Fast Facts

The Senior Manager of State Initiatives at Common App will oversee engagement efforts with state systems to enhance access to post-secondary opportunities in a remote setting.

Responsibilities: Manage relationships with state representatives, implement Common App offerings, and collaborate across teams to ensure successful state partnerships.

Skills: Strong relationship-building, project management, analytical, and communication skills with proficiency in MS Office and Salesforce.

Qualifications: A bachelor's degree or equivalent experience, with 5-8 years in higher education advocacy and project management experience preferred.

Location: This position is remote but candidates must reside in the United States; occasional travel required for company retreats.

Compensation: $115000 - $120000 / Annually

ABOUT US

Do you have a passion for higher education? Do you want to make a positive impact on the college admissions process? Our staff help to remove barriers and encourage students to forge their path to a better future. Common App is a national not-for-profit organization dedicated to the pursuit of access, equity, and integrity in the college admission process. Each year we support more than 1 million students, one-third of whom are first-generation, as they apply to our more than 1100 diverse member colleges & universities using the Common App's free online application. 

If you are an experienced relationship builder within the higher education space and want to be part of a mission-driven non-profit that uses innovative technology to advance the college admission process, Common App may be a great match for you. Common App is currently searching for a Senior Manager of State Initiatives.

RESPONSIBILITIES

As a part of the State Partnership team and reporting to the Sr. Director of State Partnership, the Senior Manager of State Initiatives is responsible for overseeing our efforts to engage with representatives of state systems and members as they pursue large-scale solutions to access post-secondary opportunities. In partnership with Constituent Engagement, Product Strategy, Marketing, Enterprise Operations, and other key internal collaborators, they will manage comprehensive and customized approaches to support the implementation of Common App offerings at the state level. Ensuring states are successful therefore retaining and growing our state level impact. 

QUALIFICATIONS

This role requires:

• Candidates must live in the United States.
• Willing to travel to attend twice annual Common App Retreat.
• Bachelor's degree or relevant preferred experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• 5-8 years of experience with higher education relationship-building and/or advocacy.
• Solid understanding of undergraduate and post-traditional college application landscape and technology differentiators of key competitors with project management experience and skills.
• Success in assisting with the creation and documentation of business plans.
• Strong organizational and management skills, preferably in a collaborative, team environment.
• Passion for education and technology and its opportunity to enable better learning opportunities for students, parents, teachers, and administrators.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills. Comfortable and effective in small-group and large-group presentations.  
• Highly effective in follow-thru to ensure clear communication and deliverable of next steps.
• Results-oriented with mental flexibility, creativity, analytical ability, and sound judgment.
• Success in managing complex projects with multiple stakeholders
• Strong analytical skills. Comfortable leveraging data to analyze results and outcomes of initiatives they are leading.
• Strong organizational and management skills, preferably in a collaborative, team environment.

The ideal candidate will possess:

• Agile or other project management methodology experience and training
• Professional experience or knowledge of higher education state systems and organizations.
• Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite, Google Suite, Salesforce, or related software.
• Proficient with Tableau or other reporting tools
• Experience in education administration, communications, business, and/or marketing.
• Agile or other project management methodology experience and training.
• Displays a deep understanding of technical concepts and industry trends.
• Exhibits leadership qualities by guiding and mentoring junior team members.
• Makes well-informed decisions based on experience and data analysis. 

PAY RANGE

• $115,000 - $120,000

Common App is a virtual first environment. We value our employees’ time and efforts. Our commitment to your success is enhanced by our competitive salary and an extensive benefits package including: 

• Work-Life balance
• Virtual-first office
• Paid Time Off (PTO)
• Seven company-wide holidays
• Nine floating holidays*
• Sick leave
• Monthly mental health day

*floating holidays prorated depending on start date

• Virtual-first support
• Choice of PC of MAC laptop
• May choose an external monitor, keyboard, mouse, and/or headset
• One-time office set-up stipend
• Monthly remote work stipend
• Monthly mobile stipend
• Financial security
• Market-based salaries
• Performance-based bonus
• 403(b) retirement plan
• 5% company contribution
• additional 5% company match
• 3-year vesting schedule
• Participation may begin immediately
• Health & wellness
• Choice of two health insurance plans
• Health Savings Account, depending on health plan selection
• Medical Flexible Savings Account, depending on health plan selection
• Vision insurance
• Dental insurance
• Insurance coverage begins on the date of hire
• Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account
• Maven virtual clinic for women’s and family health
• Company provided life and ad&d insurance
• Opportunity to purchase additional life insurance for self, spouse, and dependents
• Company provided short and long-term disability insurance
• Career development
• Budgeted annual funds for professional development
• Growth opportunities within the company
• Additional perks
• Mutual of Omaha Employee Assistance Program
• Mutual of Omaha will preparation services
• Mutual of Omaha travel assistance
• Payroll dedication pet insurance through PinPaws
• 1Password family account

We work to maintain the best possible environment for our staff, where people can learn and grow. We strive to provide a diverse, collaborative, team-oriented, creative environment where each person feels encouraged to contribute to our processes, decisions, planning, and culture.