Director, Certification and CE Operations

The Director, Certification & CE Operations provides strategic and operational leadership for CFP Board's Certification & CE Operations function, overseeing the administration of the certification lifecycle, including certification maintenance, examination registration, education verification, experience operations, and Continuing Education program and sponsor operations. The Director leads operational strategy, workforce planning, service delivery, operational excellence, and continuous improvement while ensuring a consistent, scalable, and high-quality experience for candidates, certificants, CE Sponsors, education providers, and other stakeholders. Working collaboratively with Standards & Competency and Policy, Governance, Risk & Audit, the Director operationalizes CFP Board standards and policies while ensuring efficient, consistent, and effective execution across the certification lifecycle.

Essential Functions

• Strategic Leadership & Growth Initiatives
  • Develops and executes strategic growth initiatives that expand Continuing Education participation, strengthen CE Sponsor engagement, diversify revenue opportunities, and support CFP Board's strategic objectives.
  • Directs operations for business growth in Professional Practice, partnering with departments and external stakeholders.
  • Leads the development, evaluation, implementation, and operational oversight of new Continuing Education products, services, partnerships, business opportunities, and strategic initiatives that advance CFP Board's mission and strategic objectives. 
  • Develops and executes lifecycle strategies for Continuing Education sponsors, programs, products, and services based on operational data, stakeholder feedback, market trends, and organizational priorities.
  • Provides strategic leadership for CE Sponsor engagement, outreach, recruitment, retention, and relationship management to strengthen the Continuing Education ecosystem.
  • Provides leadership for the CE Sponsor Working Group, including strategic planning, governance, stakeholder engagement, implementation of recommendations, and ongoing evolution of CFP Board's Continuing Education ecosystem.
  • Partners with Marketing and Corporate Growth to develop and execute CE Sponsor recruitment, retention, engagement, communications, and market expansion strategies.
  • Develops, monitors, and manages departmental budgets, revenue, and expenses to ensure responsible fiscal stewardship and long-term sustainability of Certification & CE Operations.
  • Champions innovation and continuous improvement by identifying operational, technology, and business opportunities that strengthen sponsor engagement, operational effectiveness, and long-term sustainability.
• Certification Lifecycle Operations
  • Provides strategic and operational leadership for CFP Board's certification lifecycle, overseeing Certification Maintenance, Examination Registration, Education Verification, Experience Operations, Continuing Education programs, and CE Sponsor operations to ensure consistent, efficient, and scalable operational execution, service delivery, and a seamless stakeholder experience.
  • Oversees the operational administration of certification policies, procedures, and program requirements, ensuring consistent implementation across Certification & CE Operations while partnering with Standards & Competency on new competency standards and policy initiatives.
  • Directs complex certification lifecycle activities, including policy exceptions, reinstatements, escalated certification matters, and other operational issues requiring management oversight.
  • Establishes operational priorities, service levels, workflows, staffing strategies, and resource allocation to ensure timely, accurate, and consistent delivery of Certification & CE Operations services.
  • Monitors operational performance, service metrics, processing volumes, stakeholder feedback, and key performance indicators; analyzes trends and implements improvements that enhance operational efficiency, consistency, scalability, and the stakeholder experience.
  • Ensures a consistent, efficient, and stakeholder-centered certification experience by continuously evaluating service delivery, operational effectiveness, and stakeholder feedback across the certification lifecycle.
  • Leads the development and implementation of operational processes, technology enhancements, enterprise systems, workflow improvements, and automation initiatives that strengthen service delivery and support organizational objectives.
  • Ensures operational readiness for certification programs by maintaining effective operational procedures, business continuity plans, staff cross-training, knowledge management resources, and operational documentation.
  • Serves as the senior leadership operational escalation point for complex certification lifecycle matters requiring cross-functional coordination, executive decision-making, or operational resolution.
  • Collaborates with Standards & Competency, Program & Partner Operations, Contact Center, Information Technology, Legal, Marketing, Finance, and other cross-functional teams to ensure coordinated execution across the certification lifecycle.
• Operational Governance & Implementation
  • Partners with Standards & Competency to operationalize competency standards, certification policies, and program requirements through effective implementation across Certification & CE Operations.
  • Provides operational expertise and implementation feedback to support the development and evolution of CFP Board policies, competency standards, and certification programs.
  • Partners with Policy, Governance, Risk & Audit to support accreditation activities, operational readiness, implementation of corrective actions, and enterprise governance initiatives, as appropriate.
  • Promotes operational integrity, accountability, transparency, and consistency throughout Certification & CE Operations.
• Leadership & Customer Service
  • Leads, coaches, develops, and evaluates managers and staff while fostering a collaborative, service-oriented, high-performing culture focused on operational excellence and continuous improvement.
  • Exemplifies professionalism and empathy when engaging with all stakeholders.
  • Provides leadership in workforce planning, succession planning, organizational development, performance management, resource allocation, and cross-functional collaboration supporting Certification & CE Operations.
• Operational Excellence and Performance
  • Monitor, analyze, and report operational performance, service metrics, financial results, stakeholder feedback, and key performance indicators supporting Certification & CE Operations.
  • Lead operational planning, technology implementations, workflow optimization, automation initiatives, vendor relationships, and enterprise operational improvements.
  • Identify operational risks, trends, resource needs, and process improvement opportunities; implement solutions that improve efficiency, scalability, consistency, and stakeholder experience.
  • Develop and maintain operational dashboards, business continuity plans, knowledge management resources, and organizational reporting supporting executive decision-making. 

