Student Engagement Lead Arcadia Abroad New Zealand location Otago. $65,000 – $73,000 per year.

Position summary the Student Engagement Lead will support university students from the USA studying in New Zealand at partner institutions through Arcadia University's The College of Global Studies. This position liaises directly with staff at partner universities and Arcadia University personnel, both in New Zealand and the USA, to ensure student welfare is maintained at all times.

The planning, student support, coordination and delivery of activities and events is a key feature of this role. This position provides support to students and Arcadia staff in New Zealand and therefore the capacity for regular travel and a P-license (or willingness to get one) is a requirement of this role.

This position will suit a team player, who is personable, dedicated to excellence in student support, energetic, reliable, flexible, and someone who works well in a fast-paced professional environment. The Student Engagement Lead will be the key support person for the cohort of students in their city of residence (either Dunedin, Christchurch or Wellington), but will also provide support to the Director and Grad Assistants for other students New Zealand wide, dependent on student enrolment and may be subject to minor changes on occasion.

Duties and responsibilities advising, Student Support and Engagement, including Emergency Response (30%). Support the Director in building a positive program culture and strong community connections among and with students, ensuring student welfare is maintained at all times.

Act as the primary contact with students and operational staff from the NZ University partner in your city and others upon request of Director. Respond to students, staff and NZ partner institutions’ communications in a timely manner, referring on as necessary.

Attend all student welfare issues in accordance with The College of Global Studies policies and procedures. Ensure prompt communication between Arcadia staff based in the USA in regards to all student incident and services matters, including but not limited to health and safety, applications, housing and student welfare.

In collaboration with the Glenside Health and Safety Team, support the Resident Director in the management and resolution of all serious health and safety issues. Serve as a resource to NZ staff to resolve student emergencies, as well as student health and safety issues. Update all resource materials and contacts for programs in your portfolio.

Programming and Outreach (30%) support the delivery of all student programs and services within your portfolio, including the delivery of activities and excursions in your city and wider New Zealand portfolios.

Organise in collaboration with all staff the planning, booking, budgeting and coordination of activities for Arcadia students studying in NZ on semester, summer or custom programs (including but not limited to welcome and farewell meals, weekend excursions, day walks, on-campus catch-ups, cultural events etc).

Contribute to Arcadia’s Orientation and Activity Weekend sessions and provide support to the Director, New Zealand for the delivery of these. Plan, lead, cater for, and book at least one three-day activity weekend each semester.

Apply knowledge of New Zealand to design and suggest creative solutions for events, excursions and activities. Build strong ties in the local community and create a network of partners and vendors to utilize in student engagement activities. Plan, book, coordinate and supervise activities for Arcadia students in New Zealand and promote engagement with New Zealand’s diverse cultural and social environments through a range of opportunities and events.

Provide assistance where required, in collating resources for Arcadia University's academic, HR and marketing teams. Collate costings and budgets for student activities. Collate material to include for a regular newsletter to current students in your city and a wider New Zealand newsletter. Supervise and oversee the weekly staff newsletters in other New Zealand cities. Provide updates for the Arcadia website, catalogues and other materials for all programs under your portfolio, as required.

Operations and Administration (20%) support the design of a multi-year administrative calendar with the Resident Director and review it regularly to ensure deadlines both in NZ and the US are met. Work with Arcadia US staff to ensure all accommodation and course selections for incoming students are with NZ partner institutions in a timely manner.

Maintain up to date records on all student issues including housing assignments, student ID numbers, student photos, enrolled courses, travel plans, visa issues, incident reports, and any health or special requirements. Manage the collation and updating of records for future university academic dates, student arrivals, in country orientations, exams etc.

Develop ideas and share resource materials with students for the Co-curricular Learning Certificate (CLC) program. Liaise with the Director, New Zealand and the USA Finance team to ensure invoices for services provided are processed and paid on time. Work with the Resident Director to identify areas of program improvement across NZ and support the Resident Director in the implementation of those improvements.

Social media and Outreach (10%) Contribute to and participate in Arcadia NZ’s social media presence, and ensure staff collate resources for Arcadia University’s marketing teams. Adeptly utilize social media to promote engagement opportunities and initiatives; use to engage wider community.

Monitor and enliven the use of Instagram, and Facebook and other social media amongst staff and students in NZ through the creation of content and social media events. Ensure with the Director the correctness and quality of catalogues and other Arcadia NZ materials. Ensure that updates for the Arcadia website are provided as needed.

Staff Management and Training (5%) oversee the activities of all direct reports (part-time Student Support Coordinators/Graduate Assistants) ensuring successful running of the NZ programs. Work with direct reports to establish clear goals and performance expectations so that they may succeed in their individual responsibilities.

Maintain updated job descriptions, contracts and provide support, and guidance, for direct reports, including a formal performance review if required. In collaboration with the Director, hire, recommend reappointments, and promotions, of all direct reports.

Other Functions (5%) any other duties commensurate with the level and nature of the role as directed by the Director, New Zealand.

Supervision This position reports to the Director NZ

Eligibility Employee must have the right to work in NZ

Minimum Qualifications Bachelor’s degree or the equivalent combination of education and experience required. Two years' experience in a professional or University setting, preferably with International students. First Aid training required or willingness to complete training within three months of being hired.

Required Knowledge, Skills and abilities demonstrated administrative ability and, in particular time management skills. High degree of professionalism and integrity. (The position has a high degree of autonomy and expected to work from home).

Able to work in a fast-paced, deadline-oriented environment that requires multi-tasking and workload prioritization. Must enjoy working with university students and be able to get on with almost anyone and make them feel valued and accepted.

Able to work in an environment that requires significant collaboration and collegiality. A natural organizer with an eye for detail and logistically minded. Must be extremely flexible and a good problem solver.

Demonstrated and high level of competence with Word, Excel, PowerPoint and social media. Able to travel by plane for interstate travel and car/public transport for local travel. Willingness to attain a Passenger License and comfortable driving vans.

Other Desirable Experience and training experience in a higher education setting or international education a plus. Experience with databases and CRM systems, previous use of Salesforce an advantage. Experience living abroad. Experience managing or leading teams. Mental Health First Aid.

Work conditions the position is full-time and requires flexibility, adaptability and regular domestic travel. This position requires weekend and out of hours work as needed. This position will be expected to attend Orientations; excursions and events as scheduled, unless otherwise noted by the Director, New Zealand.

This position requires on-call phone and in-person support on a rotational basis and must be available to work after hours, on weekends and on public holidays to provide support in emergency or urgent situations as requested by the Director, New Zealand.

This position will require working remotely from your home within one of the following cities: Wellington, Christchurch, or Dunedin.  Regular meetings with students and staff at institutional and housing partners within your city will be required and will be considered a normal work commute on those days.