Program Director

WorldStrides is the global leader in educational travel and experiential learning. The company was founded over 50 years ago and has grown to provide a wide range of programs for more than 550,000 students annually from more than 5,000 K12 schools and universities to over 100 countries around the world. WorldStrides offers experiential learning programs in educational travel, performing arts, language immersion, career exploration, service-learning, study abroad, and sports. Each of these experiences helps students to see beyond the classroom and to see the world – and themselves – in new ways.

Role Summary

The Program Director will lead an academy of Program Managers who are responsible for the delivery of the program offerings with an emphasis on exceptional service, safety, educational impact, operational excellence, productively and effectiveness.  This position will manage the academic strategy and work closely with their team to ensure that programs are executed to the highest quality standard.  The Program Director will drive the continuous enhancement of the curriculum and implement the strategic initiates for the academy.

Key Characteristics
•    Grow, lead, and develop a team of top talent that values diversity, collaboration and entrepreneurship
•    Lead with a quantifiable focus on the program vision, quality, productivity and efficiency gained through continuous program improvement
•    Collaborate with multiple stakeholders to design programs that excite and engage our students.
•    Oversee the coordination of all aspects of the program (curricular goals, instructional materials, site visits, staff training, and student materials).
•    Initiate long-range planning and development for future sessions based on qualitative and quantitative evaluation measures
•    Manage resolution of all emergency/crises and significant student situations during the program experience (including on-call responsibilities, personally communicating with parents and authorized individuals in escalated situations, writing and approving time-sensitive communication responses messaging to various external customers).
•    Ensure programs meet or exceed satisfaction/Net Promoter Score goals.
•    Oversee the program by developing and completing program-related projects on time, monitoring enrollments, identifying trends, and proactively making recommendations for continuous improvement.
•    Manage a multi-million cost of sales budget. Ensure budgets are delivered within established goals.
•    Evaluate employee performance strategies and build talent retention.
•    Provide leadership, motivation, direction and support to your respective team.  Primarily responsible for leadership of direct reports and attainment of education, program and business objectives
•    Budget forecasting, maintenance and reconciliation to guarantee programs meet time/budget requirements and are executed in accordance with contract documents and business goals.
•    Set and ensure deliverables are met within internal department guidelines and operational objectives.

Qualifications
•    Bachelor of Arts or Science degree from an accredited institution; advanced degree preferred
•    7 years’ experience managing complex programs in a cross functional environment.
•    Strong communication, interpersonal and organizational skills
•    Must possess strong analytical, strategic, project management, decision-making and problem-solving skills.

At WorldStrides, the experience is everything. By joining our team you help provide moments that delight and open up the world of learning. Our team is truly passionate about making each experience a once in a lifetime opportunity for each traveler that is easy to manage from A to Z. Each journey is different, which is why we offer a broad range of experiential learning programs for groups and individuals of all ages throughout their lifelong learning journey.

If we’ve learned anything over this last year, it’s that being able to experience different places and things while interacting with new people is imperative to not only personal growth but also to general well-being. So, let’s get out there–together. To learn more about our brand, our mission and our commitment to health and safety, please visit our website at www.worldstrides.com.

Members of our team are able to take advantage of our generous paid-time off (PTO) policy, comprehensive insurance plans (medical, dental, vision and more), flexible spending accounts, paid parental and care giver leave, a casual work environment and a flexible work policy with several options to meet both your professional and personal needs. In addition, we offer travel perks on our products. We also take COVID protocols very seriously and are committed to the health and safety of our team members, participants, vendors and partners which is why we’ve put extensive measures in place around mandatory vaccinations, PPE and other safety guidelines that follows both the CDC and World Health Organizations guidance.

As an Equal Opportunity Employer, WorldStrides` is committed to building a diverse workforce, supported by an environment that promotes inclusion and belonging. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.