Senior Director, State Policy & Strategy - Western Region

Location: Fully remote within the USA; employees near hirify.global offices may choose a hybrid schedule with Tuesdays and Wednesdays in the office. Occasional business travel is required.

Hiring range: $108,000–$175,000 per year.

Company

hirify.global is a self-sustaining nonprofit advancing educational and career opportunities through programs including AP, SAT Suite, BigFuture, and career-connected initiatives.

What you will do

• Build and maintain state fact bases and actionable strategies for Western Region states.
• Recommend priority states and policy plays based on opportunity, student reach, adoption potential, feasibility, and organizational priorities.
• Translate policy guidance and subject-matter expertise into state strategies, legislative responses, policy options, and model language.
• Triage bills, regulations, budgets, and policy signals during legislative sessions and determine escalation and execution needs.
• Align Policy, Government Relations, State and District Partnerships, higher education, program, legal, research, and executive stakeholders.
• Maintain state briefs, dashboards, trackers, decision memos, and executive updates while developing repeatable playbooks and recommendations.

Requirements

• 8+ years of progressively responsible experience in education policy, state strategy, public affairs, government, advocacy, management consulting, or a related field.
• Direct experience with state policy and implementation across multiple states, including established networks in California, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, Hawaii, Arizona, Colorado, Utah, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming.
• Working fluency across K-12, higher education, workforce, assessment, career and technical education, credentialing, and legislative and regulatory environments.
• Experience leading complex multi-state policy work, legislative-session rapid response, coalition mapping, implementation planning, and external advocacy.
• Excellent strategic judgment, writing, synthesis, stakeholder influence, and cross-functional decision-making skills.
• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree preferred. Authorization to work in the United States for any employer is required.

Nice to have

• Advanced degree in public policy, education, law, public administration, or a related field.

Culture & Benefits

• Mission-driven work focused on expanding educational and career opportunities.
• Competitive compensation adjusted by location and informed by qualifications, experience, impact, and market data.
• Collaborative, empathetic environment with a focus on learning, feedback, and continuous improvement.
• Opportunities to experiment with AI-driven solutions and new digital tools.
• Approximately 6–10 business trips per year.

Hiring process

• Application review begins immediately and continues until the position is filled; applications are expected to remain open for at least five business days.
• Typical steps include application review, recruiter phone or video screen, hiring manager interview, performance exercise, panel interview, leadership conversation, and reference checks.