Assistant Director, Faculty-Led Programs & Incoming Exchange

Bentley University•Waltham, MA

16h•Hybrid

About The Position

Reporting to the Director of Faculty-Led & Custom Global Programs, this position manages a portfolio of graduate and undergraduate Bentley Global Experience (BGX) courses, coordinates incoming semester exchange, and supports incoming custom global programs for the Cronin Office of International Education. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in program management, excellent communication skills, and a passion for global academic programs. This position requires significant liaising across all university units as well as with students, international and domestic university partners, affiliates, and vendors to anticipate and mitigate risks for students, faculty and staff, and the University, ensuring high quality global learning experiences. The international education team at Bentley oversees more than 600 Bentley undergraduate and graduate students abroad on academic year, semester, summer, and intensive faculty-led international courses annually. Bentley is consistently ranked for undergraduate participation in study abroad, according to the Institute for International Education’s annual Open Doors report. The department consists of team members who value positive attitudes, excellence, continual learning and improvement, collaboration as well as individual initiative, and a sense of humor.

Requirements

Bachelor’s Degree.
4+ years of experience in international education or international project management.
Strong organizational and project management skills with the ability to manage multiple programs simultaneously with competing deadlines.
Clear and concise verbal and written communication, especially in a cross-cultural setting, to communicate diplomatically and professionally.
Strong client service orientation with faculty and VIPs with attention to detail, initiative, and resourcefulness.
Ability to work in a culturally diverse environment and interact with culturally diverse individuals at all levels of the organization and demonstrate a commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and access.
Ability to work both independently and contribute as part of a team.
Good judgment and ability to anticipate and address issues.
Familiarity with intercultural learning, cross cultural communication, and student development.
Fluency in English.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office tools, and familiarity with software such as WorkDay, TerraDotta, etc.

Nice To Haves

Fluency in other languages is a plus.

Responsibilities

Manage the portfolio of undergraduate and graduate BGX courses which consists of new and repeat courses annually.
Provide comprehensive support to each faculty leader throughout the program lifecycle, from initial proposal to post-program completion, including but not limited to: Review course budgets and coordinate purchase agreements with Procurement. Communicate BGX offerings to students, and create webpage content and brochures. In partnership with faculty leaders, execute marketing strategies to promote BGX courses by delegating tasks to student workers such as promotional materials, digital brochures, social media posts and printed flyers. Advise students on BGX options. Utilize knowledge of academic requirements and electives to target appropriate student populations and maximize enrollment effectiveness. Create and maintain written guidelines and roadmaps for faculty and staff leaders as well as student participants.
Assist with the planning and execution of Faculty and Staff pre-departure travel sessions, by co-hosting cross department semi-annual workshops with specific objectives including but not limited to health, safety and mental health, navigating identity abroad, student conduct policies, travel advisories, financial policies, student engagement, and other relevant topics.
Assist Faculty with the planning and execution of BGX pre-departure sessions for students.
Collaborate cross-campus to promote and incorporate Action Learning projects to existing and new courses, and to identify potential regions for new projects aligned with Bentley’s strategic plan, Falcons Forward 2030.
Serve as the main point of contact for incoming exchange students, liaising with Center for International Students and Scholars and reporting via dotted line to the Executive Director of International Education.
Determine offers of exchange spots to partners for upcoming academic year in consultation with Executive Director.
Negotiate exchange spots with partners for both incoming and outgoing, keeping meticulous records of exchange flows.
Serve as primary liaison to sending institutions for the nomination process.
Update and enhance webpages, fact sheets, and other materials to promote exchange at Bentley.
Create exchange application process, calendar, deadlines, and collect materials to support visa sponsorship.
Review academic transcripts, ensure pre-requisites, check course capacity limits, liaise with academic departments to finalize course enrollment.
Provide proactive pre-arrival advising and anticipate student questions and needs.
Coordinate housing and arrival at Bentley, working across divisions.
Coordinate exchange student specific orientation sessions and other welcome activities in collaboration with the Center for International Students and Scholars and Orientation and Student Onboarding.
Serve as academic advisor for exchange students for duration of stay.
Identify opportunities to support student integration and success.
Ensure timely issuance of transcripts to sending institutions.
Monitor student success and identify needs for process improvements.
Oversee administration of study abroad scholarships in alignment with mission of student access to global engagement.
Monitor scholarship fund balances and determine annual award strategy for various internal and external scholarships.
Design and organize review criteria, application processes, selection committees, reviewer roles.
Coordinate application timelines and procedures.
Promote scholarship opportunities through outreach, info sessions, and enlisting team members, faculty and staff in raising student awareness.
Advise students on options and strategies.
Facilitate fair and transparent review and selection processes being mindful of bias.
Track data and maintain accurate records of applicants, awards, recipients, and results.
Generate reports for leadership and external partners to measure student access and impact.
Negotiate with suppliers and coordinate purchase agreements with Procurement for services associated with on campus programing, including ground transportation, entertainment and cultural activities, catering and others as needed.
Collaborate with Director to design, implement and deliver week-long academic programs.
Handle payments for internal and external vendors and maintain accurate and timely records of financial records.
Recruit and train temporary student workers to support operations during program schedule, including posting job descriptions, reviewing weekly timesheets, and set tasks and deadlines.
Collaborate with Director to explore new academic programs to strategize a comprehensive annual custom global programs portfolio.
Advise students on program-related issues.
Meet with students and make independent decisions on programmatic issues, consulting with Director when appropriate.
Research best practices for continuing efficiency, assessment of operations and outcomes.
Build and maintain professional relationships with faculty, staff, administrators, and external stakeholders.
Travel to assist faculty leaders, oversee program operations, conduct site visits.
Represent at study abroad fairs, information sessions, and other events.
Periodic after hours and weekend on-call duty during programs.
Assume additional responsibilities as required.