Vice President of Channel Operations

Overview:

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 equity 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 -- we’ve never been more sure of our purpose.

ACT Education Corp. team members are part of an organization dedicated to an important mission: Helping people achieve education and workplace success. Advancing the mission internally, by helping 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, equitable environment in which every team member has an 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 the company thrive. To support this, our total rewards include company paid life insurance, medical, dental, vision, flexible spending accounts, 401(k) with company contributions, paid holidays, paid time off, and so much more. You can find a comprehensive list of our benefits here.  

We are seeking a Vice President of Channel Operations to help us fulfill that mission. The Vice President of Channel Operations is responsible for oversite and elevation of the performance and strategic direction of our 5,000+ test center network. This role is crucial to achieving our organizational goals, ensuring exceptional service delivery, operational efficiency, and innovative enhancements to customer experiences across our network.

The incumbent provides deep expertise in standardized test administration, extensive network operations experience, and a visionary approach to expanding and refining test center operations, with a strong focus on equitable access and accommodations.

The finalist will be hired at the salary and level commensurate with their qualifications. We anticipate offering a market competitive annual salary in the range of $160,000 to $185,000. ACT manages salaries within the range based on relevant factors including, skills, experience, and internal equity. The position is incentive eligible.

Location:  This is a remote position (can also be onsite or hybrid if in Iowa City, Iowa area)

A Day in the Life:

• Channel Strategy & Execution: Develop and implement a test center network strategy aligned with company goals, prioritizing resource allocation for operational efficiency and long-term growth.
• Operational Excellence: Lead efforts to optimize test center quality, cost-efficiency, and scalability, using data insights to improve service delivery.
• Innovation & Technology: Identify and integrate emerging technologies to enhance operational processes and expand testing reach.
• Performance Analytics: Oversee a team to monitor, analyze, and report on test center performance, identifying trends and opportunities for improvement.
• Executive Reporting: Provide senior leadership with performance reports, strategic recommendations, and insights into network health and performance metrics.
• Training & Compliance: Develop and enforce training programs and compliance policies to ensure test coordinators and proctors meet high standards, with a focus on diverse candidate needs.
• Accommodations & Accessibility: Ensure specialized test centers are equipped to provide equitable access for all candidates, including those requiring accommodations.
• Budget & Resource Management: Manage the operational budget, optimize resource allocation, and drive cost efficiencies in line with corporate financial goals.
• Crisis & Event Management: Lead efforts during critical test events, ensuring readiness and guiding teams through high-impact situations.
• Team Leadership: Lead, mentor, and develop a team of senior managers and directors, fostering a culture of collaboration, performance excellence, and continuous improvement.

Role Progression:

Within 1 Month:

• Gain a comprehensive understanding of ACT’s test center network, operational structure, and customer demographics.
• Meet with key stakeholders, including regional operations managers, test center coordinators, and senior leadership, to gather insights on current challenges and opportunities within the network.
• Review key performance indicators (KPIs) and baseline data for test center performance, including candidate experience metrics, operational efficiency, and quality assurance standards.

Within 3 Months:

• Develop a preliminary strategic roadmap for enhancing the test center network, focusing on key areas such as operational efficiency, service delivery, and equitable access.
• Initiate a series of regional check-ins with test centers to identify region-specific needs, opportunities for support, and ways to address unique challenges.
• Collaborate with ACT teams (Product, Technology, Operations) and data analytics teams to identify opportunities for data-driven improvements in test center performance and candidate experience.

Within 6 Months:

• Finalize and begin implementing the strategic roadmap, focusing on improving service quality, candidate satisfaction, and test center readiness.
• Establish metrics to measure progress across key performance areas, including site readiness, candidate experience, and issue resolution times. Introduce regular reporting to track improvements.
• Drive initiatives to streamline processes and improve operational efficiency within test center operations, identifying areas where automation or process improvements can reduce costs and enhance performance.
• Develop and roll out a comprehensive training program for test center coordinators, emphasizing best practices in customer service, conflict resolution, and managing accommodations.

Within 12 Months:

• Strengthen the overall testing network by evaluating the results of implemented strategies and identifying areas for continuous improvement.
• Conduct a year-end review with key stakeholders to assess progress toward strategic goals and adjust the roadmap for the upcoming year based on data insights and performance metrics.
• Serve as a coach and advocate for the test center teams, promoting a culture of continuous improvement and operational excellence across ACT’s network, and set the foundation for long-term success in the role.

About You:

• 10+ years in operations and strategic management, with 5+ years leading large-scale testing, educational assessment, or channel operations.
• Proven experience managing and scaling remote test centers within regulated environments.
• Expertise in vendor and partnership management, including negotiation and contract oversight.
• Strong background in project/program management, driving complex, cross-functional initiatives.
• Executive leadership experience, aligning and executing strategies with organizational goals.
• Excellent at prioritizing, managing time, and meeting critical deadlines and service-level agreements.
• Adaptable to fast-paced change, with a focus on continuous improvement.
• Strong analytical skills, using data insights to drive decisions and strategies.
• Customer-focused, with a commitment to improving candidate and client experiences.
• Creative problem-solver with a focus on innovation and diverse perspectives.
• Skills and knowledge required for success in this position attained through experience and education (bachelor’s degree in communications, business, operations management, or related field of study), or a combination of both.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s degree preferred in Communications, business, business operations management, or related field.
• Extensive experience in the education or certification industry, ideally within a multinational organization.
• Digital and remote testing delivery experience, with knowledge of the unique operational challenges and best practices in this field.
• Expertise in Agile methodologies and experience with AI technology integration to enhance operational and decision-making processes.

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 industry—helping more people learn, better measure their progress, and improve their navigation through life’s transitions. 

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

We know transformation does not come without challenge. That’s 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.org!

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 values diversity in people and ideas and participates in E-verify. ACT's 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.

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