International Scholars Operations (ISO) Specialist

University of Washington Medical Center•Seattle, WA

3d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Office of Academic Personnel and Faculty (APF) leverages its subject matter expertise and institutional perspective in academic personnel administration to support the recruitment and retention of the University of Washington's world-class community of faculty, librarians, and academic staff. The International Scholars Operations (ISO) Specialist supports the ISO team in managing visa and permanent residence applications as well as data, documents, and activities associated with the university's foreign national scholar population. In serving the UW community, the ISO Specialist joins the entire APF team in promoting and continually aspiring to excellence, collaboration, integrity, innovation, diversity, and respect. The ISO Specialist leverages excellent organizational skills to gather, organize and compile a high volume of complex and sensitive data; analyzes international scholar issues and inquiries in relation to policies and regulations, and exercises independent judgment to respond directly or escalate to subject matter experts or supervisor as appropriate; and demonstrates excellent interpersonal skills to communicate with an international scholar population who may be challenged by language and/or cultural barriers. The Office of Academic Personnel and Faculty at the University of Washington provides assistance to hundreds of international faculty and other academic personnel scholars who come to the UW from all over the world to contribute to the institution’s academic and research objectives. UW’s international community enhances the rich diversity and cosmopolitan character of the university. The ever-changing landscape of technology, regulation, and stakeholder needs requires APF to be agile and responsive. The ISO Specialist’s focus on quality assurance and continuous improvement have a direct and enterprise-wide impact on the successful retention of UW’s international scholar population and UW’s continued compliance with federal immigration policy and process.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree
3-4 years professional experience working in a international students or scholars office, or comparable experience in private- or public-sector immigration setting.
NOTE: In addition to the minimum requirements below, this position requires that the successful candidate be a US citizen or Legal Permanent Resident in order to perform the Alternate Responsible Office duties outlined in the position duties.
Demonstrated ability to collect, organize, compile and analyze program data
Evidence of successful coordination and execution of processes and policies in support of program objectives
Proven ability to communicate successfully with individuals from a variety of cultural backgrounds
Effective verbal and written communication skills
Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple deadlines
Meticulous attention to detail
Excellent customer service skills
Demonstrated ability to work effectively in a team setting

Nice To Haves

Experience with or knowledge related to H-1B and permanent residence petitions
Familiarity with J-1 Exchange Visitors and Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS)
Previous experience as an Alternate Responsible Officer (ARO) or Designated School Official (DSO)
Experience using international students/scholars platform, e.g. Terra Dotta, Sunapsis, ISSM, etc

Responsibilities

VISA REVIEW AND PROCESSING 65%
Employ intermediate (practical application) competency related to visa policy in order to complete mandatory check-in requirements with all new exchange visitors; communicate directly with scholars and hosts/sponsoring units regarding compliance issues; develop written materials that guide academic partners and exchange visitors on policies and federal regulations
Serve as Alternate Responsible Officer (ARO) for the J-1 Exchange Visitor Program in accord with the duties outlined in 22 CFR 62.11 Duties of Responsible Officers and Alternate Responsible Officers
With a high degree of accuracy, access, retrieve from, and/or report data to government and enterprise systems including, but not limited to: the Department of Homeland Security’s Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS), the Department of Labor‘s Foreign Labor Application Gateway (FLAG), US Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS), Terra Dotta, and INSZoom
Review and coordinate highly complex and federally-mandated forms, petitions and records related to J-1 and H1-B visas and visa renewals; review and issue all J-1 visa extensions, amendments and add J-2 dependents, work with unit administrators to ensure compliance, and demonstrate the professional judgment to escalate issues requiring ISO Advisor, ISO Manager,, and/or executive leadership attention
Liaise with and update sponsoring academic units and applicants on deadlines, missing materials, and required next steps related to visa compliance and paperwork
Manage ISO ticketing system and shared email address; delegate related tasks as appropriate
Process, record, and disseminate all incoming documentation to ISO including document drop offs and mail receipting.
RECORDS MANAGEMENT AND INTEGRITY 20%
Assist with implementation, process improvement, and ongoing use of APF’s electronic document management system as it relates to the ingest and tagging of ISO records; coordinate ingest process on behalf of the ISO team; routinely analyze, record, and organize business processes related to ISO records management to identify opportunities for improvement
Oversee the security, maintenance, and accuracy of ISO records in accord with APF and UW/university records retention policy
Coordinate accurate and timely compliance with ISO-related public records requests and other public access inquiries
PROCESS IMPROVEMENT AND COLLABORATION 10%
Assist in the identification of opportunities to improve ISO customer service, workflow, processes, and cross-team and unit collaboration
Participate on various committees and work groups related to organizational action plan and/or ISO strategic goals as appropriate.
OTHER DUTIES AS ASSIGNED 5%
May supervise staff on a project basis
Assist with special projects related to strategic priorities or other institutional needs
Attend training/professional development activities
Other duties as assigned.