Hybrid Director, Financial Aid – Events Planning

at The College Board

• Job title: Director, Financial Aid – Events Planning
• Job type: Full Time
• Experience level: Lead
• Salary: $80,000 - $120,000 per year
• Degree requirement: Bachelor's Degree
• Location requirements: Hybrid, United States

About the role

• Director of Financial Aid Events Planning responsible for high-impact events at College Board. Managing logistics, strategy, and stakeholder engagement for financial aid programs.

Responsibilities

• Lead the long-range strategy and vision for financial aid professional convenings to advance College Board’s mission, strengthen product retention, and drive engagement.
• Lead end-to-end planning and project management for professional development events, including virtual webinars, national conferences, regional sessions, and institutional training.
• In partnership with Director of Financial Aid Marketing and Communications, co-lead conference design and positioning, including defining event goals, content strategy, format, and attendee experience.
• Manage event logistics including vendor selection and management, content development, contracts, onsite support, registration, and audiovisual, committee/speaker travel, and hotel room blocks.
• Identify and execute strategies and new best practices that result in measurable growth of event engagement, customer satisfaction, and conversion.
• Coordinate with internal and external stakeholders to manage speaker engagement, session proposals, content development, outreach, scheduling, content alignment, and preparation to ensure a cohesive and impactful event experience.
• Provide travel support for advisory committees including managing rooming lists, airfare, and reimbursements.
• Drive strategy aimed at streamlining event planning processes and improving the end-to-end attendee experience.
• Oversee site selection and virtual platform setup; manage vendor and venue coordination, registration, day-of execution, and travel support for committee members, presenters, and staff.
• Draft and maintain run-of-show documents, production timelines, and internal staffing plans to ensure flawless delivery.
• Own accountability for meeting event KPIs such as NPS, registration growth, and revenue targets.
• Serve as a thought partner to product and marketing leadership on how convenings can accelerate product adoption and user satisfaction.
• Develop and oversee event budget planning.
• Coordinate payments and reconciliations of events related transactions.
• Develop and maintain event revenue and modeling.
• Make budget recommendations for cost savings and revenue growth based on past event performance and vendor negotiations.
• Manage event technology platforms (e.g., Zoom, Cvent, etc …) including registration, attendee engagement, and Salesforce integrations.
• Ensure accessibility, consistency, and ease of use across all convening tools.
• Troubleshoot technical issues during events and serve as the primary liaison for platform support and vendor partners.
• Develop and execute attendee surveys and maintain post-event analytics to inform training and support strategies .
• Manage event scheduling and registration logistics .
• Evaluate and recommend software systems to improve operational efficiency and attendee experience.
• Work closely with Director of Financial Aid Marketing and Communications to deploy events promotions and align brand presence.
• Develop and maintain exhibiting toolkits and assets.
• Support exhibiting strategies and ancillary meetings including securing conference and events booth space, assets, and contracts.
• Support staff team engagements including securing meeting spaces and coordinating staff travel.
• Lead planning for national exhibiting presence to support sales enablement and customer acquisition strategies.

Requirements

• 5-7 years of related experience working in the fields of event planning, event data management, education management, and membership association management.
• Ability to use data and analytics to drive decision-making.
• Strong organization, project management and prioritization skills and the proven ability to move forward multiple projects in concert, both independently and as a member of the team.
• Adaptable and open to feedback with the desire to learn and grow.
• Able to attend to numerous time sensitive activities at once, i.e., multitask.
• Experience managing team workflows and projects via Monday.com, MS Project or similar tools
• Understands the complexity of large-scale conferences.
• Understanding of the school and college environments and those of educational systems
• Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to relate to educators and other constituents at a variety of levels.
• Can answer to numerous internal and external audiences with accuracy and grace.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills -- including proofreading and editing skills.
• Ability to design and deliver effective presentations and training resources.
• Proficient in PowerPoint, Word, Excel, CVent and skilled with web content management systems.
• The ability to travel 3-6 times a year to College Board offices or on behalf of College Board business
• 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.

Benefits

• Annual bonuses and opportunities for merit-based raises and promotions
• A mission-driven workplace where your impact matters
• A team that invests in your development and success