About Us
Established in 2002 and headquartered in Shanghai, China, Achieve is a leading provider of transnational education services with a strategic presence in the UK.
Achieve International Education Group (AIEG) specializes in supporting global
educational institutions with the management of international partnerships and
student recruitment in China as well as two-way mobility between UK and China.
Through our network of 21 partnership programmes in China and one independent school in the UK, we have successfully supported over 18,000 students in achieving their academic ambitions on a global scale in the past decade.
Role Overview
We are seeking a Head of Business Development and External Relationship with outstanding international resource development capabilities, strong cross-cultural communication skills and strategic vision. The post holder will be responsible for maintaining and deepening partnerships with UK universities and institutional
representatives.
The ideal candidate must have good knowledge and understanding of UK education system, higher education institutional structures and international cooperation
models including all sorts of TNE models, working closely with the Director of
Partnerships and External Relationship to achieve efficient alignment of UK and
Chinese educational resources and to facilitate the design and delivery of innovative study-abroad projects that meet local market needs.
We are looking for an experienced professional who combines cross-cultural communication and practical execution.
Role Summary
The Head of Business Development and External Relationship will support
establishing and maintaining partnerships with UK universities at director and
operation levels, and Working closely with the Director of Partnership and External
Relationship to support the COO to ensure the effective introduction and implementation of UK education resources into the Chinese market.
Core responsibilities include developing and maintaining long-term strategic
relationships with UK universities, analysing UK education policy and international cooperation trends, and delivering study abroad and pathway programmes tailored for Chinese students towards degree courses in the UK.
This position requires good international communication and negotiation, project
management skills, as well as the ability to build trust, foster consensus and ensure execution in a multicultural environment. The successful candidate will attend
high-level international engagements with professionalism, ensuring all partnerships align with corporate strategy and operational standards.
Key Responsibilities
UK Institutional Partnership Development and Relationship Management
- Maintaining existing partnerships and frequent communication with UK universities at operational level to make sure the delivery towards objectives.
- Support expanding partnerships with UK universities, maintaining and expanding a sustainable network of key university stakeholders.
- Follow up on high-level negotiations, partnership meetings and agreement signings with UK universities and official representative bodies.
- Continuously deepen existing UK partnerships, exploring joint curriculum
development, faculty exchanges and collaborative student training initiatives.
- Collaborate and coordinate with internal teams to facilitate the designing and implementation of UK-based projects in the Chinese market.
International Market and Policy Insight
- Develop an in-depth understanding of the UK education system, visa policies, internationalisation strategies and education export trends to support project
development.
- Market analysis of the UK education market landscape and partnership opportunities, identifying potential parnters and innovation prospects.
- Monitor changes in Chinese student demand and study-abroad preferences, aligning UK resources to design customised programmes.
Cross-Cultural Resource Integration and Project Implementation
- Work with product and operations teams to deliver UK education programmes,
short courses and academic collaboration projects that meet the needs of Chinese students.
- Facilitate the alignment of key cooperation elements, including curriculum mapping, credit recognition and dual-degree frameworks.
- Support the end-to-end delivery of cooperation projects, from concept to operational implementation, ensuring quality and positive user experience.
Team Collaboration and Strategic Contribution
- Work closely with domestic teams to achieve systematic integration of UK resources with the Chinese market.
- Regularly assess the effectiveness of UK partnerships, thinking innovatively about collaboration models to enhance overall efficiency.
- Attend education fairs, conference, events, industry summits and high-level
institutional visits, strengthening AIEG’s brand influence and partnership appeal within the UK education sector.
Core Competencies and Attributes
- Good analytical and review capability, able to identify patterns and apply insights.
- Strong stakeholder management skills; able to balance diverse interests effectively.
- Highly self-motivated and results-driven, with a competitive spirit and strong resilience.
- Proven strategic capability in supporting the development and sustaining partnerships.
- Excellent cross-cultural communication and integration skills.
- Strong execution, accountability and outcome orientation.
- Contract negotiaion skills, understand commertial terms and basic legal terms, and being albe to follow up on agreement signing.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree or above in Education, International Relations, Business, Management or a related discipline.
- Minimum of 5 years’ experience in international education collaboration, UK
university partnership development or study-abroad project management; existing UK university links are highly desirable.
- Strong knowledge of the UK education system and international cooperation processes.
- Excellent bilingual communication and negotiation skills (Chinese and English).
- High emotional intelligence, interpersonal sensitivity and strong business etiquette.
- Demonstrated strategic vision, resource integration ability and cross-border project leadership.
- Willingness to travel frequently and work flexibly across time zones.
Ideal Candidate
- Energetic, passionate and deeply committed to international education.
- Possesses international perspective, strategic mindset and the ability to set and achieve ambitious goals in complex multicultural environments.
- Based in Beijing/Shanghai, with flexibility for frequent domestic and international travel.
Terms of Employment
- Full-time position with competitive salary and performance-based incentives.
- Opportunity to contribute directly to AIEG’s core strategy, leading Sino–UK education resource collaboration and project innovation.
- Open, collaborative and multicultural working environment with a clear career development pathway.