Associate Director of Executive Education and Lifelong Learning

Position Overview

The Associate Director of Executive Education and Lifelong Learning lead the development, commercial growth, and delivery of DKU’s lifelong learning and executive education initiatives. The role exists to build sustainable revenue, develop market-relevant learning products, manage strategic client and partner relationships, and ensure high-quality program outcomes. The position operates within an entrepreneurial unit inside a large university environment and is expected to work flexibly across business development, program design, client relationship management, delivery oversight, internal coordination, and team development. The role has significant business ownership and may exercise project-based leadership over colleagues, faculty, vendors, temporary staff, and client stakeholders, even where formal reporting lines do not exist.

Reports to

Senior Director of Executive Education and Lifelong Learning

Essential Duties

1.Business development and revenue growth: Develop new opportunities for lifelong learning and executive education programs, including corporate clients, open-enrolment programs, government/industry partnerships, and repeat business.
2.Portfolio and product development: Identify market needs and shape commercially viable program offerings, working with faculty and external experts to create relevant learning solutions.
3.Strategic client and partner management: Build and maintain senior-level relationships with clients and partners before, during, and after program delivery.
4.Program oversight and delivery quality: Oversee assigned program delivery to ensure client objectives, participant experience, academic quality, financial discipline, and operational execution are achieved.
5.Internal coordination and institutional navigation: Work across DKU departments to secure support for program delivery while keeping processes efficient and business focused.
6.Market intelligence and positioning: Track market trends, competitor activity, client needs, and policy developments relevant to lifelong learning and executive education.
7.Flexible contribution to unit priorities: Contribute beyond narrow functional boundaries as required by the stage of business development, including proposal writing, events, delivery support, faculty sourcing, and operational problem-solving.
8.Business and portfolio leadership: Lead assigned business areas, revenue portfolios, or strategic projects.
Project-based team leadership: Direct and coordinate colleagues, faculty, vendors, temporary staff, and client stakeholders for assigned programs or initiatives.
9.Team capability development: Coach junior colleagues and contribute to the development of sales, delivery, and client management within the team.
10.Risk, quality, and reputation management: Ensure commercial ambition is balanced with institutional standards, client commitments, budget discipline, and DKU reputation.
11.Work toward achieving assigned annual objectives and KPIs, demonstrating accountability for performance and results.
12.Perform other duties as assigned.
13.University employees' job responsibilities will continue to expand in scope and depth as the University grows in size and complexity in its programs.

Required Qualifications

1. Bachelor’s degree is required; master’s degree/MBA is preferred.
2. More than 10 years’ work experience in client service, sales, executive education, corporate training, etc. More than 3 years' experience in team management experience.
3. A proven record of closing enterprise deals across long, multi-stakeholder sales cycles.
4. Skilled at diagnosing organizational capability gaps and selling business outcomes.
5. Solid English ability in terms of both writing and speaking. The team’s working language is English. Native Mandarin speaker, strong business writing skills in Chinese.
6. Analytical capability, with good commercial acumen, presence, business sense and financial knowledge.
7. Able to co-create custom programs with faculty and learning designers, and translate client ambitions into scoped, priced proposals.
8. Sets realistic commitments on outcomes, pricing, and timelines, and stays engaged post-sale to drive renewals, case studies, and referrals.
9. Coach team members, manage team members’ performance to deliver working results.
10. Self-motivated, and willing to solve challenges and work under pressure.
11. High professionalism, and a team player with positive attitude.

Education

Bachelor’s degree is required; master’s degree/MBA is preferred.

Years of Related Working Experience

More than 10 years’ work experience in client service, sales, executive education, corporate training, etc. More than 3 years' experience in team management experience.