Position: Director, Ambassador & Lifecycle Programs

Reports to: Executive Director, Institutional Relations

Department:Institutional Relations, College Study

Location: U.S. Remote

Who you are:

The Director, Ambassador & Lifecycle Programs is a strategic leader responsible for the vision, growth, and performance of CIEE's Ambassador Programs and Lifecycle Sales initiatives. This role oversees a team of managers responsible for ambassador engagement, alumni lifecycle sales & marketing, and conversion strategies that support participation across CIEE's portfolio of study abroad programs.

You are both a strategist and people leader who excels at connecting engagement programs to measurable enrollment outcomes. You combine strong leadership, operational excellence, data-driven decision making, and cross-functional collaboration to build scalable programs that strengthen customer relationships from initial participation through repeat enrollment.

Working closely with Institutional Relations, Marketing, Enrollment, Operations, and College Study Abroad Leadership, you will develop long-term strategies that leverage ambassadors, alumni engagement, and lifecycle communications to drive brand affinity, referrals, enrollment growth, and customer lifetime value.

What you'll do:

• Leadership & Team Oversight
  • Directly manage and coach a team of managers responsible for Ambassador Programs and Lifecycle Sales initiatives.
  • Establish departmental goals, priorities, and performance expectations aligned with organizational objectives.
  • Foster a culture of accountability, innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
  • Support professional development and growth opportunities for team members.
  • Ensure successful execution of annual program plans, budgets, deliverables, and performance goals.
• Strategic Planning & Program Development
  • Develop and execute a comprehensive strategy for ambassador engagement and alumni lifecycle conversion.
  • Establish the long-term roadmap for programs designed to increase participation, referral activity, customer retention, and repeat enrollment.
  • Ensure alignment between ambassador programming, alumni engagement, lifecycle communications, and enrollment objectives.
  • Identify opportunities to create and scale programs that support the student journey from high school participation through college study abroad enrollment.
  • Evaluate and pilot new engagement models, outreach strategies, and customer experiences that improve program effectiveness and return on investment.
• Lifecycle Sales & Enrollment Growth
  • Provide strategic oversight of CIEE's alumni lifecycle strategy and associated enrollment goals.
  • Monitor performance across the lifecycle funnel, including engagement, lead generation, application activity, and enrollment outcomes.
  • Establish annual conversion goals and key performance indicators tied to enrollment growth and participant retention.
  • Identify opportunities to increase customer lifetime value and repeat participation across CIEE programs.
• Ambassador Program Strategy
  • Oversee recruitment, engagement, training, performance management, and measurement of ambassador programs.
  • Ensure ambassador initiatives effectively support awareness, referrals, enrollment objectives, and institutional relationship-building efforts.
  • Guide the evolution of ambassador programs to meet changing market and organizational needs.
  • Develop scalable structures that support both campus-based and alumni ambassador initiatives.
• Data, Analytics & Performance Management
  • Establish KPIs and reporting frameworks that measure program effectiveness across engagement, referrals, conversion, enrollment, and revenue outcomes.
  • Utilize data and market insights to inform strategic decisions and resource allocation.
  • Ensure consistent reporting, dashboard development, and performance review processes across teams.
  • Regularly evaluate program performance and implement improvements based on findings.
  • Assess ROI of ambassador, lifecycle, and alumni engagement initiatives.
• Cross-Functional Leadership
  • Serve as the senior leader responsible for ambassador and lifecycle strategies across College Study.
  • Collaborate with Marketing, Enrollment, and Operations teams to ensure systems, processes, and communications are integrated and scalable.
  • Align team initiatives with broader enrollment, retention, customer experience, and organizational objectives.
  • Identify operational challenges and opportunities and lead cross-functional solutions.
• Executive Communication & Organizational Leadership
  • Provide strategic updates, recommendations, and performance reporting to the Executive Director and senior leadership.
  • Communicate program impact, risks, opportunities, and resource needs clearly and effectively.
  • Contribute to departmental planning, budgeting, forecasting, and organizational strategy discussions.
  • Represent CIEE at conferences, institutional partner meetings, and external events as appropriate.

What you'll bring:

The ideal candidate will possess:

• Bachelor's degree or international equivalent required; master's degree preferred.
• 5-8+ years of experience in program management, enrollment management, marketing, sales, alumni engagement, customer success, or higher education outreach.
• 2-3+ years of experience leading and developing people and teams.
• Demonstrated success using data and analytics to drive business decisions and measurable outcomes.
• Proven ability to develop strategy while successfully leading operational execution.
• Exceptional project management, organizational, and leadership skills.
• Strong written, verbal, and presentation skills, including executive-level communication.
• Experience collaborating across multiple departments in a complex organization.
• Familiarity with CRM, marketing automation, and project management platforms such as Salesforce, Marketo, Asana, and related tools.
• Knowledge of study abroad, higher education, student recruitment, alumni relations, or enrollment management preferred.
• Ability to embrace CIEE's Core Values of Excellence, Integrity, Respect, Inclusion, and Problem Solving
• Ability to travel as needed for partner engagement, conferences, and organizational events.

CIEE believes that professionals with varied backgrounds bring unique approaches and ideas to solving problems and advancing our mission to bring the world together. Qualified candidates from underrepresented groups are strongly encouraged to apply.