Executive Editor, World Language Curriculum

Position: Executive Editor, World Language Curriculum
Reports to: Director of Curriculum
Department: High School Outbound, Global Navigator High School Summer Abroad
Location: US Remote (and Canada when applicable)

Who we are: 

CIEE is a non-profit study abroad and intercultural exchange organization that transforms lives and builds bridges between individuals and nations through study abroad and international exchange experiences that help people develop skills for living in a globally interdependent and culturally diverse world.

Why work with us: 

• You will change the world. CIEE builds bridges between different people, different countries, and different cultures. We help young people participate in high-quality international exchange and study abroad programs that bring the world together. We change lives, our alumni change the world. Be part of the change!
• You will receive a competitive total rewards package. CIEE provides all employees with exceptional benefits offerings that increase total compensation by up to 25%. Our top-tier benefits include:
  • Paid time off and Parental leave
  • Gym Reimbursement Program
  • Employee Assistance Program
  • Short-term & Long-term Disability
  • 6 floating Fridays (based on our eligibility rules)
  • CIEE Study Abroad Program discounts
  • 403(b) Retirement Plan with employer contribution
  • Insurance Coverage (life, travel, medical, dental, and vision) 
  • Flexible Spending Accounts/Health Savings Accounts (medical and dependent)
  • Voluntary Benefits (identity theft protection, pet insurance, accident, and critical illness)
• You will be part of a fast-paced, international, diverse, and collaborative team of professionals. CIEE operates the largest nonprofit network of study-abroad locations, with facilities and staff in 30 countries. Additionally, we help international participants from over 140 countries come to the USA each year. Committed to excellence and solving whatever problem the world throws at them, CIEE professionals work on international teams and are dedicated to advancing our almost 80-year-old mission to make the world a more peaceful place.

Who you are: 

Reporting to the Director of Curriculum on the High School Outbound Academics team, the Executive Editor provides editorial, curricular, and product leadership for CIEE’s High School Summer Abroad Language & Culture curriculum portfolio. This role shapes the vision, development processes, and quality standards for communicative, task-based world language curriculum used in CIEE’s four-week study abroad programs for U.S. high school students.

The Executive Editor translates academic goals, field feedback, assessment data, program priorities, and stakeholder input into coherent curriculum, development guidelines, prototypes, and high-quality instructional materials. The Executive Editor is responsible for sourcing, onboarding, and continually developing relationships with freelance editors. Working closely with the Director of Curriculum, Senior Editor, World Language Curriculum Editor, freelance editors, instructors, and international CIEE staff, this individual ensures that curriculum products are pedagogically strong, scalable, and aligned with CIEE’s academic vision. 

The Executive Editor also plays an important role in supporting relationships with key external stakeholders who contribute to and support CIEE’s curriculum initiatives. In partnership with the Director of Curriculum, this individual communicates clearly and professionally about curriculum priorities, progress, challenges, and outcomes; prepares materials and updates for stakeholder review; responds thoughtfully to feedback; and helps maintain productive, trust-based relationships. This requires the judgment to incorporate valuable input while balancing academic goals, implementation realities, scope, and timelines.

Strong candidates will bring substantial experience in world language educational publishing, with expertise in curriculum development, editorial management, and standards-aligned instructional design. They will understand how to move from vision to prototype, from prototype to manuscript, and from manuscript to implementation across multiple sites, languages, and stakeholder groups.

Success in this role requires both strategic leadership and hands-on editorial judgment. The Executive Editor must be able to define what excellent curriculum looks like, guide others toward that standard, evaluate manuscripts, make clear editorial decisions, manage complex feedback cycles, and protect scope, quality, and timelines in a fast-moving environment.

Limited travel will be required (approximately 2–3 trips per year).

What you’ll do:  

World Language Curriculum Product Strategy and Editorial Leadership

• Lead the editorial development of CIEE’s High School Summer Abroad Language & Culture curriculum portfolio across multiple languages, currently including Spanish, French, Italian, and German, with the long-term goal of expanding and standardizing curriculum across additional languages, potentially including Mandarin Chinese, Japanese, and Korean.
• In collaboration with the Director of Curriculum and key internal and external stakeholders, establish product specifications and editorial standards, development guidelines, quality benchmarks, and development workflows for revised and newly developed Language & Culture curricula.
• Translate academic priorities into curriculum architecture, including scope and sequence mapping, resource and skills planning, lessons, assessments, student- and instructor-facing materials, supplemental resources, and implementation supports.
• Lead prototype development for revised curriculum, including determining what should be standardized across sites and languages and what should be localized to reflect each program location’s language, history, culture, and context.
• Ensure that curriculum reflects CIEE’s pedagogical priorities, including communicative, task-based language teaching, target language engagement, authentic resources, intercultural learning, and developmentally appropriate instruction for high school students.

