Director, International Business

The Director, International Business plays a key role in driving the organisation’s internationalization and inorganic growth.

This role sits between strategy and execution—supporting the identification, evaluation, and execution of strategic opportunities including market entry, partnerships, joint ventures, and selective M&A activities.

The incumbent will work closely with senior leadership to translate strategic priorities into actionable plans, while independently leading key workstreams across market expansion initiatives, business case development, and partnership execution.

Key Accountabilities:

Strategy & Market Expansion

• Support the execution of internationalisation and corporate development strategies across priority markets (starting with Malaysia and beyond)
• Assessment of new market entry opportunities, partnerships, and growth initiatives aligned with organisational objectives
• Conduct market, competitor, and regulatory landscape analysis, provide insights and recommendations to senior leadership on expansion priorities and investment opportunities

Opportunity Evaluation & Business Case Development

• Lead the development of business cases for market entry, partnerships, and investment opportunities
• Perform financial analysis and modelling to evaluate commercial viability, risks, and returns
• Assess strategic fit, operational feasibility, and long-term value creation potential

Transaction & Partnership Execution

• Support end-to-end execution of strategic transactions, including partnerships, joint ventures, and selective M&A activities
• Coordinate due diligence processes across internal and external stakeholders, track and manage execution timelines to ensure timely delivery of initiatives
• Support deal structuring, negotiations, and documentation in collaboration with Legal and Finance teams

Operating Model & Implementation

• Develop and continuously refine a market entry and expansion playbook, capturing key frameworks, processes and lessons learned
• Develop target operating models with GE and SIMA and implementation roadmaps for new market entry, ensuring alignment with established playbooks and scalable frameworks
• Work with cross-functional teams (academics, operations, marketing, finance) to operationalise strategies and support the establishment of governance structures, processes, and organisational frameworks in new markets

Stakeholder Management & Reporting

• Build and maintain relationships with key external stakeholders, including local partners, institutions, and government agencies
• Prepare and present updates, proposals, and strategic recommendations to senior management and Board-level stakeholders

Cross-functional Collaboration

• Act as a key liaison between internal teams and external parties across projects, working closely with internal functions to ensure alignment and execution of strategic initiatives

JOB REQUIREMENTS

• Bachelor's or Master’s degree in Business Administration, Education Management, or a field of study with a global orientation.
• 8 to 10 years of experience in business development, market expansion, or strategic partnerships, preferably in the higher education sector.
• Experience working in various international markets.
• Strong knowledge of Malaysia’s private higher education regulatory framework and accreditation processes is an added advantage.
• Good stakeholder management skills.
• Strong analytical and financial acumen to assess market opportunities and business viability.
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision while also effectively collaborating within a team environment.
• Good communication skills in English; proficiency in Bahasa Malaysia or Mandarin is an added advantage.

We regret that only shortlisted candidates will be notified.