[Hiring] Program Officer @Cultural Vistas

Role Description

Under the supervision of the CBYX Senior Program Officer, the Program Officer implements and administers day-to-day CBYX programming for both American and German participants. General duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

Participant Support and Program Implementation

• Serves as the first point of contact for German participants and college coordinators, and for American participants and applicants on routine matters; ensures all inquiries are answered timely and accurately.
• Directly supports German participants through arrival, the academic term, the internship phase, and re-entry, including troubleshooting placement difficulties, culture shock, academic issues, and the internship search.
• Supports American participants through the application, selection, pre-departure, and program-year phases in coordination with the Senior Program Officer and the German partner organization.
• Serves as day-to-day liaison with the program's Housing Family Management Partner (currently StudiGO!) on placement logistics.
• Tracks placement status against the housing partner's placement and host family management reports.
• In collaboration with Senior Program Officer, oversees college placement, including preparation and submission of German participants' college admissions applications.
• Escalates participant health, safety, and welfare concerns to the Senior Program Officer immediately.
• Organizes content for and delivers assigned presentations at inbound and outbound seminars.
• Supports administration of the Congressional Internship Program under Senior Program Officer direction.

Program Administration

• Maintains the participant and alumni database and all participant records, applications, and confidential documents.
• Serves as a designated Alternate Responsible Officer under 22 CFR Part 62.
• Works with the Accounting Department to process payments, including college tuition, travel reimbursements, seminar payments, and vendor invoices.
• Prepares grant-funded housing remittances to the Housing Family Management Partner for Assistant Director approval.
• Owns participant insurance administration.
• Tracks all participant travel and prepares international travel approval requests.
• Prepares documents, information packets, mailings, and letters for distribution.
• Administers the CBYX application platform under Senior Program Officer direction.
• Administers participant surveys under the Performance Monitoring Plan (PMP).
• Supports marketing and recruitment execution.
• Maintains and updates program process documentation.
• Other tasks as assigned by the Senior Program Officer.

Event and Travel Logistics

• Organizes venues, transportation, lodging, and food for all program activities.
• Books German participant travel to evaluation seminars and to the Congressional Internship Program.
• Arranges Congressional visits for participants during seminars in Washington, D.C.
• Arranges panelists and logistics for CBYX selection interviews.
• Supports CBBSX logistics as directed by the Assistant Director.

Client Relationship Management

• Represents Cultural Vistas and CBYX at conferences, fairs, and meetings.
• Proactively engages vendors, stakeholders, and participants.
• Supports and advises participants, host families, host colleges, and host companies as directed.
• Supports regular communication with Cultural Vistas gGmbH and the German partner organization.
• Provides excellent, consistent customer service to all internal and external parties.

Leadership and Supervision

• Supervises program interns and temporary support as needed.
• Effectively delegates appropriate assignments and monitors assignments to completion.
• Exhibits commitment and support toward developing and maintaining ways to expose staff to other programs.
• Supports staff performance management in various areas.

Professional Development

• Maintains working knowledge of J-1 visa regulations and Cultural Vistas policies.
• Grows and maintains industry knowledge by seeking out educational workshops and related publications.
• Supports ongoing communication with all appropriate staff.
• Takes a proactive approach toward improving business functions and workflow.
• Works in accordance with and in support of the mission, goals, values, and strategic direction of Cultural Vistas.

Qualifications

• U.S. citizenship or lawful permanent residency.
• Advanced intermediate proficiency in German required.
• Ability to take accountability for multiple assignments and projects simultaneously.
• Extraordinary attention to detail.
• Demonstrated ability to anticipate outcomes and problem-solve.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Strong analytical skills, good judgment, and critical thinking skills.
• Comfort with event and travel logistics.
• Ability to handle confidential and sensitive information with discretion.
• Ability to provide excellent customer service.
• Strong ability to communicate effectively in a multicultural environment.
• Proficiency in the Microsoft Office suite.
• Interest in and commitment to the mission of Cultural Vistas.

Requirements

• Experience working in a cultural exchange, educational, or international relations environment.
• Working knowledge of SEVIS and DS-2019 issuance.
• Experience with event planning, group travel, and logistics.
• Experience with Salesforce or another CRM platform.
• Knowledge working with one or more LMS platforms.
• Proficiency with Zoom or other virtual meeting tools.
• Candidates based in the Washington, D.C., area are preferred.

Benefits

This is a full-time exempt role eligible for benefits. This position is dependent upon the availability of grant funds. For more information on our benefit offerings, please visit: Cultural Vistas Benefits .