Program Director, Policy & Advocacy

At ACT Your Work Makes a Difference

Education has power a power that changes lives forever. It creates opportunities that lift up individuals their families and sparks societal change that echoes through generations to come. From our grassroots we have fought the good fight for inclusivity in education and we remain devoted to helping anyone who struggles to access that power. This is what matters to us and we must do better -- weve never been more sure of our purpose.

ACT team members are part of an organization dedicated to a mission that has never been more important: Helping people achieve education and workplace success. Advancing that mission within our organization by helping our team members achieve education and workplace success of their own is core to our values. ACT values a diverse workplace and is committed to fostering an inclusive environment in which every team member has an equal opportunity to grow.

We want our team members to have the well-being and confidence they need to do their best work in an environment where both they and ACT thrive. To support this our total rewards include company paid life insurance medical dental vision flexible health and dependent spending accounts 401(k) retirement savings with company match paid holidays paid time off and so much more. You can find a comprehensive list of our benefits here.

We are seeking a Program Director Policy & Advocacy to help us fulfill that mission.

The Program Director Policy & Advocacy leads the development prioritization and execution of ACTs state and federal policy and advocacy strategy across assigned states to advance education and workforce outcomes aligned with ACTs mission. This role develops strategies to influence state education and workforce policy builds relationships with key policymakers and influencers and partners closely with internal teams to ensure ACTs perspectives and solutions are effectively represented at national and state levels including through their leadership of the annual ACT Summit.

The finalist will be hired at the salary and level commensurate with their qualifications. For this position we anticipate offering an annual salary in the range of $120000 to $135000. ACT manages salaries within the range based on relevant factors including skills experience and internal equity. This position is incentive-eligible.

Location: This is a remote position based in the United States.

Applicants must be authorized to work in the U.S. without the need for visa sponsorship.

What you will be working on:

• Manages strategic development and execution of ACTs national K-WF convening including session and speaker selection and management agenda and engagement creation policy and product integration and leadership of cross-functional teams.
• Directs ACTs state and federal policy projects across assigned states aligning policy priorities with ACTs mission products and long-term goals
• Establishes and maintains trusted relationships with state-level policymakers and influencers including State Departments of Education Higher Education Workforce Services and external advocacy organizations to advance ACTs policy priorities.
• Monitors analyzes and interprets state and federal education and workforce policy trends legislation regulations and assessment/accountability systems to identify opportunities risks and implications for ACT
• Develops and communicates policy positions recommendations and thought leadership that inform decision-makers and advance evidence-based practices aligned with ACTs strategy.
• Translates ACT research data and insights into compelling policy narratives that influence decision-makers and drive action.
• Collaborates with internal stakeholders (e.g. government relations research product legal and business units) to ensure coordinated and consistent policy positions and messaging.
• Represents ACT in coalitions advisory groups hearings and public forums serving as a subject-matter expert on assessment college and career readiness and workforce alignment.
• Provides strategic guidance to leadership on policy implications that may affect ACT initiatives partnerships or market environments.
• Supports advocacy planning by preparing briefings analyses testimony and background materials for internal and external audiences.
• Tracks evaluates and reports on advocacy activities policy outcomes and stakeholder engagement to inform leadership decision-making and ensure alignment with organizational goals.

Role Progression:

At the end of 3 months you will have:

• Support ongoing effort for Summit 2026 planning

• Begin preparation for 2027 Summit including April on-site meeting in Nashville

Within 6 months you will:

• 2026 Summit completed successfully with focus on learning about the event planning processes and identifying opportunities for improvement

• 2027 Summit registration open RFP and speaker planning underway

• Develop plan and timeline for policy projects to be completed in FY26 (e.g. creating policy collateral)

Within 12 months you will:

• Established leadership role in planning the Summit including full involvement in all relevant meetings/processes

• Directing range of policy projects beyond the Summit.

This could be the job for you if you have (minimum requirements):

• At least 7 years of progressively responsible experience in education workforce public policy government relations or advocacy including experience leading or shaping policy strategy and engaging senior-level stakeholders.

• Demonstrated experience working with state-level policy environments including education or workforce systems.

• Demonstrated experience developing and executing strategic organizational convenings.

• Strong understanding of education and workforce policy landscapes including assessment accountability and college and career readiness.

• Experience in developing and executing strategic convenings with strong preference for experience with large national-level policy or practitioner events

• Understanding of product roadmap user needs and competitive assessment education and workforce environments

• Demonstrated ability to influence advise and engage senior state-level leaders and policymakers.

• Ability to analyze complex policy issues and translate them into clear actionable strategic recommendations.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills including briefing and presentation skills for executive and policy audiences.

• Ability to work collaboratively across internal teams and with external partners.

• Demonstrates strategic thinking and ability to anticipate policy implications for organizational strategy and market environments.

• Actively promotes diverse perspectives and engages with a broad range of stakeholders

• Adaptable and effective in fast-changing policy and political environments.

• Self-starter with strong organizational skills and follow-through.

• Ability to travel (approx. 15-25%) and manage relationships with leaders at the federal and state level.

• Skills and knowledge required for success in this position attained through experience education (Bachelors degree in Education Public Policy Public Administration Political Science Business Administration or a related field) or a combination of both.

Its a plus if you have:

• Experience in education policy assessment policy or accountability systems.

• Prior work with a state education agency legislature governors office or advocacy organization.

• Familiarity with K12 postsecondary and workforce policy intersections.

• Experience supporting or leading coalitions or multi-stakeholder advocacy efforts.

• Background in translating research or data into evidence-based policy recommendations.

About ACT

When ACT was founded in 1959 it disrupted the assessment industry with a new approach to helping students better understand their readiness so they could take steps to improve it. By leveraging our expertise and authority in assessment and research we will again disrupt the industryhelping more people learn better measure their progress and improve their navigation through lifes transitions.

More than ever before ACT is fulfilling its mission of helping people achieve education and workplace success. Were doing it by pushing the boundaries of learning innovation through the work of our people who we call team members because were all in this together.

We know transformation does not come without challenge. Thats why ACT invests in a variety of experiences for team members to strengthen their connections explore ideas learn from customers and celebrate success.

Learn more about working at ACT at !

ACT is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race color religion sex sexual orientation gender identity national origin disability status protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law. ACT participates in E-verify. ACTs online position announcements are intended only to provide general descriptions of employment opportunities; none of the information provided for any position should be interpreted as a commitment by ACT to specific terms and conditions for employment.

Completion of the ACT National Career Readiness Certificate is recommended. Find a testing site near you to register for the WorkKeys assessments. Finalists for this position will be subject to a criminal background check as a condition of employment.

**If you have received an ACT employment-related communication from an email address that is not affiliated with @ and/or that requests personal or financial information please do not reply. Instead reach out to us at with the details. ACTs recruitment team appreciates your interest in working with us to transform college and career readiness pathways for all learners and wishes you the best of luck in your career journey.**