Business Development Manager

Responsibilities

• A. Admission & Enrolment Growth (Both Streams)
• Develop and implement an annual enrolment plan with clear student targets for each new school year (September) and mid-year admissions, across both the French and English streams.
• Lead the full admissions journey from lead generation to enrolment and onboarding, ensuring a smooth and consistent process across both streams.
• Identify and develop key recruitment channels including Asian and western expatriate families, as well as French-speaking expatriate families, AEFE network schools, corporate relocations, embassy communities, relocation agencies, and multinational companies.
• Monitor and analyse enrollment performance using AI and CRM tools (i.e. Salesforce), tracking lead sources, conversion rates, and drop-offs, and implementing corrective actions where required.
• Analyse student retention and attrition trends, working with academic and pastoral teams to improve retention and re-enrolment.
• Provide weekly pipeline updates and intake forecasts to the Director, with a stream-by-stream breakdown.
• B. Corporate Partnerships & Community Development
• Lead the development of strategic partnerships with relocation agencies, student recruitment consultants, embassies, multinational companies, French and international education networks, and feeder schools.
• Represent the school at education fairs, expat events, corporate presentations, and community forums, promoting both educational streams.
• Engage directly with HR Director(s) and Global Mobility Manager(s) within corporate partners to ensure the school is recommended and designated as a preferred education provider for relocating employee families.
• Develop and manage corporate partnerships including the Corporate Membership Programme (CMP), to support employee families seeking bilingual education options.
• Establish a Parent Ambassador Programme to strengthen referrals across both streams.
• Identify and develop key recruitment channels including Westers, Asian and French-speaking expatriate families, AEFE network schools, embassy communities, and multinational companies.
• C. IFS Brand Promotion & Networking
• Represent the school at education fairs, expat community events, corporate presentations, and networking functions to build brand awareness and generate qualified leads.
• Participate at Open Houses and on-campus school events to deliver a strong, conversion-focused experience for prospective families.
• Work with the Marketing Communications department on content suggestions for the school's presence on expat platforms, community forums, and online channels (including Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn) for both French-speaking and English-speaking audiences.
• Work closely with the Marketing Communications department to develop prospect conversion-optimised collateral in French, English and Mandarin, including campaigns, social media content, email communications, and print materials.
• Collaborate with Marketing Communications by sharing insights on target audiences, lead quality, and conversion performance to continuously optimise campaigns and messaging.
• D. Market Intelligence & Strategy
• Monitor competitor schools delivering an International curriculum including bilingual (French and English) language options, including fees, positioning, and capacity.
• Track expatriate mobility trends, demographic shifts, and corporate relocation patterns to identify emerging enrolment opportunities, (e.g., an influx of families from a specific country due to a new regional corporate headquarters).
• Analyse local and global education trends to inform the school's enrolment strategy and value proposition.
• Provide quarterly reports on enrolment performance, market insights, and strategic recommendations.
• E. Student Retention Strategy
• Partner

Additional Information

MISSION The Business Development Manager drives student enrollment growth and supports institutional expansion across both the French and English streams. This role carries full functional responsibility for student acquisition, admissions pipeline performance, and enrollment outcomes. Acting as the lead for admissions and enrollment growth activities, the role combines strategic partnership development, bilingual community engagement, management and growth of the Corporate Membership Programme (CMP), and strong market intelligence to drive sustainable enrollment growth. Working closely with Marketing, Admissions, and Academic Leadership, the role manages multiple inquiry channels, builds and manages strategic partnerships, and delivers an exceptional experience for prospective families from first contact through enrollment and onboarding. The ideal candidate brings a strong commercial mindset, proven business development or enrollment experience, and a passion for international education. This is a high-impact role with full accountability for enrollment performance, pipeline health, and conversion outcomes across both streams.

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