Associate Director, Immigration & Compliance

American University•Washington, DC

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Associate Director ensures the ISSS policy and protocols are implemented consistently and in accordance with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of State (DoS) regulations. At the Director's request, the Associate Director may serve in an acting capacity on behalf of the Director on a temporary basis, exercising delegated authority on operational, compliance, and representational matters as appropriate. This position works with minimal supervision to monitor regulatory changes; prioritizes and communicates their impact on students and scholars and ensures timely DHS Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) updates on mandatory immigration actions to keep the integrity of the student and scholar immigration records. The Associate Director oversees the office’s frontline services to ensure that students, scholars, and faculty are provided with clear and comprehensive information, training, advice, and assistance on current federal regulations in order to adhere to their legal responsibilities as mandated by the Federal laws. Considerable authority is delegated to this position for reviewing policy and protocols and recommending updates to the Director of ISSS, ensuring DHS SEVIS compliance. This position involves extensive consultation with DHS and the DoS, professional associations such as NAFSA: Association for International Educators, Institute of International Education (IIE), and colleagues in the field to keep abreast of changing immigration regulations that have an impact on the university and its efforts to comply with its legally mandated immigration responsibilities.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree
4 - 6 years of relevant experience
U.S. Citizenship or Permanent Residency status is required.
Background check required.

Nice To Haves

Master's degree
5 - 8 years of relevant experience
Preferred experience at an educational institution with F and J nonimmigrant categories.
Strong conceptual, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
Ability to work effectively with a diverse group of students, faculty, and staff.
Cross-cultural competency and international living/learning experience.
Experience in Ellucian Colleague and Sunapsis Systems.
Excellent customer service, diplomatic and public relations skills.
Strong organizational and analytical skills.
Proven ability to work efficiently and independently in a fast-paced environment with attention to detail and accuracy.

Responsibilities

Monitors and maintains immigration compliance with student and scholar records in SEVIS, collaborates with colleges, departments, academic units, and the SEVIS help desk to identify, document, and report to the Director irregularities in policies and procedures, and recommends updates to ensure both the university and its F1 and J1 non-immigrant populations comply.
Explores creative solutions for potential student and scholar issues and ensures accurate records in Sunapsis and SEVIS systems.
Attends Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) meetings, webinars, and conferences for information updates and assessment of future advising and policy updates for compliance.
Utilizes various tools to generate data and regularly audits student data in internal and external systems used for immigration compliance to identify and correct data discrepancies and errors.
Oversees SEVIS reporting requirements for F-1 and J-1 students and scholars mandated by the DHS and DoS, which include SEVIS registration for F-1 and J-1 students and scholars, taking appropriate actions in SEVIS for all reportable events for F-1 and J-1 students dictated by the government regulations, and ensuring integrity and compliance for the university’s F-1 and J-1 program administration.
Authorizes students for internships and other forms of practical training and employment in accordance with the U.S. Department of States’ J-1 Exchange Visitor program regulations and ensures that both the AU departments and the enrolled students follow the established policies and procedures for AU to stay in compliance with Federal regulations.
Compiles and maintains ISSS immigration and office policy manuals for students and staff.
Designs and delivers immigration and practical training sessions and workshops for students, scholars, and academic units.
Trains ISSS staff on various F-1 and J-1-related regulatory updates, policies, and procedures.
Collaborates with AU Central, Dean of Students, academic units, and other constituents for enrollment issues and academic decisions to facilitate SEVIS immigration reporting within the mandated DHS and DoS deadlines.
Conducts research to create and update educational materials, forms, checklists, and web pages regarding immigration laws affecting F-1 and J-1, and other non-immigrant visa categories (A-1 G-4, B-1, H-1B) and communicates important updates to the university's international constituencies.
Provides supervision for 2 to 3 FT staff and four to five graduate interns and student staff.
Oversees the office frontline services to ensure that students, scholars, and faculty are provided with clear, consistent, and comprehensive information, training, advice, and assistance on current federal regulations in order to adhere to their legal responsibilities as mandated by the Federal laws.
Recruits, hires, and trains front desk student advisors to compile periodic reports on service use and emerging needs.
Responsible for maintaining accurate handouts and web resources for students and staff to ensure consistency and accuracy in office front-line services.
Responsible for hiring, onboarding, training, and managing reporting positions on an ongoing basis.
Provides regular feedback, coaching, mentoring and evaluating performance, and identifying and encouraging participation in professional development opportunities.
Serves on the Division of Student Affairs Student Activism Support Team (SAST) providing support to campus activism events.