Great mission, dysfunctional leadership - Director College Board Employee Review

1.0
Mar 17, 2016
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

As the other reviews say: great benefits. Generous 403(b) donation, lots of time off, beautiful downtown office, easy 9-5 schedule. Mission of helping kids get into college taken seriously. Some super smart people hidden in different departments. Annual income guaranteed by U.S. high schools so very stable financial outlook.

Cons

Forget about upward advancement: promotions don't exist, only "reclassifications" carried out arbitrarily for teachers' pets. Org is bloated with middle-management, especially at the E.D. level, who almost universally tend to be boot-licking sycophants, not doers who lead by example. Lots of meetings, busy work and obsession over budget codes with no discernible results. CEO is immature and unprofessional, not to mention the cabal of toadies he installed in leadership positions who only manage upward and have no clue about day-to-day operations -- minus the COO, who seems to be the only adult in the group. Virtual immunity from external business pressures means plenty of venal office politicking and backstabbing, especially at the middle-management level, little to no meritocracy. A perfect place for those 10-15 years from retirement who want to operate on cruise control but performers will top out in the 3-5 year-range as they realize it's a giant dead-end bureaucracy for anyone not at the VP level.

Explore other reviews about College Board

5.0
Jun 7, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

- Fantastic Management - Clear Goals - Good teamwork

Cons

- The work is a little soul sucking

4.0
Jun 10, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Strong mission and meaningful work Talented, dedicated colleagues Opportunities to work on large-scale, high-impact projects Exposure to complex programs and cross-functional collaboration Opportunity to build strong project management, operations, and stakeholder management skills Benefits

Cons

Employee experience can vary significantly depending on team and leadership Communication and decision-making are not always transparent Expectations can sometimes be unclear or shift without enough context Change management could be stronger

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