Senior International Advisor

About the Role

The Senior International Advisor is a key member of the International Support Services (ISS) staff, serving as a Designated School Official (DSO) for the F-1 student program and as an Alternate Responsible Officer (ARO) for the J-1 exchange visitor program. This position reports directly to the Assistant Director of Advising and Compliance and provides experienced counseling and advising support to international students and scholars. The role oversees one of the immigration compliance areas (initial document production or current student/scholar immigration advising) and supervises international advisors.

Responsibilities

• Senior Immigration Advising and Compliance (55%)
  • Provides expert guidance on higher-level immigration policy and regulatory issues.
  • Assists in monitoring regulatory compliance of the institution and individuals under KU’s F-1 or J-1 sponsorship.
  • Serves as a Tier 2 level expert for newer immigration advisors and front desk staff.
  • Counsels and advises international students and scholars on F-1, J-1, and other non-immigrant status regulations.
  • Interprets non-immigrant status regulations, policies, and practices for students, scholars, faculty, and staff.
  • Processes data and creates immigration documents for F-1 and J-1 nonimmigrants in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS).
  • Analyzes data and reports accurate and timely information to SEVIS to maintain Federal compliance requirements.
  • Assists with monitoring institutional compliance.
  • Develops, implements, and presents specialized workshops on F-1 and J-1 regulations for students, scholars, and university departments.
  • Interacts with government agencies including the Department of State, Department of Homeland Security, Social Security Administration, and Kansas Department of Revenue.
• Supervise International Advisors (20%)
  • Supervises 1-2 International Advisors as a team lead in a compliance area such as initial document production or immigration advising.
  • Oversees the respective compliance area for efficiency, effectiveness, and compliance.
• Technology and Systems (10%)
  • Designs and implements technical solutions for immigration-related regulations and policies to ensure compliance.
  • Develops and maintains e-forms and checklists.
• Training (5%)
  • Trains non-DSOs in ISS about immigration basics.
  • Provides training to KU departments on immigration rules impacting international students and scholars.
  • Helps develop an internal training manual for immigration advisors.
• Miscellaneous (10%)
  • Supports other projects and populations served by KU ISS.
  • Assists the ISS team in daily administrative duties and other designated responsibilities.
  • May serve on departmental and university-wide committees.

Requirements

U.S. Citizenship or U.S. Permanent Residence is required to comply with Federal regulations to serve as a Designated School Official (DSO) and Alternate Responsible Officer (ARO).

• Master's degree plus one (1) year of P/DSO & A/RO experience OR Bachelor’s degree plus three (3) years of relevant P/DSO & A/RO experience.
• Attention to detail (as evidenced by application materials).
• Excellent written communication skills (as evidenced by application materials).
• One (1) year experience delivering workshops and/or presentations on F-1 or J-1 immigration regulations to students and university personnel (as demonstrated by application materials).
• Three (3) years of experience with Microsoft Office Suite (Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, and/or Excel).
• One (1) year experience working with database management systems.
• One (1) year experience in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) as a P/DSO and an A/RO.

Preferred Qualifications

• More than three years of experience as a P/DSO and A/RO.
• Three (3) years experience working with database management systems in university settings (especially PeopleSoft, Sunapsis, and Slate).
• Two (2) years of professional experience supervising, mentoring, and evaluating staff.
• Three (3) years experience delivering workshops and/or presentations on F-1 or J-1 immigration regulations to students and university personnel.

Pay

Advertised Salary Range: $61,700