Program Officer, CBYX

Under the supervision of the CBYX Senior Program Officer, the Program Officer implements and administers day-to-day CBYX programming for both American and German participants. 

General duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to: 

Participant Support and Program Implementation 

• Serves as the first point of contact for German participants and college coordinators, and for American participants and applicants on routine matters; ensures all inquiries are answered timely and accurately. 

• Directly supports German participants through arrival, the academic term, the internship phase, and re-entry, including troubleshooting placement difficulties, culture shock, academic issues, and the internship search. 

• Supports American participants through the application, selection, pre-departure, and program-year phases in coordination with the Senior Program Officer and the German partner organization. 

• Serves as day-to-day liaison with the program's Housing Family Management Partner (currently StudiGO!) on placement logistics: compiles and transmits participant bios and preferences, counts per location, program dates, and arrival timelines for matching, and relays program requirement changes as directed. 

• Tracks placement status against the housing partner's placement and host family management reports, maintains placement and change-of-placement records in the CBYX online database, and flags delays or gaps to the Senior Program Officer. 

• In collaboration with Senior Program Officer, oversees college placement: prepares and submits German participants' college admissions applications, including translation of certificates and transcripts from German into English, and tracks admissions decisions and enrollment. 

• Escalates participant health, safety, and welfare concerns to the Senior Program Officer immediately, and drafts incident documentation for Senior Program Officer and Assistant Director review. 

• Organizes content for and delivers assigned presentations at inbound and outbound seminars. 

• Supports administration of the Congressional Internship Program under Senior Program Officer direction, including applicant processing, host family placement logistics, and delivery of the CIP orientation seminar. 

Program Administration 

• Maintains the participant and alumni database and all participant records, applications, and confidential documents in an electronically accessible format that can be shared with ECA Youth Programs Office as required. 

• Serves as a designated Alternate Responsible Officer under 22 CFR Part 62: prepares, prints, and signs participant DS-2019 forms and maintains participant records in SEVIS under Senior Program Officer oversight. 

• Works with the Accounting Department to process payments, including college tuition, travel reimbursements, seminar payments, and vendor invoices; tracks payments against budget lines and flags variances to the Senior Program Officer. 

• Prepares grant-funded housing remittances to the Housing Family Management Partner for Assistant Director approval, and reconciles partner invoices, housing payment records, and the housing continuity reserve with Accounting Department. 

• Owns participant insurance administration: enrolls participants in the Accident and Sickness Program for Exchanges (ASPE) for the full program period. 

• Tracks all participant travel and prepares international travel approval requests for Senior Program Officer and Assistant Director review and Department of State submission. 

• Prepares documents, information packets, mailings, and letters for email or other distribution, including CBYX pre-departure mailings. 

• Administers the CBYX application platform under Senior Program Officer direction, including annual configuration and testing, applicant technical support, and application processing. 

• Administers participant surveys under the Performance Monitoring Plan (PMP) to ensure MODE data collection; tracks response rates and compiles results for the Senior Program Officer and Assistant Director. 

• Supports marketing and recruitment execution, including the CBYX social media presence, outreach materials, and alumni engagement. 

• Assembles and submits content and images for the regular roundup of program highlights and participant activities.  

• Maintains and updates program process documentation so that recurring administrative procedures are repeatable and transferable. 

• Other tasks as assigned by the Senior Program Officer. 

 Event and Travel Logistics 

• Organizes venues, transportation, lodging, and food for all program activities, including orientations and seminars, as well as the CIP orientation. 

• Books German participant travel to evaluation seminars and to the Congressional Internship Program. 

• Arranges Congressional visits for participants during seminars in Washington, D.C. 

• Arranges panelists and logistics for CBYX selection interviews. 

• Supports CBBSX logistics as directed by the Assistant Director, including collecting biographical and travel information from selected Congressional staff, coordinating ticketing, and processing enrollment in the Accident and Sickness Program for Exchanges (ASPE). 

