• Flag schedule risks early and propose options to keep milestones on track 

• Plan and coordinate meetings with key course stakeholders, including course experts and cross-divisional collaborators; prepare agendas and materials, capture notes, and follow up on action items 

• Document decisions in a shared, easy-to-find location so course teams can access current information independently 

Maintain Stakeholder and Vendor Correspondence (20%) 

• Serve as a reliable point of contact for AP stakeholders and outside vendors (such as compositors and production partners), ensuring consistent communication, tracking of deliverables, and clarity of ownership 

• Prepare turnovers, review requests, and revision instructions; confirm receipt and track turnaround times 

• Maintain correspondence and decision logs for each assigned course 

• Elevate issues to the appropriate lead and help steer them to resolution 

Support Revised AP Courses and Continuous Improvement (15%) 

• Provide manuscript, page review, scheduling, and coordination support for revised AP courses as priorities and capacity require 

• Deliver final approved content and files for revised courses to the appropriate teams for posting  

• Ramp quickly into unfamiliar course content and conventions as assignments shift 

• Contribute to a culture of continuous improvement by building checklists, job aids, and templates, and by exploring approved generative AI tools that make manuscript work more efficient and consistent 

About You  

To qualify for this role, you must have:  

• 3+ years of experience in publishing, editorial, or project coordination, ideally with educational materials, and a bachelor's degree  

• Excellent organizational, time management, and project coordination skills and the demonstrated ability to move forward multiple projects in concert while meeting timelines 

• Strong proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, Adobe Acrobat, and Smartsheet (working knowledge of Adobe InDesign and SharePoint is preferred) 

• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills  

• Strong attention to detail 

• A growth mindset and flexibility when working through ambiguity and shifting priorities in a dynamic, collaborative setting  

• Ability to operate independently, anticipate needs, and take initiative while building strong partnerships across teams and levels of seniority  

• The ability to travel 2-4 times per 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 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 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 $56,000–$85,000. 

• 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.