Associate Director - Partner Success (International Education)

Role: Associate Director - Partner Success

Location: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Target Start Date: April 2025

Reporting To: Country Director

About Us

Acumen, established in 2008 under the Sannam S4 Group umbrella, is a premier internationalization partner for educational institutions worldwide. Originating in India, we have expanded our services across Asia, North America, and beyond, providing comprehensive support to universities and organizations embarking on their global journeys.

Our Mission and Approach

Driven by research and rich data insights, Acumen offers innovative solutions tailored to the unique needs of each partner. Our end-to-end services empower educational institutions to establish and enhance their international presence, ensuring they receive trusted guidance and expertise at every step.

With a strong presence in India, South and Southeast Asia, and North America, Acumen delivers excellence in education consulting, advisory, and implementation. Our services include in-country representation, high school engagement, agent management, enrollment services, and strategic consulting, all designed to help institutions thrive in today's competitive international education landscape.

The Opportunity

As Sannam S4 continues to grow, we intend to evolve the delivery of our service to the education sector (largely focused on Higher Education clients). A relentless focus on customer service, efficiency, discipline and planning ahead of growth is going to be critical for the business to achieve its ambitious plans. We seek talent who are excited by a growth story and enjoy problem-solving in an ambiguous and dynamic environment.

Responsibilities

• Deliver account KPIs for partners across the given territory set jointly with the clients/partners and review progress month on month.
• Deliver a high-level delivery service & customer experience and effectively support In-Country Representatives (ICRs).
• Coordinate with ICRs, Partner Success coordinators, AUPC, Territory teams and other stakeholders to provide the best intelligence, solutions and coordination for partner needs.
• Ensure the successful day-to-day delivery & operations of client accounts.
• Shadow client meetings when required and consult/manage customer expectations.
• Frequently review and consult on client marketing campaigns to ensure budgets are actively managed and used effectively.
• Work in partnership with your Territory Team to fulfil all client requirements.
• Oversee billing/invoicing for client accounts working in partnership with Head Partner Success.
• Identify ‘add-on’ sales opportunities and assist with contract renewals.
• Maintain technical expertise in our products/services.
• Maintain a comprehensive knowledge of the higher education industry.
• Assist in any training for new hires where applicable.
• Build a performance-driven culture and ensure transparent evaluation of team members’ performance against predefined specific objectives.
• Develop the destination knowledge and market understanding of team members to support increased performance outcomes.
• Provide inputs and take necessary actions to support the ongoing development and maintenance of service and client management performance standards.
• Determine when an issue needs to be escalated for resolution.
• Proactively provide timely feedback and advice to the line manager on the management of the office and issues arising from competitor activities, changing business environments, changes in student visa policies etc.
• Investigate any delivery gaps, mitigate risks of compliances and develop proactive action plans to ensure delivery is as per KPIs
• Support KPI development with ICRs and seek client alignment and approval on the same.
• Hold ICR/PS performance and career growth conversations every quarter or earlier on a need basis. Help the teams grow, perform and succeed with Acumen.
• Function as the voice of the customer within Acumen and provide internal feedback on how our services and delivery can better serve our customers also function as a voice of the ICR to provide feedback to the customers.

Minimum required qualifications and work experience

• Bachelor’s degree in business administration, marketing, public relations, management, operations management, or a related field (or combination of education and experience)
• Preferred candidates will have worked for 10+ years in client-facing/ICR roles and will have at least 8 years in the international education industry, with a detailed understanding of the dynamics of international student recruitment across key source markets. Preference of having experience in international research collaboration or partnership arrangements between international institutions/faculty.
• Experience in managing people, multi-channel recruitment and market development strategy in international education.
• Preferred candidates with a mix of client/partner servicing, delivery and pre-sales experience
• Needs to possess strong team management and leadership skills.

Our Team and Values

Our diverse team of over 300 professionals, with a 70% female representation, embodies our core values: Collaboration, Agility, Impact, Empowerment, and Integrity. This commitment to diversity and inclusion fosters a dynamic and supportive environment, enabling us to deliver impactful solutions to our partners.

