Academic Advisor

COMPANY DESCRIPTION
Established in ‎1951, Amideast is an American nonprofit organization dedicated
to creating hope, opportunity, and mutual understanding among people in the
Middle East, North Africa, and United States through life-changing
opportunities for education and cultural exchanges. Working with local,
regional, and international partners, we provide programs and services that
improve educational opportunity and quality, expand access to U.S. study,
empower youth and women, strengthen local institutions, and develop language
and professional skills for success in the global economy. Headquartered in
Washington, D.C., Amideast operates offices in ‎11 countries in the MENA
region. For more information, visit us at www.amideast.org.
POSITION DESCRIPTION
The Sawiris Distinction Scholarship offers high-potential Egyptian students
access to premium quality education at local public and private universities
in Egypt. Amideast understands that the overall success of the scholarship
depends entirely on the success of the students in their respective
educational programs and universities. One program requirement is for the
students to maintain high academic records throughout their studies.
The Academic Advisor will be responsible for monitoring the scholarship
students’ academic performance and progress and assisting students with their
growth that impacts their overall academic and programmatic success. s/he will
act as the focal point with the students and the academic advisors at the
partner universities and will be responsible for providing the full academic
support to the students and addressing any challenges they face.
RESPONSIBILITIES
Tasks and responsibilities for this position include, but are not limited to,
the following:
* Act as the focal point with the scholarship students with regards to their academic performance.
* Act as the focal point with the university coordinators / academic advisors with regards to the students’ academic performance and progress.
* Conduct regular face-to-face and virtual individual and group meetings with the students (at least once per semester)
* Conduct regular face-to-face and virtual meetings with the university coordinators and academic advisors to ensure a full understanding of each university’s academic/graduation requirements and to ensure students’ smooth academic progress (at least once per semester)
* Advise students on academics-related matters and provide support whenever needed
* Follow up with the students to confirm their courses and credits registration as per the major requirements and academic plan beginning of every semester
* Monitor students’ academic performance in coordination with the universities’ coordinators and academic advisors; compile their transcripts on a regular basis, and address any academic, logistical, or developmental issues that the students may encounter
* Maintain regular communication with the students and academic advisors to deter from any potential academic challenges or problems that may interfere with the students’ studies, academic performance and development during university especially if they are at risk of dropping or failing courses, and develop and implement performance improvement action plans to enhance students’ academic progress
* Report on students’ academic progress to the Exchange Programs Lead including students’ grades, course enrollment, academic challenges, and any other student-related matters
* Develop a narrative and statistical academic report per semester with the students’ academic progress and status in addition to developing the scholarship students’ portfolios
* Provide assistance in the arrangements, monitoring and reporting of the programmatic and academic services provided by the program to the students (e.g. English language courses, capacity building courses, etc)
* Conduct research on higher education in Egypt with special focus on the scholarship’s partner universities (whenever needed)
* Perform other related tasks as assigned by Program Lead.
Travel: ‎40% to meet with students and universities’ staff of partner
universities in the different governorates (Cairo, Alexandria, Mansoura, and
Assiut)
QUALIFICATIONS AND SKILLS
Required:
* Bachelor’s degree in a related field
* Two to three years of previous experience
* Knowledge of academic advising and scholarship administration
* Ability to evaluate student transcripts and records
* Ability to gather data and compile information
* Narrative and statistical report writing
* Outstanding organizational and multitasking skills.
* Ability to work both independently and as part of a team.
* Excellent written and verbal communication skills
* Strong attention to detail.
* Fluency in Arabic and English
* Computer proficiency and strong knowledge of MS Office tools (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) is required
Preferred
* Project Management Professional Certification (PMP)
* Previous experience/knowledge in the U.S. Education System
The physical demands and work environment that have been described is
representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential
functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable
individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
This position description is an overview of the major functions and
requirements of this position. This document is not intended to be an
exhaustive list encompassing every duty and requirement of the position; the
Employee’s Manager may assign other duties as related or as otherwise deemed
appropriate and necessary within the general scope, without the need for
additional compensation.
Amideast is an equal opportunity employer and prohibits discrimination and
harassment of any type 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 law.
Positions that involve interaction with children will be required to read,
acknowledge, and comply with and attend special training in accordance with
the Child Protection and Safeguarding policy. All Amideast representatives
must comply with the Code of Conduct and all applicable organizational
policies which include but are not limited to, Anti-Human Trafficking and
Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse.
Job Type: Full-time