Associate Director- Partner Success (US &Canada)

About Us

Acumen, established in 2008 under the Sannam S4 Group umbrella, is a premier internationalisation partner for educational institutions worldwide. Originating in India, we have expanded our services across Asia, North America, and beyond, providing comprehensive support to universities and organisations embarking on their global journeys.

Our Mission and Approach

Driven by research and rich data insights, Acumen offers innovative solutions tailored to the unique needs of each partner. Our end-to-end services empower educational institutions to establish and enhance their international presence, ensuring they receive trusted guidance and expertise at every step.

Global Reach and Services

With a strong presence in India, South and Southeast Asia, and North America, Acumen delivers excellence in education consulting, advisory, and implementation. Our services include in-country representation, high school engagement, agent management, enrollment services, and strategic consulting, all designed to help institutions thrive in today's competitive international education landscape.

Our Team and Values

Our diverse team of over 300 professionals, with a 70% female representation, embodies our core values: Collaboration, Agility, Impact, Empowerment, and Integrity. This commitment to diversity and inclusion fosters a dynamic and supportive environment, enabling us to deliver impactful solutions to our partners.

Why Choose Acumen

Our unique understanding of the education sector, combined with a people-first approach and student-focused insights, has made us an invaluable partner for educational institutions globally. We prioritise your needs, offering practitioner-led expertise and end-to-end support without taking commissions or selling services directly to students, ensuring our focus remains solely on enhancing your institution's success.

Partner with Acumen to navigate the complexities of international education and achieve sustainable growth in the global arena.

What are we seeking?

As Acumen continues to grow, we intend to evolve the delivery of our service to the education sector (largely focused on Higher Education clients). A relentless focus on customer service, efficiency, discipline, and planning of growth is going to be critical for the business achieving its ambitious plans. We seek talent who are excited by a growth story and enjoy problem solving in an ambiguous and dynamic environment.

Our partners and stakeholders

Acumen places tremendous value on its strategic partnerships and close affiliations with respected organizations which include a formal Strategic Partnership with the U.S. International Trade Administration (ITA) U.S. Department of Commerce, the UK Department for International Trade (DIT) and close working relations with the governments of Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and Ireland. We work very closely with the Embassy of India in Washington D.C. and with the federal and state government(s) in India.

India Business Council (USIBC), American Chamber of Commerce in India (AMCHAM), British Business Group (BBG), Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) amongst others. We will be seeking to develop further linkages with similar organizations based in Southeast Asia.

Responsibilities

• Deliver account KPIs for partners across the given territory set jointly with the clients/partners and review progress month on month.
• Deliver a high-level delivery service & customer experience and effectively support In-country representatives.
• Coordinate with ICRS, Partner Success coordinators, Territory teams and other stakeholders to provide best intel, solutions, and coordination for partner needs.
• Ensure the successful day-to-day delivery & operations of client accounts.
• Shadow client meetings when required and consult/manage customer expectations.
• Frequently review and consult on client marketing campaigns to ensure budgets are actively managed and used effectively.
• Work in partnership with your Territory Team to fulfil all client requirements
• Oversee billing/invoicing for client accounts working in partnership with Head Partner Success
• Identify ‘add-on’ sales opportunities and assist with contract renewals
• Maintain technical expertise of our products/services
• Maintain a comprehensive knowledge of the higher education industry
• Assist in any training for new hires where applicable
• Build a performance-driven culture and ensure transparent evaluation of team members’ performance against predefined specific objectives.
• Develop the destination knowledge and market understanding of team members to support increased performance outcomes.
• Provide inputs and take necessary actions to support the ongoing development and maintenance of service and client management performance standards.
• Determine when an issue needs to be escalated for resolution.
• Proactively provide timely feedback and advice to the line manager on the management of the office and on issues arising from competitor activities, changing business environments, change in student visa policies etc.
• Investigate any delivery gaps, mitigate risks on compliances and develop proactive action plans to ensure delivery is as per KPIs.
• Support KPI development with ICRs and seek client alignment and approval on the same.
• Hold ICR/Partner Success performance and career growth conversations every quarter or earlier on a need basis. Help the teams grow, perform, and succeed with Acumen.
• Function as the voice of the customer within Acumen and provide internal feedback on how our services and delivery can better serve our customers and function as a voice of the ICR to provide feedback to the customers.

Minimum required qualifications and work experience

• Bachelor’s degree in business administration, marketing, public relations, management, operations management, or a related field (or combination of education and experience)
• Preferred candidates will have worked for 10+ years in client facing / ICR role and will have at least 8 years in the international education industry for the US Market delivery, with a detailed understanding of the dynamics of international student recruitment across key source markets. Preference of having experience of international research collaboration or partnership arrangements between international institutions/faculty.
• Experience of managing people, multi-channel recruitment and market development strategy in international education.
• Preferred candidates with a mix of client/partner servicing, delivery, and pre- sales experience
• Needs to possess strong team management and leadership skills.

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