International Programs Specialist

Who We Are

District of Columbia International School (DCI) is a public charter school serving over 1600 racially and economically diverse students in grades 6-12 from across the District of Columbia. We aim to provide our students with a world-class education that empowers them to follow their passions and change the world. DCI’s education centers on an International Baccalaureate curriculum, advanced language learning in Chinese, Spanish, and French, and a culture focused on student agency supported by 1:1 technology.

Position Overview: DCI is hiring a full time International Programs Specialist. The role develops, coordinates, and supervises the placement and quality of DCI’s exchange program, Voyager. The International Programs Specialist will also assist with the development and coordination of DCI’s internships, summer learning opportunities and relevant outside of school activities for students. This position reports to the Director of Activities and has a working schedule of 9:30 AM to 6:30 PM.

Salary Range: $45,000 - $65,000 (Starting salary is determined by education and years of relevant experience) 

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience preferred.
• Experience in a high school or collegiate environment and understanding of the academic culture.
• Must have the ability to effectively interact with faculty, staff, students, parents, and administrators.
• Understanding of experiential education and career advising. 
• Experience in presentation of workshops or public speaking.

• Must exhibit excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Bilingual in Spanish, French or Chinese is preferred.
• Must have strong interpersonal skills.
• Ability to research and quickly develop knowledge of employer recruiting strategies, job market trends, occupational, career and personal growth.
• Must be a self-starter and possess strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Demonstrated ability to organize and work independently as a leader and as part of a team.
• Strong relationship builder who will form bonds with students, school leaders, internship providers, and an internal team.

Key Qualities & Skills:

• Manage DCI’s international exchange program, Voyager, that meet DCI’s mission and student interests.

• Liaise with partner school counterparts to maintain relationships and coordinate effectively on exchange logistics and content.
• Coordinate airfare with vendors and local transportation with local companies or the partner schools.
• Develop pre-departure and on-site curriculum for the Voyager exchanges to cultivate opportunities for student-led inquiry and cross-cultural competence.
• Coordinate the student selection process for international exchanges in collaboration with the Language Team, Restorative Team, and Student Support Team.
• Train DCI staff chaperones to deliver the Voyager Curriculum, run info sessions, and be effective chaperones abroad.
• Plan and run virtual exchanges between DCI students and partner school students
• Coordinate host family searches at DCI.
• Plan itineraries for visiting students and accompany them on field trips.
• Plan itineraries for overnight trips while students are abroad; reserve all necessary lodging, reservation, food, and transportation.
• Coordinate with vendors to plan itineraries for overnight trips while students are abroad; reserve all necessary lodging, reservation, food, and transportation.
• Track expenses for international programs.
• Write policies to formalize DCI’s practices for running international exchange programs.
• Explore opportunities for growing the program by cultivating new relationships with partner schools and investigating offerings from third party vendors.
• Develop long term immersive language exchange programs for all three language tracks.
• Assist with Field Trip Coordination, which can include but not limited to:
• Adding trips to the school calendar and sending weekly field trip emails to all DCI staff.

• Booking school or coach buses and managing transportation compliance and vendor communication.
• Confirming students’ needs relating to financial aid and medical needs 

• Other duties as assigned.

Faculty and Staff Development/Benefits: DCI is committed to the principles of servant leadership and to providing faculty and staff with the resources and training they need to provide an excellent education experience for every student and family. 

• We have a benefits package that includes health and disability insurance and paid leave.  
• We offer teachers daily planning time, professional development, and reasonable class sizes.
• Teachers and staff have the appropriate technology and support to do their work.

DC International School is dedicated to the goal of building a culturally diverse faculty and staff committed to teaching and working in a multicultural and multilingual environment.