Company Overview:

Professional Linguistic Upper Studies (PLUS) operates English as a Foreign Language (EFL) programs across the world. Our junior course programs allow students the opportunity to take English classes and explore the surrounding regions while staying at U.S. colleges and universities.
 

Position Overview:

The Centre Manager position is a seasonal, salaried and full-time position during July 2020. PLUS offers summer study travel programs to international high school students at college campuses across North America. The Centre Manager oversees all aspects of the PLUS program at Sheridan College in Oakville, Ontario for PLUS participants, including coordinating the academic program, arranging housing and dining for the group, and overseeing off-campus excursions and on-campus activities. The Centre Manager directly supervises the Activity Manager. The Centre Manager works under the direct supervision of the Director of North American Operations and the Program Manager. 

In addition to a salaried wage, full room and board is provided for the duration of employment; residing on campus is required. PLUS employees are expected to work a flexible schedule. Night and weekend work is expected to meet the demands of the program, and regional travel is required. PLUS employees are responsible for all travel and moving costs to and from campus location prior to and at the conclusion of their contract. Travel to excursion destinations and any work travel during the contracted period will be covered by PLUS.

Duties and Responsibilities:

The following is expected of the Centre Manager:

Standard Expectations

• Interact with groups of international high school students and their group leaders in a professional, enthusiastic, and customer service-oriented manner
• Be familiar with, adhere to, and enforce PLUS policies and procedures
• Ensure the safety of all participants, including taking them to the hospital, if necessary, and documenting all hospital visits for insurance purposes
• Be familiar with campus-specific information, including everything in the PLUS Guide
• Maintain frequent communication with PLUS staff
• Be on call every night for the duration of the program
• Assist with emergency situations, as needed
• Complete all PLUS assessments received during employment period
• Assist in duties other than the aforementioned and the following, as assigned and as they arise

Supervision

• Directly supervise the Activity Manager and instructors
• Oversee all Activity Leaders and Activity Coordinator
• Train Activity Manager, Activity Leaders, Activity Coordinator, and instructors
• Create a weekly schedule for all staff
• Hold daily staff meetings to ensure that all program and position needs are met
• Conduct regular performance evaluations of staff members
• Motivate staff members throughout the duration of the program
• Fill in as substitute for academic or leisure staff as needed

Customer Service

• Provide superior customer service to students and group leaders: monitor group leader feedback reports and liaise with group leaders to understand and address any concerns
• Be readily available and present whenever participants are on campus to speak with group leaders and students
• Conduct group leader meetings at the beginning of each session, welcoming them and providing an overview of the overall program; meet with chaperones as needed and as requested during the remainder of each session
• Compile a welcome packet for each group leader that includes information on the program and campus
• Liaise with group leaders in the planning of extra excursions; submit all extra excursion requests to the PLUS Head Office
• Schedule and hold daily office hours
• Liaise with overseas PLUS offices, as needed

Academic

• Manage all logistics of the site-specific academic program
• Manage all instructors, including coordinating their schedules, reviewing and approving time sheets, supervising instruction, and assigning them classrooms based on the list of available classrooms provided by PLUS
• Together with instructors, create a safe, comfortable, and engaging learning environment for all students
• Review the curricula provided by PLUS to be adequately familiar with lesson plans. Instructors may supplement the curriculum with their own materials, as appropriate.
• Download and review all online placement test scores per session; assist with sorting students into levels and classes based on test scores
• Consult with instructors after the first lesson to ensure students have been placed into the correct level; conduct assessments of students’ oral proficiency, as needed
• Copy all worksheets needed per class and distribute to instructors daily
• Distribute classroom supplies to instructors as needed
• Confirm all classroom bookings with host institution and communicate any changes to the Academic Manager at the PLUS Head Office
• Communicate with the host institution regarding classroom needs and technology issues, as needed
• Coordinate the completion and distribution of end-of-course certificates
• Fill in as substitute teacher as needed
• Collaborate with the instructors and PLUS Head Office regarding instructional methods and the PLUS curriculum
• Coordinate and administer final standardized test
• Attend training session and any additional meetings organized by the PLUS Head Office
• Maintain frequent and professional communication with instructors
• Coordinate and oversee the administration of end-of-term standardized tests
• Perform other duties, as assigned