Editorial Development Workflows and Quality Management

• Lead complex curriculum development projects from concept through final delivery, including prototype planning, manuscript development, field review, revision cycles, quality assurance, and implementation support.
• Design, manage, and refine editorial workflows, development schedules, contributor assignments, feedback cycles, style guidance, manuscript expectations, and review protocols.
• Source, onboard, and manage freelance editors across languages and program locations.
• Provide editorial direction, manuscript review, and feedback to the Senior Editor, World Language Curriculum Editor, and freelance editors to ensure consistency with CIEE’s academic and editorial standards.
• Evaluate curriculum manuscripts and contributor work, identifying issues related to learning progression, task design, cognitive load, feasibility, pacing, cultural authenticity, linguistic accuracy, style and voice, and overall quality.
• Identify project risks, bottlenecks, scope concerns, and conflicting feedback early; make editorial recommendations and decisions that preserve curriculum quality and timelines.
• Oversee copyright and permissions processes for authentic resources, including images, texts, audio, video, etc., used across the curriculum.

Cross-Functional Collaboration 

• Collaborate closely with the HSOB Academics team to set priorities, define goals, manage stakeholder expectations, and make decisions about curriculum scope and sequencing.
• Coordinate with Sales and Marketing to ensure that academic materials and messaging accurately represent CIEE’s Language & Culture programs.
• Help translate curriculum features, learning outcomes, assessment data, and program strengths into clear language for internal and external audiences.

Training and Instructional Support

• Contribute to the annual training of HSSA Language & Culture instructors, including asynchronous Canvas training and synchronous live virtual workshops which may occur outside of normal business hours to accommodate time zone differences.
• Develop or review training materials that help instructors understand curriculum goals, lesson structure, target language expectations, communicative methodology, assessment practices, and implementation priorities.
• Support international staff and instructors on academic matters, including curriculum questions and implementation challenges.

Program Evaluation and Continuous Improvement

• Manage complex feedback from multiple stakeholders, including instructors, site staff, reviewers, and strategic advisors.
• Use qualitative and quantitative data to evaluate curriculum effectiveness, including instructor feedback, student surveys, site visit observations, implementation notes, and pre- and post-program language proficiency assessment data.
• Identify trends across sites, levels, and languages that should inform future curriculum revisions, training needs, or implementation support.
• Recommend improvements to curriculum design, editorial processes, and implementation supports.

Research, Field Leadership, and Promotion

• Stay informed about trends and innovations in K–12 world language education, educational publishing, international education, language assessment, and instructional technology.
• Research and recommend teaching methods, resources, tools, and technologies appropriate for high school language instruction in study abroad contexts.
• Help establish CIEE as a thought leader in language education by contributing world language and curriculum expertise to teacher-facing professional development events, initiatives, and materials, as needed.

What you’ll bring: 

Required:

• Bachelor’s degree in applied linguistics, second language acquisition, curriculum and instruction, world language education, educational publishing, or a related field.
• Minimum of 7–10 years of editorial experience in educational publishing, including experience in senior editorial, executive editor, managing editor, or product development roles; significant experience in K–12 world language strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated experience leading the editorial development of curriculum products, including setting product specifications, managing manuscripts, directing contributors, and ensuring quality from concept through final delivery.
• Experience developing or overseeing standards-aligned curriculum across multiple languages, scope and sequence documents, lesson plans, and student- and teacher-facing materials.
• Experience managing and developing staff and leading teams of 4–6 contributors.
• Deep understanding of world language pedagogy, including ACTFL proficiency guidelines, communicative language teaching, task-based learning, authentic resources, and proficiency-oriented instruction.
• Professional fluency in Spanish required; proficiency in additional languages, such as French, Italian, German, or Chinese, is a plus.
• Excellent written communication skills in English and the ability to write, edit, and give feedback with clarity, precision, and diplomacy.
• Experience managing writers, editors, freelancers, external contributors, reviewers, or cross-functional collaborators.
• Strong project management skills, including the ability to create and manage schedules, workflows, documentation, feedback cycles, and quality-control processes.

Strongly preferred:

• Master’s degree in applied linguistics, second language acquisition, curriculum and instruction, world language education, educational publishing, or a related field.
• High school world language teaching experience.
• Experience creating and managing resources in Google Drive.
• Experience with language proficiency assessment data, such as STAMP, ACTFL-aligned assessments, or other proficiency-based measures.
• Experience supporting teacher training, professional development, or implementation of curriculum products.

CIEE believes that professionals with varied backgrounds bring unique approaches and ideas to solving problems and advancing our mission to bring the world together. Qualified candidates from underrepresented groups are strongly encouraged to apply. 

Due to federal regulations and CIEE policies, a background check and education and employment verification will be conducted as conditions of employment.