Job Summary
The Centre Director is responsible for the overall business operations, academic programme and management of the language centre.
Job Duties
Entrepreneurial orientation (Responsible for overall budget ownership)
- Proactively report P&L status against financial objectives and identify anomalies.
- Develop and meet KPI targets and other financial goals developed alongside the Director of Operations.
- Propose innovative business opportunities to increase revenue or decrease costs.
Communication and organisational skills
- Ensure that the company’s policies and procedures are followed.
- Submit required reports and data as requested.
- Manage the Centre’s financial controls.
- Ensure that centre funds and property are secure and accounted for.
Customer orientation
- Develop and maintain strong links and relationships with stakeholders (university partners, faculties within the universities, sponsors and agents).
- Further develop and implement student service offerings.
- Develop quality student services that build community, and drive and manage an agreed-upon retention % within the centre. Implement company returners and retention strategies.
- Ensure that the centre is known and respected by the university community, industry peers, and referral sources by doing centre-specific outreach.
Academic management
- Developing and conducting the academic programme in such a manner that it meets all standards of ELS
- Language Centres' standardised curriculum.
- Hiring, training and supervising of instructional staff.
- Providing substitute and regular classroom instruction. Minimum 2 periods per day.
- Maintaining the instructional budget by staying within instructional-hour guidelines.
- Ordering and maintaining all instructional materials and staying within the academic materials budget.
- Supervising the placement, testing and evaluation of students.
- Scheduling classes, teachers and students based on an approved template.
- Orienting new students to the academic programme.
- Submitting required academic reports to universities and sponsors.
- Assisting with the management of special programmes as assigned.
Strategic thinker
- Develop centre plans specifying goals, strategy, staffing, scheduling and identification of risks, contingency plans and allotment of resources.
- Continually define ways to increase customer satisfaction and maintain lasting stakeholder relationships.
- Fostering teamwork (Manage, motivate, discipline, mentor and lead the team).
- Ensure rigorous team performance management, with regular individual and team reviews. Utilize the MIT process to identify and drive Most Important Tasks.
- Lead, mentor and guide all staff.
- Promote good personnel relations and compliance with Human Resources policies and manage staff fairly and professionally.
- Recruit and retain qualified staff.
- Assign duties and responsibilities and scope of authority to staff.
- Provide opportunities for people to learn to work together as a team. Recognise and encourage behaviours that contribute to teamwork.
- Promote activities that result in centre growth; work with various ELS departments for promotional activities resulting in centre growth.
Other
- Promote and maintain a safe workplace, and a clean and attractive atmosphere.
- Ensure compliance with all regulatory requirements and University, State and Federal laws.
- Ensure that company policies and procedures are followed.
- Ensure the quality of the academic programme and adherence to instructional standards.
- Ensure that the materials used are updated and professional in nature.
- Perform other duties as necessary or assigned.
Limits of Authority
- Cannot change the standardised ELS Language Centres curriculum without the prior approval of the Director of
- Operations and Director of Academic Training and Planning Unit.
- Cannot make company policy decisions.
- Cannot hire or terminate a permanent employee reporting directly to the Centre Director without prior approval from Headquarters
- Cannot sign leases or contracts except for part-time instructional contracts.
- Cannot participate as a manager or consultant in any other business enterprise without the prior approval of the
- Director of Operations and Director of Academic Planning and Training Unit.
Job Requirements
Education: Minimum academic qualification of a master’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university and experience in an appropriate field, or an equivalent combination of training and experience is necessary. Courses in business management, cross-cultural awareness, counselling and ESL are preferred.
Experience: Minimum 3 years of management experience, including managing a programme with full supervisory responsibilities, including hiring and evaluating personnel, preferably in an ESL programme.
Competencies:
- Business management acumen and decision-making ability
- Excellent communication and organisational skills
- Customer service focus/orientation
- Problem-solving
- Maintain academic standards and quality
- Managing change
- Strategic thinker
- Foster teamwork
Travel Requirement: Minimum amount of travel
Essential Physical Functions: While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear. The employee is frequently required to stand, walk use hands to finger, handle or feel, reach with hands and arms and exert up to 10 pounds of force occasionally to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects.
Working Environment: This job operates in a professional office environment. This role routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, photocopiers, filing cabinets and other electrical devices.
Please note that the above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by most people assigned to this job. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities and requirements. Other duties may be assigned at the Supervisor's discretion.
