Council on International Educational Exchange

Administrative Director, Shanghai China

Position:                    Administrative Director

Department:              CIEE Study Center

Reports To:               Center Director

Location:                    Shanghai, China

CIEE:

A nonprofit, non-governmental organization, CIEE is the world leader in international education and exchange.  For 65 years CIEE has helped thousands of people gain the knowledge and skills necessary to live and work in a globally interdependent and culturally diverse world by offering the most comprehensive, relevant, and valuable exchange programs available.  Serving over 300 U.S. College and University consortium members, CIEE operates sixty study centers in over forty countries that support study abroad programs for over 6,000 students annually.  In addition, as the largest sponsor for U.S. Department of State J-1 Visa programs, CIEE helps nearly 25,000 international students participate in U.S. based exchange programs annually.  CIEE programs and services span study abroad, teach abroad, international faculty development seminars, and inbound exchange study, work, and internship programs for today’s high school and university students, professionals, and educators.

We strive to lead a robust community of international program providers and sponsors through innovation, exemplary service and exceptional efficiency.  Our success depends on having the very best professionals.  CIEE is committed to recruiting and retaining the best people in the industry, particularly those who are passionate about international education, are self-starters with high levels of energy and autonomy, and are dedicated to exceed expectations in every challenge.

Summary of Position:

Theprimary responsibility of theAdministrativeDirector (AD) is to provide administrative support to educational program services and to help ensurethe quality of all programs offered at the CIEE Study Center in Shanghai, China, which currently include the following:

• Accelerated Chinese Language
• Business, Language, and Culture
• China in a Global Context
• Summer Accelerated Chinese Language
• Summer Business, Language, and Culture
• Gap Year Abroad
• Summer International Faculty Development Seminar
• Custom Programs

Primary Responsibilities:

ADMINISTRATION:

• The Administrative Director is responsible for the day-to-day administrative functions, such as on-site course enrollment and host university registration, administrative calendar and class scheduling, data collection and processing of student attendance and grade reports, educational fieldtrips and site visits, internship program and service learning projects, customized programs, student learning outcome assessment, Online Pre-Departure Orientation, on-site orientation, monthly program meetings, campus and community engagement, extra-curricular activities.

PROGRAM MANAGEMENT:

• Assist the Center Director (CD) to manage all aspects of programlogisticsin accordance with CIEE policies and relevant agreements
• Establish an evaluation mechanism to measure student learning outcomes
• Meet weekly with the CD in private and/or as part of regular managerial meetings to report on progress and challenges
• Assist the CD to coordinate the summer International Faculty Development Seminar (IFDS) in Shanghai
• Assist the CD to coordinate customized programs, summer internship programs and other ad hoc programs
• Manage student course registration and send promptly to the CD within two weeks following the first day of classes each term for approval; collect course grade reports and process student grade reports and send to the CD within two weeks following the conclusion of the program for approval; ensure that student grade reports are consistent with faculty course grade reports and that grade explanation forms are provided when necessary
• Plan, coordinate and lead all co-curricular activities related to area studies courses and the weekend and weeklong fieldtrips
• Provide assistance to the CD to coordinate Service Learning projects that engage students in experiential learning with local communities as an integrated aspect of courses and programs, and administer regular student learning assessment
• Attendplanning meetings with the CD, Chinese Language Director, Manager of Student Services and other relevant staff prior to each semester and ongoing during the year to ensure program goals are met and that planned activities and excursions effectively support these goals
• Maintain the Study Center library and expand its collection to support the programs and courses on offer
• Work with students to provide logistical support for undergraduate research projects and student service learning conferences

PROGRAM EVALUATION:

• Work together with the CD to design and revise observable and measurable program learning goals and be responsible for managing internal evaluations designed to ensure program goals are met
• Study and provide comments on internal and CIEE student program evaluations and Academic Consortium Board (ACB) evaluations; assist the CD to facilitate visits from the ACB evaluation teams with logistical arrangements and participate in the formulation of an action plan based on their recommendations
• Write commentary for all components of allprogramsand work with the CD to write the annual program reports

STUDENT SERVICES: 

• Communicate promptly with the CD any student academic difficulties, health problems, discipline issues, attendance problems, or unauthorized absence from the program site 
• Collaborate with the Manager of Student Services to facilitate most aspects of program services, such as scheduling academic meetings, course registration, and student advising for the CD during on-site orientation, and required monthly program meetings
• Communicate promptly to the CD any concerns related to student academic learning, and attendance

STAFF MANAGEMENT:

• Collaborate with the Chinese Language Director and the Manager of Student Services to support program logistics and activities
• Supervise the Academic Affairs Coordinator to manage all program related affairs, including data collection, class scheduling, course materials, classroom reservation, academic handbooks, student and faculty evaluations, class fieldtrips, library services, reading materials for weeklong and weekend field trips, and other logistical service support as needed
• Meet with the Academic Affairs Coordinator for weekly planning and ongoing performance management
• Conduct staff annual performance assessment and report to the CD 

MARKETING:

• Participate in the writing of program materials (program catalog copy, bulletins, handbooks, pre-departure materials, course syllabi, faculty curriculum vitae, etc.)
• Assist the CD to present the program to individual site visitors from prospective sending intuitions and to members of the CIEE consortium, and help host any CIEE group site visits, and ACB program evaluators as needed
• Collaborate with the Manager of Student Services to draft weekly and monthly newsletters sent to CIEE stakeholders

OTHER:

• Support the development and implementation of various new program proposals in-line with CIEE’s strategic goals
• Other duties as assigned

ACCOUNTABILITY

The AdministrativeDirector is also accountable for:

• Vigilant monitoring of programstandards and integrity;
• Strong understanding of the governance mechanisms of CIEE and the roles and contributions of the ACB and its committees; and
• Maintaining the CIEE commitment to providing and preserving a safe and supportive environment for students and employees where individual ideas and uniqueness are recognized, valued, and given the opportunity to grow.

JUDGEMENT, DECISION-MAKING AND PLANNING

The AdministrativeDirector must be able to continually and often immediately apply sound judgment and knowledge to the expedient resolution of a broad range of issues relative to but not exclusive of individual students, including emergencies, and the like.

CONFIDENTIALITY

The AdministrativeDirector has access to confidential information regarding:

• organizational changes and strategic initiatives;
• budget information pertaining to the program;
• employee salary information and personnel files;
• student personal, financial, physical and mental health records; and
• student academic progress and performance.

The individual in this position must be able to simultaneously balance confidential information and information that can be/needs to be shared in order to effectively solve a variety of different issues. The individual must show superior judgment when dealing with confidential information.

WORKING CONDITIONS

• This is a full-time and year-around position, with administrative responsibilities during fall, spring and summer terms.
• Office hours are from 9:00 am to 5:30 pm, five days per week, but may require emergency response 24 hours/day, any day of the week.
• This position requires travel 10-20% of the year, including domestic fieldtrips with students and possible international travel for institutional visits, conferences, and general meetings.

Knowledge & Skill Requirements:

• Master’s degree required
• Native or near-native communication skills in English and Mandarin Chinese
• Seasoned professional with at least 5 years managerial experience in study abroad, international education exchange, or related not-for-profit organization
• Previous experience studying abroad or working in China, in-depth knowledge of Chinese culture and society, and first-hand knowledge of U.S. and Chinese academic institutions and their culture
• Exceptional organizational skills and proven experience developing, implementing, and managing projects and processes
• Superior written and verbal communication skills in English
• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to communicate effectively with students, parents, and school officials, and to work well with colleagues as both a team leader and team player
• Proficiency with Microsoft Suite of software and proven interest in using technology to improve business functions