Director of International Recruitment

Job Title:

Director of International Recruitment

Department:

IR0003 Marketing and Admissions

Reporting to:

Chief Commercial Officer

Location: Dublin Business School, Aungier St.
Working Hours: 37.5 hours per week. Typical working day is 8.45am – 5.15pm but flexibility will be required.

Reports to: Chief Commercial Officer

Role Purpose

The Director of International Recruitment is responsible for leading and delivering the goals of the College’s international strategy, with a particular focus on quality student recruitment, market development, and strategic partnerships. This role will drive growth across key international priority markets, including Europe, and will oversee business development initiatives that enhance the College’s global profile and revenue streams. The postholder will also provide leadership to the Transnational Partnership Manager and to international recruitment contractors overseas, ensuring alignment with institutional goals and regulatory standards.

Travel will be a requirement of this role.

Key Responsibilities

Leadership

• Implement the College’s international strategy to achieve ambitious growth in priority international student recruitment markets and global partnerships.

• To devise and implement strategies and plans for recruitment and marketing in a range of key markets and to ensure the tools are in place for monitoring, reporting and evaluating successful recruitment and income targets. 

• Identify new market opportunities and establish clear action plans for market entry and development.

• Lead business development initiatives, including collaborations with international institutions, agents, and corporate partners.

• Responsible for the daily management of the international recruitment team building a high performance team through development activities and mentoring; effective use of recruitment plans, promotional and campaign activity; use of agent network and provision of a high quality service to the College and external stakeholders.

• Undertake other duties commensurate with the level of the post as may reasonably be required by the Chief Commercial Officer

Recruitment & Market Development

• Oversee and deliver student recruitment targets across assigned international regions.

• Manage relationships with agents, partners, contractors, and other intermediaries to ensure effective and compliant recruitment practices across the team.

• Monitor competitor activity and international market trends, adapting recruitment strategies as needed.

• Partner with the Chief Commercial Officer to ensure alignment of the College’s international marketing and recruitment with brand, compliance, and academic standards.
   

Transnational Education (TNE) & Partnerships

• Provide leadership to the TNE Manager in managing transnational partnerships.

• Identify, evaluate, and negotiate new TNE opportunities (franchises, joint programmes, articulation agreements, etc.).

• To ensure that appropriate business plans are produced and that the College is capable of delivering and exploiting such opportunities for the benefit of the institution as a whole.

• Ensure all TNE activity aligns with quality assurance and regulatory requirements.
   

Contractor & Stakeholder Management

• Line manage international recruitment contractors overseas, ensuring accountability, performance, and value for investment.

• Build strong working relationships with internal stakeholders (Admissions, Sales & Marketing, Faculty, Academic Leadership) to support international student success.

• Represent the College at external events, conferences, fairs and diplomatic/sectoral forums.
   

Operational & Financial Oversight

• Set and monitor recruitment and business development budgets, ensuring cost-effective delivery.

• Provide accurate forecasting and regular reporting on international student numbers, market performance, and revenue.

• Ensure compliance with visa, immigration, and data regulations in all international activity.

Culture

• Foster a culture of innovation, collaboration, inclusivity, and mutual respect across the team.

• Champion a collaborative, high-performance ethos across the team.

• Act as a role model for professionalism, approachability, and collegiality, encouraging open communication and constructive feedback among staff.

• Build strong working relationships with colleagues across departments to support shared goals.

• Lead by example in upholding the organisation’s values in all internal and external interactions.

• Recognise and celebrate the contributions of team members and encourage continuous professional development to enhance individual and team performance.

Person Specification

Essential

• Significant experience in international student recruitment and/or higher education business development.

• Proven success in developing and executing international market strategies overseas, including Europe.

• Strong leadership skills with experience managing staff and external contractors/agents.

• Excellent knowledge of international higher education trends, student mobility, and compliance frameworks.

• Ability to negotiate and manage partnerships with institutions, agents, and governments.

• Strong commercial acumen, with a track record of meeting or exceeding recruitment and revenue targets.

• Excellent interpersonal, cross-cultural communication, and stakeholder engagement skills.
   

Desirable

• Experience with transnational education (TNE) models and partnership development.

• Familiarity with Irish and European higher education regulatory frameworks.

• Fluency in one or more European or international languages.

• Postgraduate qualification in business, international education, or related discipline.
   

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• Growth in quality international student enrolments year-on-year.

• Number and quality of new international partnerships and business development initiatives secured.

• Successful delivery of recruitment targets by contractors and the TNE Manager.

• Revenue and margin growth from international recruitment and partnerships.

• Compliance with immigration, regulatory, and quality assurance standards across all international activity.

Pay & Benefits

The salary for this role is DOE.

• Free Internal Courses;

• Discounted Fees for Family Members;

• Life Assurance & Disabilities Cover;

• Sports & Social;

• Employee Assistance Programme;

• Employee Discount Scheme; 

• Paid sick leave;

• Death-In-Service Benefit.

• VH Medical Insurance

• Company Pension

This job description is a guide to the work the post holders will initially be required to undertake. It may be amended from time to time to meet changing circumstances by mutual agreement. It is expected that the post-holders and their manager will review the job description regularly.

Position Type:

Full time

Contract Type:

Regular

Pay Frequency:

Annual

Location:

Dublin, Ireland

Job Functional Area:

Student Acquisition

All appointments are subject to providing proof of eligibility to work in Ireland on full time basis (upon being invited to interview). Please refer to our privacy policy here: DBS Privacy Notice for Candidates.

This job description is a guide to the work the post holder will initially be required to undertake. It may be amended from time to time to meet changing circumstances by mutual agreement. It is expected that the job description will be reviewed regularly by the post-holder and their manager.

DBS is an equal opportunities employer and positively encourages applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates regardless of sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, religion or belief, marital status, or pregnancy and maternity. If you require any adjustments or additional support within the recruitment process, please contact us directly.