Role: Associate Director - Partner Success

Location: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Target Start Date: April 2025

Reporting To: Country Director

About Us

Acumen, established in 2008 under the Sannam S4 Group umbrella, is a premier internationalization partner for educational institutions worldwide. Originating in India, we have expanded our services across Asia, North America, and beyond, providing comprehensive support to universities and organizations embarking on their global journeys.

Our Mission and Approach

Driven by research and rich data insights, Acumen offers innovative solutions tailored to the unique needs of each partner. Our end-to-end services empower educational institutions to establish and enhance their international presence, ensuring they receive trusted guidance and expertise at every step.

With a strong presence in India, South and Southeast Asia, and North America, Acumen delivers excellence in education consulting, advisory, and implementation. Our services include in-country representation, high school engagement, agent management, enrollment services, and strategic consulting, all designed to help institutions thrive in today's competitive international education landscape.

The Opportunity

As Sannam S4 continues to grow, we intend to evolve the delivery of our service to the education sector (largely focused on Higher Education clients). A relentless focus on customer service, efficiency, discipline and planning ahead of growth is going to be critical for the business to achieve its ambitious plans. We seek talent who are excited by a growth story and enjoy problem-solving in an ambiguous and dynamic environment.

Responsibilities

• Deliver account KPIs for partners across the given territory set jointly with the clients/partners and review progress month on month.
• Deliver a high-level delivery service & customer experience and effectively support In-Country Representatives (ICRs).
• Coordinate with ICRs, Partner Success coordinators, AUPC, Territory teams and other stakeholders to provide the best intelligence, solutions and coordination for partner needs.
• Ensure the successful day-to-day delivery & operations of client accounts.
• Shadow client meetings when required and consult/manage customer expectations.
• Frequently review and consult on client marketing campaigns to ensure budgets are actively managed and used effectively.
• Work in partnership with your Territory Team to fulfil all client requirements.
• Oversee billing/invoicing for client accounts working in partnership with Head Partner Success.
• Identify ‘add-on’ sales opportunities and assist with contract renewals.
• Maintain technical expertise in our products/services.
• Maintain a comprehensive knowledge of the higher education industry.
• Assist in any training for new hires where applicable.
• Build a performance-driven culture and ensure transparent evaluation of team members’ performance against predefined specific objectives.
• Develop the destination knowledge and market understanding of team members to support increased performance outcomes.
• Provide inputs and take necessary actions to support the ongoing development and maintenance of service and client management performance standards.
• Determine when an issue needs to be escalated for resolution.
• Proactively provide timely feedback and advice to the line manager on the management of the office and issues arising from competitor activities, changing business environments, changes in student visa policies etc.
• Investigate any delivery gaps, mitigate risks of compliances and develop proactive action plans to ensure delivery is as per KPIs
• Support KPI development with ICRs and seek client alignment and approval on the same.
• Hold ICR/PS performance and career growth conversations every quarter or earlier on a need basis. Help the teams grow, perform and succeed with Acumen.
• Function as the voice of the customer within Acumen and provide internal feedback on how our services and delivery can better serve our customers also function as a voice of the ICR to provide feedback to the customers.

Minimum required qualifications and work experience

• Bachelor’s degree in business administration, marketing, public relations, management, operations management, or a related field (or combination of education and experience)
• Preferred candidates will have worked for 10+ years in client-facing/ICR roles and will have at least 8 years in the international education industry, with a detailed understanding of the dynamics of international student recruitment across key source markets. Preference of having experience in international research collaboration or partnership arrangements between international institutions/faculty.
• Experience in managing people, multi-channel recruitment and market development strategy in international education.
• Preferred candidates with a mix of client/partner servicing, delivery and pre-sales experience
• Needs to possess strong team management and leadership skills.

Our Team and Values

Our diverse team of over 300 professionals, with a 70% female representation, embodies our core values: Collaboration, Agility, Impact, Empowerment, and Integrity. This commitment to diversity and inclusion fosters a dynamic and supportive environment, enabling us to deliver impactful solutions to our partners.