Concordia Language Villages Associate Program Director (Bemidji, MN)

Concordia College•Bemidji, MN

25d•Onsite

About The Position

About Concordia Language Villages: Named one of Minnesota’s Best Summer Camps by Star Tribune readers for three consecutive years, Concordia Language Villages (CLV) brings language and culture to life in the beautiful North Woods of Minnesota. Each village is designed to reflect the culture it represents, creating an immersive environment where everything from the music played to the dishes used in the dining hall contributes to a rich cultural experience. CLV’s mission is to inspire courageous global citizens. Our approach places participants in a grand simulation of a trip abroad, surrounding them with authentic cultural elements and thoughtfully designed learning experiences led by skilled language educators. Through our iso-immersion model, participants build language proficiency, intercultural competence, and a broader global perspective. For youth in particular, traditional camp experiences—such as canoeing, campfires, and collaborative activities—are intentionally woven into the program to cultivate teamwork, empathy, leadership, and personal growth, all while supporting CLV’s mission of preparing engaged global citizens. About the Position: The Associate Program Director – Enrollment & Partnerships provides leadership and oversight for a portfolio of Concordia Language Villages’ summer and academic-year language and culture programs. Additional primary responsibility for enrollment-focused initiatives, customer experience, and partnership-based programming. This role supports the Program Director by advancing program sustainability, strengthening enrollment pipelines, and supervising program leaders within assigned language communities and program areas. The Associate Director will supervise program leaders and staff and support seasonal leadership development and ensure program quality and fiscally responsible programs. The Associate Director will also be a key leader in supporting enrollment growth in language programs, ensuring high-quality, mission-aligned, margin-conscious programs while supervising program leaders and staff within assigned language communities and program areas. The Associate Director works collaboratively with other program leaders, site-based operational staff, and cross-functional partners to ensure strong educational outcomes, effective staffing, and consistent program experiences across villages. The Associate Director will work specifically with Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education and experience
Experience in language immersion, education, or youth/residential programming
Demonstrated leadership, organization, and communication skills
Proficiency in English and at least one additional world language
Commitment to CLV’s mission and values

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree
Experience with enrollment strategy, partnerships, or external-facing programs
Prior leadership in residential, camp, or immersive education environments
Experience supervising staff or seasonal leaders

Responsibilities

Program Leadership for Assigned Language Communities
Provide oversight for summer and academic-year adult and family programs in Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Swedish, Portuguese, and Spanish. Changes in portfolio of languages may occur based on market and needs of CLV; any such changes will be determined in consultation with Program Director and CLV leadership.
Ensure financial goals, program quality and operational goals are met for all responsible language programs and collaborate with enrollment and marketing teams to achieve enrollment targets for all programs.
Supervise and support deans and program leaders through program planning, as well as recruitment, hiring, onboarding, goal setting, and performance review processes
Maintain regular communication with deans during both the academic year and summer season to support planning, staffing, and program readiness
First point of contact for villager and staff issues in assigned language communities, with escalation to Program Director
Maintain presence at programs offered by language community.
Enrollment & Customer Experience Leadership
Provide program-side leadership for enrollment and customer service initiatives for language and culture
Collaborate with enrollment and marketing teams to support recruitment, retention, and communication strategies
Ensure consistent, high-quality experiences for participants, families, and partners and lead program staff responding to concerns related to customer service.
Storytelling, Community Engagement & Outreach, Partnership & Program Growth
Support program narratives, events, and outreach efforts in collaboration with communications and external relations staff
Lead or support summer school groups, partnerships, and custom programs
Explore and support potential government-sponsored or externally funded programming, as appropriate
Serve on or lead committees related to enrollment, community engagement, and storytelling
Work to enhance brand recognition and enrollment pathways between CLV and Concordia College
Staff & Seasonal Leadership Development
Participate in staff recruitment, orientation, and professional development efforts
Support recruitment, onboarding, supervision, and evaluation of program leaders and seasonal staff
Contribute to annual and seasonal leadership meetings and Village Leadership Council (VLC) activities
Pan-Village Communication & Coordination
Support consistent communication and shared practices across language communities across assigned areas
Contribute to shared resources, manuals, and program guidance materials
Participate in organization-wide leadership meetings and planning sessions
Administrative & Compliance Responsibilities
Ensure program practices align with institutional policies, accreditation requirements, and risk management standards
Support documentation, reporting, and planning processes related to assigned programs
Collaboration with Site & Administrative Teams
Work collaboratively with site-based operational teams to support program delivery and staff needs
Serve as representative/point of contact of CLV program team on tasks requiring collaboration with Health and Wellness, Marketing and Enrollment
Coordinate with enrollment, marketing, health and wellness, and operations staff as appropriate
Escalate complex program or personnel issues to the Program Director
Other Duties as Assigned

Benefits

Health Insurance
Health Savings Account
Flexible Spending Account
Vision Insurance
Dental Insurance
Preventative Chiropractic Program
Retirement Plan
Long-Term Disability Insurance (full-time only)
Life Insurance (full-time only)
13 Paid holidays including the time off between Christmas and New Year's
MN Paid Family and Medical Leave
Up to 100% tuition with discounts and scholarships for yourself and dependents at Concordia College and Concordia Language Villages
Up to 50% tuition discount for dependents with Oak Grove Lutheran Schools
Up to 100% tuition discounts for dependents with participating partners: CIC-TEP, ELCA schools, and Tuition Exchange Inc.
Extras: access to athletic facilities, library, fitness classes, athletic events, theatre events, purchase dining on campus, free MATbus rides