Senior Director for Education Abroad
Job Details
General Notes
The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin) is home to 18 schools and colleges, including the Dell Medical School, over 7,500 international students, more than 800 English as a Second Language students, and nearly 1,500 international scholars representing more than 120 countries annually. More than 5,000 UT Austin students each year participate in education abroad across 80 countries, and 600,000+ alumni live and work abroad in 176 countries. Students and alumni have received numerous prestigious international awards, including Fulbright, Gilman, Rhodes, and Marshall scholarships, and UT Austin is ranked among the world’s best and most productive research universities. UT Austin’s leadership is committed to supporting the continued growth of internationalization activities across campus and abroad, and Texas Global plays a critical role in shaping and leading these efforts in concert with faculty, staff, and students.
Purpose
The Senior Director for Education Abroad serves as a key member of the Texas Global leadership team and provides executive-level leadership for complex, multi-functional units within Education Abroad. Working in close partnership with the Senior Vice Provost for Global Engagement and Chief International Officer, this role translates institutional priorities into clear direction, effective implementation, and sustained organizational excellence. The Senior Director oversees the broader Education Abroad leadership structure, including the Director of Exchange and Affiliated Programs and the Director of Experiential Learning, and ensures strong alignment, resource planning, and service delivery across these portfolios, in support of Texas Global’s mission and university priorities.
Responsibilities
Strategic Leadership and Organizational Development
- Provide strategic leadership for Education Abroad in close collaboration with the Senior Vice Provost for Global Engagement and Chief International Officer, helping translate institutional vision into priorities, initiatives, and action across the unit.
- Lead strategic and annual planning for Education Abroad, including priority setting, goal development, and alignment with Texas Global and university objectives.
- Lead long-range planning, organizational development, and continuous improvement efforts to strengthen the unit’s structure, services, staffing model, and overall effectiveness.
- Lead unit-level resource planning and operational prioritization, aligning staffing, budget strategy, and administrative capacity with strategic goals, service expectations, and long-term sustainability.
- Review current operations, service delivery, and administrative practices to identify opportunities for refinement, innovation, efficiency, and stronger alignment with university needs, and lead implementation of approved changes.
- Set strategic direction and operating expectations for Education Abroad leadership and guide implementation through the Director of Exchange and Affiliated Programs and the Director of Experiential Learning.
- Guide the development and refinement of policies, practices, and organizational approaches that support effective service delivery, program quality, and sustainable growth.
- Provide leadership on complex or escalated matters involving operations, partnerships, policy interpretation, and organizational decision-making.
Partnerships, Representation, and Institutional Engagement
- Cultivate and strengthen institutional, provider, and international partnerships that expand high-quality global learning opportunities and support strategic program growth. Steward selected partnership relationships and, as appropriate, lead discussions and implementation efforts at the appropriate level in alignment with leadership direction.
- Represent Education Abroad and Texas Global with senior campus leaders, academic units, external stakeholders, and international partners, and effectively represent the Senior Vice Provost for Global Engagement, as appropriate.
- Build and maintain productive relationships with faculty, deans, campus administrators, and other key partners to advance institutional priorities and support long-term success.
- Work across various constituencies with sound judgment and audience awareness to build trust, navigate complex issues, and position the unit effectively within the university and beyond.
- Contribute to advancement-related conversations, donor and alumni engagement, and other external-facing opportunities that support Texas Global’s Education Abroad priorities.
Operational Oversight and Leadership Coordination
- Guide the overall operational model for Education Abroad, ensuring clear accountability, effective coordination across portfolios, and strong alignment between strategic priorities and day-to-day execution.
- Oversee central administrative and partnership functions within Education Abroad, including supervision of designated staff and leadership through directors responsible for major portfolio areas.
- Promote coordination, accountability, and coherence across the director-level portfolios and shared functions.
- Support the development of operational standards, workflows, and service expectations that strengthen consistency, responsiveness, and efficiency across Education Abroad.
- Lead or support organizational improvements, transition planning, and implementation efforts that strengthen unit functionality and long-term sustainability.
Executive Decision Support, Policy, and Risk Collaboration
- Provide concise, well-framed, and decision-ready analysis and recommendations that enable informed decisions by the Senior Vice Provost for Global Engagement and other senior stakeholders.
- Use data, assessment, and emerging trends to guide strategic recommendations, organizational improvements, and future directions for Education Abroad.
- Maintain awareness of national trends, peer practices, and evolving models in education abroad and international education to inform benchmarking, strategic decisions, and future planning.
- Collaborate with relevant Texas Global and university partners on health, safety, and risk policy and considerations in international settings, including coordination with specialized subject-matter experts.
- Help ensure that leadership decisions reflect sound judgment, institutional priorities, and appropriate consideration of operational, student, and partnership implications.
Required Qualifications
- A bachelor’s degree and ten years of relevant experience, or a master’s degree and seven years of relevant experience. Senior-level leadership experience in education abroad, international education, or a closely related field, including responsibility for strategic planning, organizational change, and operational improvement in a higher education environment or similarly complex organization.
- Exceptional written and oral communication skills, including skill in tailoring messaging with precision, sound judgment, and attention to audience and context. Capacity to synthesize complex information into concise, well-framed recommendations that inform senior leadership decisions. Outstanding organizational skills, careful attention to detail, and the judgment to anticipate needs, manage competing priorities, and follow through effectively in a fast-paced environment.
- Experience leading through other leaders, overseeing multi-function operations, and guiding resource planning or administrative priorities. At least five years of experience supervising and developing professional staff in a service-oriented environment, with demonstrated ability to influence, collaborate, and build alignment across stakeholder groups.
- Strong record of advancing institutional and external partnerships that further academic, student, and organizational goals, along with the credibility to steward selected partnership matters appropriately over time. Demonstrated success navigating large organizations with political acumen, discretion, and a high degree of trustworthiness.
- Current knowledge of trends, best practices, and emerging issues in global learning, education abroad, and partnership development. Deep understanding of education abroad programming models, student support frameworks, and program assessment practices. Experience with health, safety, and risk considerations in international settings, along with the ability to collaborate effectively with specialized partners on mitigation and response.
- Capacity to advise senior leadership, drive organizational improvement, and represent institutional priorities effectively. Significant international experience, including living, studying, or working abroad.
- Relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate.
Preferred Qualifications
- Preferred qualifications include an academic degree in international education or a related field, the ability to communicate in a language other than English, and demonstrated experience supporting senior leadership in a complex academic or administrative environment.
- Additional preferred qualifications include experience contributing to donor or alumni engagement efforts, familiarity with organizational change processes, and the ability to operate with credibility and effectiveness across a wide range of internal and external settings.
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