Director of Public School Strategy – Scholarship Services

Nelnet Business Services (NBS), a division of Nelnet, Inc., provides payment technology and education services to more than 1,200 higher education institutions, nearly 12,000 K-12 schools, and millions of individual students, families, and supporters across the globe. Our culture of service enables us to form long-lasting and trusted partnerships, while our focus on creativity and innovative solutions empowers our customer communities to thrive.

Position Summary
This is primarily a policy, education, and coalition-building role. The person in this seat owns FACTS' public school engagement strategy for the federal tax credit scholarship program: building relationships with the federal and state policy coalitions, associations, and district-level stakeholders who shape and evaluate this program, and serving as the trusted voice who can accurately explain — and champion — why the program benefits a district, its schools, and its students and families.

This position sits within FACTS' scholarship services business development team, though business development is a secondary, downstream function of this role rather than its purpose. As trust and understanding are established with a district, foundation, or SGO, this role hands off or co-develops the commercial conversation with FACTS' BD team and positions FACTS' Compass platform as the credible path to program compliance — but the core mandate is policy fluency, coalition credibility, and district education.

Key Responsibilities
Policy & Coalition Leadership (primary)
• Federal & state policy fluency: Maintain deep, current expertise on Section 25F/FSTC federal rules and the state-by-state opt-in landscape, translating evolving Treasury guidance into plain-language implications for districts, foundations, and SGOs.
• Coalition building: Build and sustain FACTS' presence and standing within the federal and state policy coalitions, K-12 associations, and advocacy groups shaping this program — becoming a known, credible voice rather than an outside vendor.
• Government relations partnership: Work in close, ongoing coordination with Nelnet's Government Relations/Policy function on legislative monitoring, state opt-in tracking, and representing FACTS' interests in policy conversations.
Public School District Education & Champion (primary)
• District education: Lead outreach and education efforts with superintendents, school boards, district CFOs, and foundation leadership to help them understand what the federal tax credit scholarship program is, how it works, and the tangible benefit it offers their district, schools, and students/families.
• Message and narrative ownership: Develop messaging and collateral suited to a public-sector, politically sensitive buyer, framing the program around supplemental funding for students already in public schools — distinct from FACTS' Catholic/independent-school materials.
• Segment presence: Represent FACTS at public-sector K-12 associations and forums (e.g., AASA, ASBO International, National School Foundation Association, state school boards associations) to build the credibility and relationships this buyer requires.
• Target and relationship map: Build and maintain a live map of public school districts, affiliated foundations, and the SGOs serving or forming to serve them in opted-in states, coordinating with FACTS' policy/government-relations function to keep it current.

Qualifications
• 10+ years of experience in public policy, government relations, coalition/association management, or public-sector education advocacy, with direct exposure to how school boards, superintendents, and district leadership evaluate new programs.
• Direct professional experience working within a public school district at an administrative level (e.g., district central office, superintendent's cabinet, business/operations administration, or school board support) is strongly preferred; equivalent experience in a federal policy/think-tank setting will also be considered — first-hand understanding of how a district actually evaluates and adopts a new program.
• “Insider” status within public education and policy circles — someone who is already seen as a trusted partner, not an outside vendor.
• Existing, credible relationships within public school policy coalitions, K-12 associations, or state/federal education policy circles — this is a relationship-and-trust-driven role from day one, not a territory to be built cold.
• A professional network that opens doors and builds relationships quickly with new districts, coalitions, and policymakers.
• Ability to communicate effectively with school leaders across varied audiences — e.g., AASA, state school officers, school boards, rural superintendents/ADs.
• Skilled at educating districts on the program's benefits and the ease of participation, translating technical mechanics into a clear, credible case for adoption.
• Working knowledge of nonprofit/SGO structures, scholarship or education-savings-account program administration, or education finance broadly; direct Section 25F/FSTC experience is not expected, but the ability to learn technical program rules quickly is required.
• Comfort operating in a new, still-forming policy environment with incomplete federal guidance and a shifting list of participating states — this role requires judgment about where to invest time and relationship capital, not a fixed playbook.
• Some exposure to or comfort with business development conversations is helpful, since this role feeds and supports FACTS' BD motion, but prior quota-carrying sales experience is not a requirement.
• Willingness to travel regularly to meet with policy coalitions, districts, foundations, and SGOs, concentrated in states that have opted into the program.
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience.
Preferred
• Prior experience in a government relations, policy advocacy, or association-management role within public K-12 education.
• Existing relationships with public school foundations, school-board associations, or SGOs already operating in states participating in the federal program.
• Familiarity with the federal Education Freedom Tax Credit (Section 25F) policy landscape and state opt-in dynamics.
• Prior experience at an education finance, EdTech, SGO/scholarship administration company, or a K-12 advocacy or membership organization.
Directs employees in all facets of the department.