Client Relationship Management 

• Represents Cultural Vistas and CBYX at conferences, fairs, and meetings. 

• Proactively engages vendors, stakeholders, and participants. 

• In close cooperation with the Senior Program Officer and Assistant Director, supports and advises participants, host families, host colleges, and host companies as directed. 

• Supports regular communication with Cultural Vistas gGmbH and the German partner organization to ensure seamless collaboration with the Parlamentarisches Patenschafts-Programm (PPP). 

• Provides excellent, consistent customer service to all internal and external parties. 

Leadership and Supervision 

• Dependent on business needs and budget, supervises program interns and temporary support: participates in recruitment, leads training, assigns and reviews work, and provides regular feedback. 

• Effectively delegates appropriate assignments; monitors assignments to completion and provides feedback and appreciation. 

• Exhibits commitment and support toward developing and maintaining ways to expose staff to other programs and to engage staff with other programs and projects. 

• Supports staff performance management, formally and informally, in the following areas: 

• Conflict resolution (proactively addressing issues between parties). 

• Mentorship (providing examples of best practices in various performance areas). 

• Understanding diverse work and learning styles and respecting them, including intergenerational differences. 

Professional Development 

• Maintains working knowledge of J-1 visa regulations, Cultural Vistas policies, and current issues in international education in order to properly represent Cultural Vistas in program administration and at events. 

• Grows and maintains industry knowledge by seeking out educational workshops, conferences, membership in professional organizations, classes, and related publications. 

• Supports ongoing communication with all appropriate staff as it pertains to initiatives and new and existing business. 

• Takes a proactive approach toward improving business functions and workflow within the department. 

• Works in accordance with and in support of the mission, goals, values, and strategic direction of Cultural Vistas. 

General Qualifications

We're looking for the right candidate, not the perfect candidate. That's why we encourage you to apply if you're interested in the role and believe you'd be an asset to our team, even if you don't check every box below: 

• U.S. citizenship or lawful permanent residency, as required for designation as an Alternate Responsible Officer under 22 CFR Part 62. 
• Advanced intermediate proficiency in German required, including the ability to translate academic transcripts and certificates. 
• Ability to take accountability for multiple assignments and projects simultaneously, prioritize workload, organize, and make decisions in a deadline-driven environment.
• Extraordinary attention to detail, particularly with records, documents, and payments where accuracy is non-negotiable. 
• Demonstrated ability to anticipate outcomes and problem-solve. 
• Demonstrated ability to maintain a proactive, flexible, and inventive approach. 
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively and professionally with a wide variety of stakeholders across borders, time zones, and cultures.
• Strong analytical skills, good judgment, and critical thinking skills. 
• Comfort with event and travel logistics, including managing multiple vendors and deadlines at once. 
• Ability to handle confidential and sensitive information with discretion. 
• Ability to provide excellent customer service, both internally and externally. 
• Ability to exhibit a collegial attitude and excel within a collaborative working environment. 
• Strong ability to communicate effectively, in writing and verbally, within a multicultural environment. 
• Commitment to professionalism and professional development. 
• Proficiency in the Microsoft Office suite – Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, SharePoint, Excel. 
• Interest in and commitment to the mission of Cultural Vistas.  

Having one or more of the following will really catch our eye:

• Experience working in a cultural exchange, educational, or international relations environment. 
• Working knowledge of SEVIS and DS-2019 issuance.
• Experience with event planning, group travel, and logistics.
• Experience with Salesforce or another CRM platform.
• Knowledge working with one or more LMS platforms.
• Proficiency with Zoom or other virtual meeting tools.    

Candidates based in the Washington, D.C., area are preferred, although remote candidates within the U.S who can work with significant overlap with East Coast hours will be considered. This is a full-time exempt role eligible for benefits. This position is dependent upon the availability of grant funds. For more information on our benefit offerings, please visit: https://culturalvistas.org/get-involved/work-with-us.