About Global University Systems

As one of the world’s leading education groups. Global University Systems (GUS) serves over 130,000 face to-face students and more than 600,000 online learners worldwide, with a mission to transform lives through exceptional, career-centric and innovative education.

With over 11,000 employees globally, our 30+ universities and institutions are based in the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, Spain, the United Arab Emirates, Netherlands, Singapore, Ireland and the Caribbean. We are also proud partners of a handful of exceptional institutions in the United States, France and India.

About the role

This high-profile position offers an unparalleled opportunity to make a significant and lasting impact within a high-growth business. As the Executive Director of Student Recruitment in the United States, you will be responsible for leading and developing a team, bringing strategic vision, focus, and innovative thinking to the complex challenges of increasing revenues and driving future growth in a competitive market.

In this role, you will optimize business development activities, leveraging data and stakeholder management to drive performance and ensure student recruitment efforts are maximized to achieve ambitious growth targets. A significant focus here will be on the management of a global network of international student recruitment agents and partners.

As a driven, enthusiastic, and motivational leader, you should have proven experience in managing business development teams within the education sector and the capability to recruit skilled professionals. You will also manage Global and Regional Directors, enhancing the presence of GUS and/or its partner brands in targeted regions. A commercial and strategic thinker, you thrive in a fast-paced environment and are eager to progress within a forward-thinking, dynamic, and innovative organization.

Key Activities & Responsibilities

• Business Development: Identify, develop, and execute strategies to deliver growth in accordance with strategic plans. Drive new initiatives to acquire new international students and maximize opportunities for expansion.

• A significant focus on the business development initiatives will entail engaging and activating the world’s network of student recruitment consultancies and organizations.

• KPI ownership, oversight and management.

• Data-Driven Decision-Making: Utilize data analytics to assess market trends, monitor performance metrics, and refine recruitment strategies to ensure optimal outcomes.

• Stakeholder Management: Build and maintain effective relationships with key stakeholders, including educational institutions, partners, and internal teams, to advance business objectives.

• Commercial Strategy: Collaborate in designing the specific commercial strategy for international student recruitment, ensuring its successful communication and implementation.

• Market Opportunities: Analyze and capitalize on emerging market opportunities to increase international student recruitment.

• Performance Monitoring: Formulate and implement interventions to sustain performance and address challenges, supported by detailed performance reporting and analysis.

• Team Leadership: Manage and mentor a team of Business Development Managers, Global Directors, and Regional Directors, fostering a culture of excellence and accountability.

• Industry Engagement: Represent the organization at key industry events and conferences to generate leads, enhance visibility, and build strategic partnerships.

• Sales Process Improvement: Identify key areas for improvement in the recruitment process, ensuring the team operates efficiently and effectively.

• Target Achievement: Meet and exceed ambitious business development targets set by top management.

• Performance Reporting: Regularly report on business development performance, analyzing variances and recommending corrective actions.

Experience and Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree, along with 10+ years experience in the international education sector, of which 5+ should be in a senior leadership position.

• Proven track record in business development and stakeholder management, delivering market leading superior performance.

• Demonstrated success in improving recruitment performance within the education sector.

• Strong leadership skills with the ability to inspire and manage diverse teams.

• Proven experience in data analysis and leveraging insights for strategic decision-making.

• Hands on experience using various technologies. Experience with Salesforce is preferred.

• Previous experience working in a culturally diverse environment within a global organization.

• Excellent marketing strategy skills with a proven track record of success in business development.

• Strong prospecting, networking, persuasion, negotiation, and closing skills.

• Excellent communication skills, both written and oral, including presentations.

• High level of computer literacy, including data analytics tools, word processing, spreadsheets, and presentations.

• Excellent project management, logistics, and stakeholder relations skills.

• Highly numerate with strong financial analysis, forecasting, and budgeting skills.

• Ability to establish and maintain effective relationships with people at all levels in a wide range of organizations.

Salary is competitive.

Global University Systems is an equal opportunity employer and very much welcomes candidates from diverse backgrounds and geographies.

Global University Systems

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Executive Director - Student Recruitment