Academic Director

Founded in 2003, Maximo Nivel is a leading organization in study abroad and educational travel. We are an internationally accredited organization with 4 locally based institutes in 3 of the most beautiful countries in the world—Costa Rica, Guatemala. and Peru. At Maximo Nivel, we strive to set ourselves apart and provide the best education and travel experiences in Latin America, as well as top-notch client service and great home base facilities.

The Role

Your responsibilities will include:

• Being the lead manager for all teachers and all academic programs for the Maximo Nivel institute. This includes the Native English Program, Native Spanish Program, TEFL Certification, Service Learning, and Internships.
• Manages all daily operations of the Academic Office and is responsible for a team of 2 to 4 [shared] staff members, 10 to 25 English teachers, and 5 to 15 Spanish teachers. The size of the staff depends on location—Costa Rica, Guatemala, or Peru.
• Provides support for all other areas of Maximo Nivel in terms of books, materials, exams, quizzes, photocopies, and rooms.
• Be responsible for teacher recruiting, teacher management, curriculum management, support materials, and quiz and exam administration.
• Leads all new teacher orientation and onboarding of academic staff. Teacher management includes coaching, scheduling, payroll, and time off, among other things.
• Responsible for holding teacher meetings on the 15th and 30th of each month; and organizes 2-hours of in-service training for English teachers every month.
• Manages client service with respect to exam re-takes, grade reports, certification requirements, and attendance records. The Academic Office has very close contact with learners, clients, and their families; the Academic Director must be excellent at dealing with the public
• The Academic Director is a member of the in-country Executive Team and works closely with the Country Manager, Director of International Programs, and the Director of National Programs. Whereas the Academic Director does not carry his/her own schedule of classes, they are responsible for substituting and leading classes when regular staffing does not meet the needs of the institute.
• Generate reports using Excel and Word including: Teacher Feedback Summary, Teacher sick days, Teacher payroll, and other ad-hoc reports as needed.  

Ideal Profile

• Bachelor's Degree required, Master’s Degree preferred
• TEFL, TESOL, or CELTA certification required
• At least 3 years professional experience, ideally as a Head Teacher, DoS, or Institute Director
• Fluent English; Advanced Spanish required to be able to liaise effectively to different stakeholders across the region.
• Excellent computer skills including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.
• Excellent interpersonal skills; excellent writing skills; strong team skills and a “love” for team training
• Focused on results—learner success, learner satisfaction, and building an excellent teaching team. Adept at setting goals and managing competing priorities. Be the owner of the Academic function
• Metric driven; able to understand, analyze, and present data to support business decisions. 
• Strong attention to detail and deliver work that is of a high standard
• Highly goal driven and work well in fast paced environments
• A strong mentor and coach who can build high performing teams

What's on Offer?

• Work within a company with a solid track record of success
• Great work environment