Director of Placement

Education First•Boston, MA

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

EF High School Exchange Year sponsors international high school students who spend a semester or academic year living with volunteer host families and attending local high schools across the USA. The Director of Placement is accountable for regional student placement performance and strategy and directly manages and develops a team of Regional Placement Managers. The role also provides direction and support to local coordinators as they expand capacity and strengthen the quality of the exchange program in local communities. As a member of the HSEY leadership team, the Director connects program growth with strong execution and quality through coaching, relationship building, data-informed planning, problem-solving, and cross-functional collaboration. The Director leads placement progress, team performance, and priorities across an assigned area of the USA. Working with other Placement leaders, the role guides Regional Placement Managers in setting priorities, monitoring performance, developing their teams, and removing roadblocks across host family recruitment and matching, student placement, school readiness, and program operations. The Director sets clear expectations, coaches performance, drives progress toward placement goals, uses data and trends to identify opportunities and gaps, forecasts progress, and communicates priorities, risks, and next steps to leadership. The role supports team growth and accountability while helping ensure students, host families, and schools receive the communication, care, and support they need throughout the placement process. The Director works with HSEY leaders and cross-functional teams to strengthen regional performance and remove roadblocks. They help Regional Placement Managers and local coordinators improve host family lead generation and follow-up, matching, and student placement, and partner with the Host Family Recruitment team to connect qualified host family leads with placement activity and successful student matches. The role balances regional growth with program quality, compliance requirements, and a positive experience for students, host families, and schools.

Requirements

Experience leading people, coaching performance, and supporting professional growth.
Experience in recruitment, business development, account management, operations, or another results-focused environment.
Experience setting goals, tracking performance, using data to guide decisions, and translating organizational goals into clear priorities and measurable team actions.
Ability to build accountability, support consistent follow-through, and develop others toward strong performance.
Ability to build strong relationships across teams, including with staff, coordinators, schools, students, and host families.
Strong organizational skills and ability to manage competing priorities in a fast-moving environment.
Clear communication skills and ability to provide direction, solve problems, and make sound decisions collaboratively.
Comfort working across teams and supporting shared goals in a distributed environment.
Commitment to growth, service, quality, cultural exchange, and EF’s mission.

Responsibilities

Lead student placement progress, team performance, and priorities across an assigned area of the USA.
Directly manage and develop Regional Placement Managers, setting clear expectations, coaching performance, supporting professional growth, and ensuring follow-through.
Guide managers in setting priorities, monitoring performance, developing their teams, and removing roadblocks.
Drive progress toward established placement goals; use data and performance trends to identify opportunities and gaps, forecast progress, and communicate priorities, risks, and next steps to leadership.
Work with HSEY leaders and cross-functional teams to strengthen regional performance and remove roadblocks.
Support Regional Placement Managers and local coordinators in strengthening host family lead generation, lead follow-up, host family matching, and student placement.
Partner with the Host Family Recruitment team to connect qualified host family leads to placement activity and successful student matches.
Ensure strong execution across host family recruitment and matching, student placement, school readiness, and program operations.
Balance regional growth with program quality, compliance requirements, and positive experiences for students, host families, and schools.

Benefits

Robust monthly calendar of trainings and workshops supporting professional growth.
Four weeks of paid vacation in the first year, ten paid holidays, and two floating holidays.
Business travel opportunities.
25% company match on 401(k) contributions.
Medical, dental, and vision coverage, plus life and disability insurance options.
Legal and pet insurance.
Dependent care, healthcare, and commuter Flexible Spending Accounts.
Fertility care and family-building support.
Wellness benefits, including yearly fitness reimbursement.
Social and learning events, including employee-run resource groups.
Employee Assistance Program.
Tenure-based sabbatical eligibility.
EF product discounts on travel, international language schools, the Au Pair program, and more.
Discounts at local venues and businesses.
Office facilities and flexibility to work from home one day a week.
Bonus potential based on individual and team performance.