International Student Recruitment Lead

• Campus: Auckland City Campus

The University of Auckland | Waipapa Taumata Rau

The University of Auckland  is Aotearoa New Zealand’s highest ranked university and the country’s largest research institution. Employing over 9,000 staff supporting over 46,000 students, we are one of NZ’s largest and most diverse employers. The university is a comprehensive research-intensive institution with eight academic faculties and 11 service divisions, creating an evolving and dynamic organisational culture that values excellence, respect, and commitment to service.

Our International Office  is responsible for leading the University’s internationalisation activities, including international student recruitment, profile and reputation-building activities, international partnership development, transnational education, and global mobility programmes. 

The opportunity | Te Whiwhinga mahi  

We seek an International Student Recruitment Lead to line manage an established team of International Recruitment Managers and oversee our in-country representatives. You will report to the Deputy Director for International Marketing and Recruitment, and partner with them to develop and drive recruitment initiatives to increase our quality student application numbers and diversification of our student population, in addition to supporting conversion.

You will support our Faculties and deliver on our international student recruitment targets by working closely with agents and partners to support the University’s Taumata Teitei Vision 2030 and Strategic Plan 2025 .

A key focus of this role will be to develop and execute strategic market engagement plans to deliver quality student growth and support our diversification strategy, and provide senior leadership for diverse business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-customer (B2C) sales teams located in New Zealand and around the world.

We are looking for you to provide leadership and expertise for our internal stakeholders in the international higher education sector, so you will need to demonstrate knowledge of international markets and best practices in student recruitment. We keep our international students as our central focus and work to champion their needs to improve their future student experience.

We outline your responsibilities in detail in the Position Description below, but this role will focus on: 

Strategy, Planning and Decision Making: This includes developing and implementing long-term strategies and operational plans. 

Sales and Account Management: Apply best-in-class principles, methods and processes to your work and the methods of those who report to you to produce excellent results. 

Business Development and Relationship Management: Identify and connect with current stakeholders to enhance relationships, develop our reputation, and seek new business, contacts and partnerships to drive future results. 

Team Leadership: Act as a key escalation point, confidant and leader of your team with a long-term focus on coaching, mentoring and potential maximisation. 

Continuous Improvement and Thought Leadership: Champion our culture of continuous improvement and leverage your understanding of International Recruitment to provide data-backed insights and guidance to non-experts. 

For more detailed information, please refer to the Position Description .  

About the team | Mō tō mātou rōpū 

The International Office contributes to how the University articulates, executes, and maintains its international ambitions and aims to significantly impact the global higher education landscape to further the University’s interests in teaching, research, and outreach for the benefit of all our communities. 

You will work alongside other team leaders and report to and partner with the Deputy Director for International Marketing and Recruitment.

Your team will play a pivotal role in recruiting high-quality international students to benefit their education and the development of New Zealand. You will directly line manage a team of about 7 specialised Student Recruitment Managers with a variety of skills, including business development, external agent engagement, analytics, and project management. You will also have oversight of a team of about 8 in-country reps/contractors. 

An exciting part of the role is the need to travel offshore and domestically, as well as attend evening and weekend events. 

About you | He kōrero mōu 

This is, at its heart, an operational leadership position that requires an established understanding of international recruitment. We are seeking mentoring and coaching ability and previous experience of securing recruits or sales by leveraging existing partnerships. 

Once established in the role, you will implement our recruitment and market regional engagement plans. To effectively optimise these plans, you will need to deep dive into our current landscape and leverage existing relationships from across the University to identify opportunities that can drive us towards our targets. 

This is a position that will require the ability to engage those in your sphere of influence, but you will also need to balance these impactful activities with an understanding of the importance of efficiency. You will be responsible for detailed reporting, process improvement initiatives and stakeholder engagement to secure approvals at the right time. 

You'll balance your day-to-day operational responsibilities with forward planning, spreadsheet work, approval follow-ups, and IT system navigation, as you will be in charge of budgets, forecasting, and payments. 

You will have a busy inbox and phone and be a pivotal member of the International Office, so you will get to enjoy the varied responsibilities of a multifaceted role that truly impacts how the University performs in the long run.  

We are seeking | E rapua ana mātou

Experience:  

• Extensive in international student recruitment. 
• The ability to analyse and synthesise data to identify evidence-based recruitment strategies.
• Significant recruitment/sales team leadership experience, coaching and managing team members to build (and maintain) a high-performing team.
• Evidence of strong communication skills and proven ability to engage with various stakeholders. 
• Experience in measuring, analysing, and reporting international recruitment performance.
• Financial management skills, including budgeting and optimisation.
• Experience leading, coaching, and managing high-performing teams.

Skills: 

• High-level oral and written communication skills, including cross-cultural sensitivity and the ability to facilitate formal presentations. 
• Proven experience of data-led decision making.
• Demonstrated ability to positively motivate and lead staff, displaying openness and resilience in responding to change.
• Must have the ability to think strategically while also maintaining a passion for tactical detail level execution.
• Possesses strong organisational, prioritisation, and self-motivation skills. 

What we offer | Ngā āhuatanga kei a mātou 

We offer you the opportunity to be part of a dynamic, world class educational institution located in one of the world’s most liveable cities. We foster an environment that enables your natural abilities and rewards your hard work. 

Our commitment is to provide a supportive working environment with benefits that include:

• A 37.5-hour work week. 
• Up to 6.75% company superannuation scheme.
• A competitive salary with five weeks annual leave and the option to buy and sell additional leave.
• Flexible employment practices, including working from home and adaptive working hours.
• A leading and inclusive parental leave policy. 

In addition, we offer career development programmes, discounted car parking, on-site childcare options, leisure and recreation facilities, and a number of other discounted products and services. 

For more information, please visit Staff Benefits .

Hear more about making Worlds of Difference  in your career at the University, our partnership with Māori , our Te Ao Māori principles, our impact, our staff  and life in Auckland on our careers website 

Me pēhea te tuku tono | How to apply

Applications must be submitted online by the closing date of Sunday, the 10th of March, to be considered. We may move to interview strong applicants before the closing date, so we recommend that you apply as soon as possible. 

Please include a short Cover Letter and your CV highlighting why you are interested in joining us and how you can meet the requirements of our vacancy. 

You can reach out to Neil Constable (Senior Recruitment Consultant | Mātanga Kimi Kaimahi) via [email protected]  for a confidential conversation. 

Additional Information

Equity

The University is committed to meeting its obligations under the Treaty of Waitangi and achieving equity outcomes for staff and students in a safe, inclusive, and equitable environment.  For further information on services for Māori, Pacific, women, LGBTQIATakatāpuiMVPFAFF+, people with disabilities, parenting support, flexible work and other personal circumstances go to www.equity.auckland.ac.nz

The University is committed to providing a safe, inclusive, and equitable environment where everyone can thrive. For further information see Te Ara Tautika | the Equity Policy and visit www.equity.auckland.ac.nz