International Partnership Specialist

This position is responsible for developing and implementing result-driven strategic international partnerships, in consultation with the supervisor. Responsibilities include assisting supervisor in developing strategic partnerships with foreign educational institutions (FEI) and managing ongoing partnerships with international universities. This position performs essential international partnership duties, including communicating with partners, managing student registration, scheduling faculty teaching assignments, arranging traveling logistics, international college (Guizhou/Huizhou universities) programming, and handling relevant faculty and student issues. The selected candidate must have strong interpersonal, communication, collaborative skills, as well as knowledge of cross-cultural differences and academic support within a higher education environment.  The selected candidate will be expected to prepare and conduct foreign language-based communications to promote UNA's academic programs to prospective international partners and students.

• Work with supervisor to develop and implement strategic partnerships with FEIs;  

• Perform higher education market research, international education cooperation, and management; 

• Facilitate communications and program implementation strategies with partner universities; 

• Collect and integrate information from UNA in accordance with the requirements of cooperative education to meet regulatory compliance; 

• Manage partnership data, researching innovative ways to organize and share partnership information with internal and external parties;  

• Work with department staff, colleges, and departments to manage the international college and other international partners' student registration, schedule faculty teaching schedules, and materials;  

• Provide training to partner universities, students, and coordinators on university application, registration, and graduation processes and procedures; 

• Develop and implement quality assurance measures to evaluate and report on the strength of potential and existing partner relationships; 

• Provide input into the development and implementation of institutional policies and procedures related to articulation agreements and credit evaluation;  

• Plan necessary international trips and delegations to visit FEIs, including arranging courtesy visits and meetings as required; 

• Work with department staff to manage university faculty and staff travel arrangements and logistics related to international college and partner universities;  

• Represent UNA both in person and through social media to prospective students, parents, partner school representatives, international recruiting agents, and other individuals or organizations involved in the college selection process in international countries; 

• Collaborate with department chairs/program coordinators to conduct program-specific webinars and virtual information fairs; 

• Counsel prospective applicants on the admissions process and distinctive academic program offerings;   

• Review and evaluate application materials and determine the eligibility of applicants for conditional or full admission;

• Maintain accurate and complete student records as required by law, university policies, and procedures;   

• Conduct post-admission follow-ups to increase conversation rates from admitted to enrolled students; 

• Review international student transcripts, bank statements, and other credentials;   

• As needed, assist with:

• Providing culturally-sensitive counseling to international students to help them understand and overcome personal, social, or behavioral issues affecting their educational progress; 

• Providing crisis intervention to students when difficult situations occur which may or may not be due to cultural misunderstanding; 

• Serving as a university liaison with student parents, recruiting agents, and partner schools regarding the well-being and academic progress of international students by following privacy laws and university regulations;   

• Perform all other duties as assigned.

ADDITIONAL DUTIES:

• Assist in corresponding with international partner university officials regarding MOU development and implementations; 
• Provide administrative assistance to supervisor in developing/coordinating the 1+2+1, 4+0, and 2+0 programs; 
• Assist with international student orientation;  
• Counsel students regarding cultural know-hows and issues.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:

• Bachelor's degree is required; 

• One year of experience in a higher education setting is required; 

• Master's degree is preferred; 

• Fluency in Mandarin Chinese is preferred;

• International travel and study experience is preferred; 

• Experience working with international partnership programs in higher education settings, such as 4+0, 1+2+1, 2+0, and 2+2 programs is preferred.

LICENSES, CERTIFICATIONS, OR REGISTRATIONS:

None

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES:

• Knowledge of university international admissions policies and procedures; 
• Knowledge of and familiarity with UNA degree programs and their specific requirements; 
• Knowledge of documents such as English proficiency scores (TOEFL, IELTS, TOEIC, PTE), international diplomas, degree sheets, transcripts, and other international documentation needed in order to admit international students; 
• Knowledge and understanding of the SAT, ACT, MAT, GRE, GMAT, and other tests required to admit international students; 
• Computer skills including Word, Access, Excel, PowerPoint, Banner system, and web research; 
• Effective verbal and written communication skills with appropriate cultural sensitivity; 
• Strong cross-cultural interpersonal skills including public speaking skills and the ability to present the University in a positive way to diverse populations; 
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively both independently and as a member of a team; 
• Ability to interact effectively with a diverse array of students, faculty, staff, parents, agents, administrators, vendors, government officials, and the general public.

Applicants must upload a cover letter and resume at the time of application as well as provide contact information for at least three professional references.  For questions, please email employment@una.edu or call 256.765.4291 and select option #2.  Selecting an option other than #2 will result in a delayed response.