Background/Skills/Abilities Preferred

• Required Education: Bachelor's degree in business, finance, education, public administration, organizational leadership, or a related field required; master's degree preferred.
• Professional Certification: CFP® certification or another relevant professional credential in financial planning, credentialing, certification, association management, or operational leadership preferred.
• Experience: Minimum of 10 years of progressively responsible leadership experience in certification, credentialing, continuing education, association management, professional licensing, higher education, or related operational environments, including experience leading managers and cross-functional teams.
• Strategic Leadership: Demonstrated success developing and executing operational strategies, business growth initiatives, sponsor engagement strategies, revenue-generating programs, and organizational transformation efforts.
• Demonstrated ability to lead, coach, develop, and inspire high-performing teams while fostering a collaborative, service-oriented, and continuous improvement culture.[MR1] 
• Stakeholder Engagement: Demonstrated success building collaborative relationships with candidates, certificants, CE Sponsors, education providers, industry partners, and other stakeholders while delivering exceptional service.
• Accreditation and Governance: Experience supporting accreditation requirements (e.g., NCCA) and implementing operational policies, standards, or governance initiatives in partnership with cross-functional teams.
• Communication: Excellent leadership, written, verbal, presentation, and interpersonal communication skills with the ability to influence stakeholders and build consensus across organizational boundaries.
• Operational Leadership: Demonstrated ability to lead multiple strategic initiatives, manage competing priorities, and successfully execute complex operational projects.
• Analytical Skills: Strong analytical, financial, operational, and strategic decision-making skills with experience using operational metrics and data to drive business decisions.
• Collaboration: Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional initiatives and collaborate effectively across organizational functions to achieve strategic objectives.
• Financial Management: Experience developing and managing departmental budgets, revenue streams, and financial performance.
• Change Management: Demonstrated success leading organizational change, operational transformation, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Technology: Experience leading technology implementations and working with enterprise business systems, including association management systems (AMS), CRM platforms, learning management systems (LMS), and reporting or analytics tools; NetForum experience preferred.

About CFP Board

CFP Board is the professional body for personal financial planners in the U.S. CFP Board consists of two affiliated organizations focused on advancing the financial planning profession for the public’s benefit. CFP Board of Standards (501(c)(6)) sets and upholds standards for financial planning and administers the prestigious CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® certification — widely recognized by the public, advisors and firms as the standard for financial planners — so that the public has access to the benefits of competent and ethical financial planning. CFP® certification is held by more than 105,000 people in the U.S. CFP Board Center for Financial Planning (501(c)(3)) addresses diversity and workforce development challenges and conducts and publishes research that adds to the financial planning profession’s body of knowledge.

This position is part of the 501(c)(6).

This position is based in the Washington, D.C. office and works a hybrid schedule, which may change at any time.

CFP Board believes that diversity of experience and perspective are strengths and seeks to continue to grow a highly committed, skilled, and collaborative staff.

CFP Board is an Equal Opportunity Employer. The applicable starting annual base salary is anticipated to be in the range of $145,000.00 to $175,000.00. In addition to base salary, total compensation includes incentive compensation for which employees are eligible based on completion of individual goals.