Partnerships Director

About IDP

IDP is the global leader in international education services, delivering global success to students, test takers and our partners, through trusted human relationships, digital technology and customer research. An Australian-listed company, we operate in more than 50 countries around the world.

Our team is comprised of over 7,000 people of various nationalities, ages and cultural backgrounds. Proudly customer-first, our expert people are powered by global technology. Together, we offer unmatched services, helping local dreams become realities, all over the world.

Learn more at www.careers.idp.com

Role purpose

IDP is looking for a Partnerships Director (PD) to join the US Partnerships team, reporting to the Senior Partnerships Director (SPD). The PD will help lead the acquisition of priority partnerships in the US, using IDP’s market-leading services and solutions to build, implement and deliver successful innovative partnerships with our top tier of prospective clients, driving revenue outcomes from in-market student recruitment, digital marketing, and intelligence services, among other things. 

Liaising with the broader Partnerships, Marketing, Client Success teams and the VP of Partnerships USA, the PD will focus on priority partnership acquisitions to reach team goals. The PD takes a proactive role in building pipeline, account-based marketing initiatives, participating in key in-person events, thought leadership and leveraging the IDP insights and network to achieve KPIs. The role would also focus on developing new student placement models, key projects relating to student placement revenue growth, new product areas and contract updates.

Key accountabilities

We're looking for a candidate with 5-10 years of experience in higher education, ideally combining international enrollment management at an institution with commercial sector experience. You should have a proven track record of selling complex products or solutions, preferably within higher education.

A strong understanding of education-focused digital marketing and international student recruitment is essential, as is the ability to use data and evidence for strategic decision-making.

The ideal candidate is a team player with high emotional intelligence, fostering positive relationships with clients and colleagues. You'll thrive in a collaborative environment, focused on constructive problem-solving for clients, students, and the company.

You'll strategically review university recruitment objectives, assess student placement performance, and recommend tactical plans, influencing internal stakeholders to achieve the best client outcomes. Attention to detail is crucial for crafting sophisticated business proposals and campaign reports.

We need a strong influencer who can engage stakeholders and leverage technical, commercial, and analytical information to create compelling solutions. You'll have a proven ability to build and grow relationships with senior leadership within client organizations and experience managing multi-year contractual negotiations.

Finally, you should be adaptable and comfortable in a fast-paced, evolving company environment, quickly adjusting as we innovate our products and services.

Required experience

The ideal candidate will have the following experience and skills:
•    A proven track record of working within the higher education sector; ideally both within international enrollment management at an HE institution and in the commercial sector (5-10 years’ total experience)
•    Experience with successfully selling complex products or solutions, preferably within the higher education space
•    Exceptional understanding of education-focused digital marketing and international student recruitment
•    Understanding of the importance of data and evidence to inform strategic decisions 
•    A team player with a high level of emotional intelligence to support positive and sophisticated engagements with prospects and clients across all levels of seniority
•    A desire to help foster and work in a healthy and positive environment where the emphasis is on constructive collaboration and problem-solving with our clients, our students, our company, and our colleagues in mind
•    Ability to strategically review university recruitment objectives and the student placement performance against these objectives
•    Ability to recommend tactical plans, influencing internal stakeholders to get the very best for the client  
•    Attention to details, allowing for the composition and communication of sophisticated business proposals & campaign reporting 
•    A strong influencer with experience of engaging stakeholders and using technical, commercial and analytical information to form compelling solutions 
•    Proven ability to establish, grow and improve relationships with senior leadership within client organizations 
•    Experience managing multi-year contractual negotiations  
•    Tolerance for ambiguity and ability to work in a fast-paced and company environment, adapting quickly to change as we build and innovate our products and services for our clients and students