Director, CIEE China

Summary of Position

CIEE is a non-profit, non-governmental educational exchange organization established in 1947 and headquartered in Portland, Maine, United States. For over 60 years CIEE’s mission has been to help people gain understanding, acquire knowledge, and develop skills for living in a globally interdependent and culturally diverse world. To fulfill this mission, CIEE provides both international education experiences for U.S. university students, faculty, and administrators, and study, work, and internship opportunities for individuals coming into the U.S.

CIEE has a thirty-year history of operating educational exchange programs between the U.S. and China, and today has a well-established presence on four major university campuses in Shanghai, Beijing and Nanjing, as well a Representative Office and a WFOE based in Shanghai.

CIEE is expanding its direct presence and exchange program portfolio to serve the increasing needs and demands of the Chinese education market as well as international students seeking exchange programs in China. We are looking to hire an experienced and dynamic professional to lead our small, but growing Shanghai WFOE operation and team in the development, marketing, sales and delivery of a range of educational exchange programs.

This is a critical position in a start-up environment and will require a director who is goal-oriented, driven and capable of achieving results. Importantly, it will also require someone with the right stature and experience to foster relationships with the Chinese government and other partner organizations. Our ideal candidate will also have had previous experience and a network in the college and university sector.

Primary Responsibilities

• Total business function of the China WFOE office including program development, marketing, finance and administration, human resources, and networking and relationship building with external agencies
• Profit/loss responsibilities for CIEE’s China exchange programs
• Lead and successfully manage the China WFOE staff in the Shanghai office in the execution of all marketing, sales and operational plans
• Conduct on-going market research, including documentation and analysis of customer needs and the competition
• Make recommendations for new products and/or complete market assessments as required
• Communicate issues clearly to the regional EVP in English.
• Other projects / initiatives as necessary.

Knowledge and Skills

The Director will play a critical role in the development of CIEE’s presence and programs in China and should possess the following attributes:

• Extensive experience in product marketing or development within a youth product environment in China
• An understanding of Chinese education and student exchange programs from high school to tertiary level
• A practical background in management and strong leadership capabilities across Chinese and U.S. cultures with a minimum of 10 years management level experience required
• Experience managing a sizable business with a strong business acumen
• The ability to influence outcomes and the drive to make things happen
• Staff management experience in China
• Fluent written and oral Mandarin and English skills
• Bachelor’s degree required from four-year university in China or U.S.
• Graduate degree preferred
• A presence for public speaking and superior communication skills in both Chinese and English
• Strong analytical skills
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications: Excel, Word, Outlook, etc...
• Domestic and international travel will be required

Due to federal regulations a background check will be conducted as a condition of employment.