PAX – Program of Academic Exchange (www.pax.org) is a non-profit educational organization that provides global education and exchange opportunities for students, host families, schools, and communities to open doors, embrace cultures, and become family. PAX believes that this mission is served by providing young people with the opportunity to study abroad and live with a host family for an extended period of time. Each year approximately 1100 high school students from around the world participate in international exchange through PAX. While PAX has a global vision, the organization works one student at a time. Committed to a quality program that is small and personal, PAX works exclusively with high school exchange. PAX headquarters in Port Chester, NY are conveniently located a short walk from the Port Chester Metro-North rail station, 50 minutes from Grand Central or 15 minutes from Stamford.
PAX is currently seeking an Exchange Student Support Manager/Director to join our high school exchange program team. This position provides support to high school exchange students from more than 70 countries around the world while they spend one academic year attending an American high school and living with an American host family. The Exchange Student Support Manager/Director works with students who are struggling with serious disciplinary issues or mental health issues or who are having significant difficulty adapting to American culture or host family life.
Key Responsibilities:
Provide support to the exchange program team on student supervision cases that involve serious disciplinary issues, mental health issues, medical issues, allegations of abuse, or ongoing adaptation issues that have not resolved after initial interventions from the student’s local coordinator and regional director
Manage disciplinary and other supervision cases to resolution; gather relevant information from all parties involved, coordinating efforts with other team members; prepare recommendations consistent with program policies and regulatory requirements; coordinate disciplinary committee meetings; document decisions accurately and ensure student case files and other records are properly maintained and organized
Draft incident reports, student file notes, probation and disqualification letters, and other reports as needed; ensure that communication with all external audiences demonstrates organization’s responsible management of participant support
With guidance from Vice President, communicate with the U.S. Department of State and overseas partner organizations on student supervision matters
Provide 24-hour emergency on-call support to participants, sharing on call duty with other team members
Assist with student orientation workshops and provide field staff with training on student support and supervision-related issues
Manage participant support and program evaluation surveys; review monthly student survey submissions and follow up on any issues noted
Ensure compliance with Department of State regulations, CSIET standards, and PAX policies and procedures.
Minimum Qualifications (Manager Level)
Bachelor’s degree and 3-5 years previous work experience
Excellent interpersonal skills and strong verbal and written communication ability
Organized and detail-oriented with superior analytical and problem solving skills
Demonstrated ability to work productively under pressure and the ability to be flexible, adapt to changing situations, and take direction well
Experience working with high school students preferred
Experience in international exchange, education, or related field preferred
Experience studying or living abroad or working with diverse cultures preferred
Familiarity with US Department of State regulations and CSIET standards governing high school exchange programs a plus
Experience or training in youth counseling, mental health, and eating disorders a plus
Minimum Qualifications (Director Level)
All qualifications listed above, plus:
Previous experience in a high school exchange student support and supervision role
Previous experience managing other employees
How to apply
Submit cover letter, resume, and salary requirements to resumes@pax.org with subject header that reads: Student Support + Your Full Name. Cover letter and resume should be submitted as attachments in PDF or Word format. Please note that all required materials must be submitted in order for your application to be considered.