On-Campus Activities

• Confirm bookings for all multipurpose rooms, fields, theaters, etc. for on-campus activities/events
• Oversee the planning, coordination, and implementation of on-campus activities
• In conjunction with the Activity Manager, conduct a “Welcome Night” presentation that orients students to the PLUS program
• Attend and participate in talent shows and graduation ceremonies; attend and participate in other on-campus programming as needed

Off-Campus Activities (Excursions)

• Oversee the planning, coordination, and execution of all off-campus excursions for PLUS students and group leaders
• Oversee the planning and execution of activities to engage students during off-campus excursions
• Oversee the coordination of all airport arrival and departure schedules

University Liaison

• Serve as primary point of contact for all on-campus university departments
• Responsible for the following Housing, Dining, and Office responsibilities: 

Housing

• • Coordinate all groups’ check-in and check-out from campus with the host institution
  • Coordinate weekly room and bathroom cleanings with host university and/or cleaning company, as needed
  • Oversee room checks prior to participant arrivals to ensure all rooms are clean and ready for participants’ arrival
  • Oversee room checks prior to student departures to determine any room damages
  • Create rooming lists for each session, and communicate changes to rooming lists to University and central PLUS office, as needed
  • Serve as primary point of contact to the linen supply company (if applicable)
  • Coordinate linen distribution, changeover, and pick-up (if applicable)
  • Responsible for communicating with Facilities/Maintenance to fix any problems that arise in the residence halls

Dining

• • Regularly update on-campus meal spreadsheet and submit to host institution
  • Confirm on a daily basis all on-campus meals and boxed meals, including numbers, meal times and pick-up times (for boxed meals) with dining hall on campus
  • Provide dining hall with a list of food allergies per session; ensure all food allergy requests are met for on-campus and boxed meals
  • Coordinate and participate in the distribution of boxed meals prior to participants’ departure from campus
  • Communicate any last-minute changes to on-campus meals to dining hall and the Program Manager

Office & Miscellaneous

• Responsibly for updating the PLUS app on a daily basis to keep participants informed of pertinent information
• Responsible for telling students and group leaders to complete weekly satisfaction surveys and following up with them to ensure completion
• Responsible for collecting and recording all fees for lost keys, room damages, and extra excursions
• Responsible for depositing all money collected for lost keys, room damages, and extra excursions within 24 hours of collection
• Responsible for ensuring the safekeeping of all participant passports and all money collected for lost keys, room damages, and extra excursions
• Utilize Plus Vision Software and the PLUS Master Program to properly understand participants’ arrivals and departures from the program
• Coordinate participant arrival and departure days from the program
• Participate in weekly meeting with the PLUS Head Office and Activity Manager
• Responsible for appropriate use and documentation of company card
• Review campus-specific incident reports
• Oversee bi-weekly inventory checks of PLUS wristbands or other collateral materials, and communicate with Program Coordinator in a timely fashion if running low

Qualifications and Desired Skills:

• Authorization to work in Canada required
• Must be 18 years or older
• University degree required
• Event planning or coordination experience required
• Customer service experience required
• Command of Microsoft Excel and Google Drive required
• Prior teaching experience strongly preferred
• Experience in the hospitality and tourism industry strongly preferred
• Experience with summer or study travel programs strongly preferred
• International and intercultural experience strongly preferred
• Prior supervisory experience strongly preferred
• Administrative experience strongly preferred

The successful candidate will have strong coordination and organizational skills and be able to work with diverse groups of people in a high-pressure environment. He/she will be detail-oriented, self-motivated, adaptable, professional, enthusiastic, and always have a positive attitude. The successful candidate will also have strong problem-solving, customer service, multi-tasking, communication, management, and interpersonal skills.

Physical Demands:

Do the essential functions of this job require lifting? Yes

If yes, how many pounds? 25 lbs.

Do the essential functions of this job require standing? Yes

Do the essential functions of this job require walking up stairs? Yes

Do the essential functions of this job require stretching? Yes

Do the essential functions of this job require bending? Yes