Associate Regional Director (South Asia) - Hyderabad, India
Reports to: Director of Recruitment and Admissions
Line management: Regional recruitment staff based in South Asia, with matrix oversight of a third-party operating center in Pune
Contract: Permanent, full time
Compensation: Competitive package
About the opportunity
Excelon Associates is partnering with a leading UK university to appoint an Associate Regional Director for South Asia. The institution combines innovative, careers-first education with a clear commitment to positive change, and it is currently advancing a long-term strategic plan aimed at preparing students for the jobs and opportunities of the future. Its priorities include widening access to talent, building inclusive and sustainable pathways into higher education, and staying ahead of emerging practice across the sector. The university is looking for forward-thinking individuals who thrive in an agile environment, embrace new technology, and help shape a culture of continuous improvement.
About the directorate The successful candidate will sit within the client's External Relations Directorate, an integrated service that brings together communications, engagement, marketing, recruitment, and conversion. The directorate spans several teams, including Communications and Engagement, Marketing, Recruitment and Conversion, Outreach and Access, Design and Digital, Events and Advancement, and the International Office. The team favors a digital-first mindset and a willingness to embrace transformational change.
Job purpose
The Associate Regional Director, South Asia is a senior, delivery-focused leadership role responsible for driving inbound student recruitment performance across India and the wider South Asia region, the client's most strategically significant international market.
The post holder will lead the execution of the university's inbound recruitment strategy across the region, with clear accountability for enrollment targets, conversion performance, and pipeline health. The role plays a central part in establishing and operating the client's India Hub in Chennai, working closely with the Global Hubs team to embed sustainable, in-market recruitment capability. In short, the goal is to move the region from a strong regional approach toward a coordinated national one.
The role is accountable for translating market insight into measurable outcomes, ensuring regional activity supports institutional growth priorities, compliance requirements, and in-cycle decision making.
Scope and strategic focus - South Asia represents one of the university's primary international recruitment source markets.
- The role is predominantly anchored to India, with significant time spent in-market to support recruitment delivery, partner engagement, and the launch and operation of the Chennai India Hub.
- The post holder reports directly to the Director of Recruitment and Admissions and works closely with the Global Hubs team, academic schools, admissions, compliance, finance, and marketing to ensure joined-up delivery across the recruitment lifecycle.
- The role leads and coordinates a distributed regional recruitment model, managing traveling sales teams across South Asia to ensure consistent performance, strong market intelligence, and alignment to national priorities.
- The post holder translates regional insight into national strategy, working closely with the Chennai hub to align local delivery with a coordinated, India-wide recruitment, reputation, and engagement approach.
Key duties and responsibilities Recruitment performance and delivery - Full accountability for achieving institutional student recruitment targets, conversion KPIs, and diversification objectives across India and South Asia, as agreed by the Executive Board.
- Ownership of regional forecasting, pipeline management, and recovery plans where delivery is underperforming.
- Direct responsibility for ensuring regional activity aligns with institutional priorities, risk appetite, and compliance requirements.
- Support for the transition from a regionally segmented model to a nationally coordinated platform, ensuring all activity contributes to broader objectives around market share, brand reputation, and long-term sustainability.
- Embedding careers-led recruitment approaches, partnering with the Chennai hub, industry stakeholders, and alumni networks to deliver immersive engagement activities such as careers and skills pop-ups, employer panels, and innovation events that strengthen the student value proposition.
Key stakeholder relationships The role requires close collaboration across the university to ensure coordinated delivery throughout the international recruitment lifecycle, from market development through to enrollment. Key stakeholders include:
- The third-party outsourced operating center in Pune
- Marketing and communications teams
- Global Hubs and academic partnership teams
- Collaborative partners connected to the student journey
- Academic schools and academic leadership teams
- International admissions
- The compliance team
- Alumni teams
- Finance
The post holder also maintains strong working relationships with external stakeholders, including education agents, institutional partners, and regional education bodies.
Line management responsibility The Associate Regional Director, South Asia provides leadership and line management to regional recruitment staff across the region, setting clear performance objectives, managing the recruitment and conversion journey, and delivering against targets. Responsibilities include:
- Leading and developing regional recruitment teams and in-country representatives
- Setting regional operational priorities aligned with institutional targets
- Monitoring performance against application, offer, and enrollment objectives
- Ensuring compliance with UKVI requirements and university policies in market
- Ensuring the third-party operating center delivers against agreed SLAs and objectives
India Hub (Chennai) leadership and alignment - Play a leading role in the establishment, launch, and operational success of the client's India Hub in Chennai.
- Work in close partnership with the Global Hubs team to embed recruitment operations, partner management, and conversion activity within the hub model.
- Collaborate with in-country marketing representation to co-design campaigns that reflect regional nuance across the north, west, and south, balancing consistent brand positioning with local relevance.
- Drive reputational activity in-market, working with central and in-market teams to identify opportunities such as national awards, media engagement, and thought leadership that strengthen institutional visibility and credibility.
- Work with the alumni and advancement team to integrate alumni advocacy, mentorship, and employer connections into recruitment and conversion activity.
- Align with partnership development activity by working closely with academic and partnership teams to:
- Support the development of articulation and progression pathways into the UK campus
- Strengthen relationships with key institutional partners
- Identify and engage government bodies, sponsors, and scholarship providers
- Ensure alignment between recruitment, partnerships, and sponsorship opportunities for a joined-up approach to market engagement and pipeline development
Cross-institutional working - Act as the senior regional lead for India and South Asia, engaging regularly with university stakeholders through clear, evidence-based reporting and recommendations.
- Collaborate across the institution with academic schools, admissions, compliance, finance, marketing, and Global Hubs to drive end-to-end recruitment performance.
- Provide clear, data-driven insight that informs institutional decisions, policy changes, and investment priorities related to South Asia source markets.
People leadership and governance - Direct line management for a range of team members, including a regional recruitment manager and recruitment officers based in India and Nepal, covering performance management, objective setting, capability development, and accountability for delivery.
- Ensure clarity of roles, responsibilities, and reporting lines across the region.
- Lead a high-performance culture focused on delivery, transparency, and ownership.
Availability, travel, and representation - Operate flexibly to support UK-based leadership and governance, including regular availability during UK business hours and attendance at scheduled meetings where required.
- Attend priority institutional events, leadership forums, and agreed conferences as an expected part of the role.
- Plan and approve all travel in line with agreed recruitment priorities and budgets.
Additional information The duties and responsibilities outlined above provide a general overview of the range of tasks the role may involve. This job description is not exhaustive, and additional tasks aligned with the role's grade may be assigned as needed. The description may be updated to reflect changes in circumstances, and the post holder will be consulted on any amendments.
All employees are expected to adhere to the client's policies and regulations, demonstrate a commitment to equal opportunities within a diverse and multicultural environment, and contribute to building and maintaining a positive institutional reputation in all professional activities.
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