Your Role:As the Director, First-Year Experience (FYE), you'll be responsible for the development, operationalization, and global delivery of CEA CAPA's First-Year Experience programs. This role translates strategic vision into scalable program models, tools, and operating frameworks that ensure consistent, high-quality implementation across global sites.
With a dual focus on program design and program delivery, you'll ensure that First-Year programming is distinctive, executable, and aligned with institutional partner needs. In this role, you'll partner closely with Academic Affairs, Global Operations, Institutional Relations, Custom Programs and onsite teams to drive operational excellence, strengthen cross-functional alignment, and equip teams with the resources required to support first-year students across the full lifecycle.
This position is open to remote candidates based in the U.S. or U.K. Candidates must have existing authorization to work in their country of residence without employer sponsorship.
What You'll Do:Program Design & Development - Serve as a subject-matter expert on First-Year students and First-Year programming for internal and external stakeholders.
- Translate institutional, student, and market needs into a compelling, scalable, and differentiated First-Year program model.
- Define the end-to-end student journey, including experience standards, core program features, and delivery requirements.
- Produce clear program specifications that guide program build and execution, partnering with Academic Affairs, Global Operations and Custom Program Development to ensure feasibility and scalability.
- Use data, student feedback, and pilot outcomes to continuously refine program design.
- Evaluate and evolve the CEA CAPA Program Model for First-Year programming to support quality, consistency, and growth.
Program Delivery & Operational Excellence - Drive cross-functional coordination by clarifying ownership, tracking deliverables, and ensuring consistent follow-through.
- Develop, document, and maintain standardized SOPs, templates, and toolkits supporting the full First-Year student lifecycle-from pre-departure through re-entry.
- Design and deliver training and enablement (e.g., live sessions, micro-learning via Canvas) to ensure program model fidelity and adoption across global teams.
- Develop and maintain dashboards and reporting to track adoption, performance, and operational progress.
- Maintain centralized knowledge resources to support consistent global delivery and self-service.
- Lead regular site check-ins and operational reviews to troubleshoot issues, approve local adaptations, and reinforce execution quality.
- Establish feedback loops and continuous improvement mechanisms with operations managers across the organization to identify gaps and propose enhancements.
- Guard program quality, differentiation, and consistency as First-Year programming scales.
University & Industry Engagement - Lead the First-Year Experience advisory committee, establishing cadence and maintaining alignment among stakeholders.
- Support Institutional Relations and Academic Affairs with strategic proposals, site visits, and partner engagement related to First-Year programming.
- Stay informed on trends and emerging models in First-Year Experience programming to inform ongoing development.
- Build and maintain relationships with peers and practitioners in the First-Year Experience field; actively engage in relevant professional networks.
Salary: $80,000-$90,000
Compensation for U.K.-based hires will be determined in alignment with local market practices and employment considerations.
What Makes a Great Candidate:Education & Experience- Bachelor's degree required; Master's degree preferred
- 8+ years of experience in Higher Education, Student Affairs, Student Services, or a related field, including progressive responsibility that may include staff leadership, cross-functional influence, or program ownership
- 5+ years of hands-on experience with First-Year programs, including program design, student support, and staff training
- 3+ years of experience in program operations for a U.S. study abroad program
Program Operations & Execution- Demonstrated ability to translate strategic direction into execution by building implementation plans, operating rhythms, and practical tools/workflows
- Proven track record creating and maintaining standard operating procedures (SOPs), templates/toolkits, and scalable workflows across multiple teams or locations
- Knowledge of the realities and challenges involved in running study abroad programs and supporting U.S. university students
Systems & Communication- Data and systems fluency, including the ability to build and maintain dashboards and reporting; Salesforce experience preferred
- Strong written and verbal communication skills, including confidence working with diverse stakeholders
- High attention to detail and reliability in documentation, version control, and partner-facing materials
We believe great talent comes in many forms and that there is no one size fits all in hiring. If you feel you may be a great fit for this role but do not check all of the boxes, we encourage you to apply and show us why you're the right candidate for this position.
