Associate VP, State Markets Operations and Strategy

At Curriculum Associates, we believe in the potential of every child and are changing the face of education technology with award-winning learning programs like i-Ready that serve a third of the nation’s K–8 students. For more than 50 years, our commitment to making classrooms better places, serving educators, and supporting accessible learning experiences for all students has driven the continuous improvement of our innovative programs. Our team of more than 2,500 employees is composed of lifelong learners who stand behind this mission, working tirelessly to serve the educational community with world-class programs and support every day.

Associate VP, State Markets Operations and Strategy

Curriculum Associates is seeking a highly qualified Associate Vice President (AVP) for a unique cross-functional opportunity. In this pivotal role, you will oversee centralized processes and tools that act as the central hub for state-level information both within the Government Relations (GR) team and across the organization, ensuring accurate and up-to-date insights are shared across multiple teams in order to develop and pursue peak policy and business strategies for Curriculum Associates.

As a senior leader, you will collaborate within GR as well as with State Strategy, Marketing, Sales, Adoptions/Bids and Proposals, Assessment Insights, Partner Success, Product, and more to help design and drive on effective state market operations and strategy for CA. Your expertise will directly influence strategic decisions, helping to guide investment priorities, shape product roadmaps, refine sales strategies, and address regulatory compliance needs. You will also play a key role in understanding state market requirements, preparing for state list awards, and documenting state solutions. In addition to this, you will serve as a visionary thought leader, guiding our communication strategies for state markets.

In addition to the operational scope, you will also serve a strategic advisory function: serving as a key support for the Vice President, Policy and Engagement on cross-GR team management, leading special cross-functional projects as assigned, and synthesizing trends across the Regional Vice President portfolios and the national policy landscape to proactively identify risks and opportunities for the company. This includes independently gathering and vetting the supporting research and data, developing the business and/or policy case, and developing policy, legislative, regulatory proposals, and external-facing materials needed to act on those insights.

The impact you'll have:

• Oversee the maintenance, optimization, and potential expansion of state dashboard tools that centralizes data collection and reporting processes for tracking state-specific assessment, policy, and instructional material requirements across all 50 states. Ensure that the data is accessible, accurate, and actionable for stakeholders across the organization
• Identify and analyze evolving trends in state-level data, assess potential impacts on business operations, and lead discussions on strategic adjustments needed across the company to stay ahead of regulatory or market changes
• Partner with cross functional teams such as Assessment, Adoptions/Bids and Proposals, Educator Success, Marketing, Sales, Assessment Insights, Research and State Solutions to collect, display, and utilize state-level data effectively and in CA tools and processes, including in urgent and emerging opportunities as well as ongoing use of dashboards and tools
• Produce and deliver tailored resources, recurring reports, and interactive dashboards to key internal stakeholders, empowering them to take informed actions based on up-to-date state data and insights
• With the Vice President, cultivate a high-performance, high-quality culture focused on precision, measurable results, relevance, and continuous growth. Inspire teammates to deliver excellence in all aspects of the role
• Lead retrospectives and process evaluations to identify opportunities for continuous improvement. Implement best practices and efficiencies to enhance team productivity and execution
• Foster a collaborative environment to ensure alignment between teams and efficient execution of state strategies
• Proactively manage dependencies related to state strategies, identifying risks and issues, and working across teams to drive resolutions and ensure timely closure
• Serve as a key advisor to the Vice President, Policy and Engagement, providing counsel on team management issues and helping lead the government relations function on the VP's behalf as needed
• Lead special projects and other duties as assigned by the Vice President, Policy and Engagement, often requiring rapid turnaround across shifting priorities
• Synthesize information across Regional Vice President portfolios and national policy and market trends, including to proactively identify emerging threats and opportunities; independently gather and vet supporting research and data, and develop policy and business cases, policy proposals, and external communications materials to advance the company's position

What we're looking for:

• Possesses deep knowledge of the state assessment and instructional materials market, the K-12 education landscape, edtech market, and current curriculum and assessment trends
• Proven ability to work creatively and analytically in a problem-solving environment demonstrating teamwork, innovation, and excellence
• Ability to manage ambiguity to determine end goals, key results, and path forward
• Expert in the use and development of Smartsheet and other similar project management tools for collaboration (e.g., Sharepoint)
• Strong organizational and time management skills
• Effective communication skills – ensuring clear understanding and exchange of information
• Observe and absorb information communicated through relevant materials such as meetings, memos, and so on
• Effective decision-making capability, ownership, and accountability
• Demonstrated ability to synthesize complex information into clear, actionable next steps for cross-functional audiences, including in strategic recommendations, business cases, and policy proposals
• Experience providing strategic or management support to senior leadership (e.g., in a deputy or chief-of-staff capacity) preferred
• Proficient with Programs and Applications such as SalesForce.com and the entire Microsoft Office Suite

Required Education and Experience:

• Bachelor’s Degree
• 5-10 years of equivalent experience of successful management of cross-functional edtech/digital and/or assessment programs
• Familiarity with state education policy, requirements, departments of education, and national trends in K-12 education

Preferred Experience:

• PMP 
• Experience with product management
• MBA or MA in relevant field
• Experience working with digital assessment and curricular products
• Experience in EdTech and publishing
• Familiarity with Curriculum Associate products and services
• Familiarity with high stakes assessment use cases, such as literacy screening, reading guarantees, promotion-retention, and gifted and talented identification

Travel: Travel up to 30% may be required, subject to business need.

Benefits and Pay Range:

Pay Range – This role’s range is $126,750 - $233,750. The wage range for this role takes into account the wide range of factors that Curriculum Associates considers in making compensation decisions based on our Compensation Philosophy. Actual base pay within that range will vary based upon several factors including, but not limited to, prior experience and relevant skill sets. At Curriculum Associates, it is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top of the range for their role and compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances for each case. This role is also eligible to participate in the company bonus plan. The Company recognizes that minimum wage varies by location and will ensure all compensation decisions comply with applicable state and local laws.

Benefits – Benefit eligible employees (and their families) are covered by medical, dental, vision, and basic life insurance. Employees can enroll in our company’s 401k plan and receive an employer match. Employees have access to a flexible vacation and sick policy in addition to twelve paid holidays and a winter office closure between Christmas and New Year's, as well as a number of additional perks and benefits.

Application deadline: September 25, 2026. This is subject to close earlier if there is a high volume of applicants or a qualified hire is made.