Head of Commercial Partnerships

ApplyBoard; Kitchener; Hybrid; CAD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

ApplyBoard is looking for a Head of Commercial Partnerships to take charge of global partnerships, with full P&L responsibility. This role involves strategic leadership, team management, revenue growth, and cross-functional collaboration to enhance the international education landscape.

Benefits

Competitive salary and performance-based incentives

Hybrid and flexible working arrangements

Comprehensive health and wellness benefits

Personal development and leadership growth opportunities

Collaborative and innovative culture

Qualifications

• 10+ years in B2B sales, partnerships, or client services.
• Strong people leadership skills with a history of building and managing teams.
• Experience in market growth and differentiated service models.

Responsibilities

• Own the global institutional partner lifecycle from acquisition to retention.
• Drive revenue growth, optimize recruitment services, and manage cross-functional teams.
• Define and track KPIs across the institutional lifecycle.

Skills

B2B sales

Partnerships

Client services

Analytical skills

Leadership

Revenue growth

Tools

Salesforce

Job description

ApplyBoard simplifies the study abroad search, application, and acceptance process by connecting international students, recruitment partners, and educational institutions on one intuitive and personalized platform. ApplyBoard is a mission-driven, hyper-growth organization. It has been attracting dedicated individuals for more than eight years who are inspired every day to break down barriers to international education and take their careers to new heights at a company that will invest in their career growth. Our six core values are our compass in our mission to Educate the World and the foundation of our unique company culture. As an organization built on a foundation of diversity, it’s important that our team members are representative of the students from more than 150 countries that we support.

The Opportunity:

ApplyBoard is seeking a nimble, strategic, and mission-driven Head of Commercial Partnerships to lead our global institution-facing efforts. This executive role holds full P&L responsibility for our institutional business and is accountable for growing and diversifying ApplyBoard’s global footprint.

You’ll oversee a cross-functional team responsible for sales, onboarding, retention, and revenue growth while expanding our presence in new markets, optimizing our Recruitment-as-a-Service (RaaS) offering, and developing new revenue streams that reinforce ApplyBoard’s leadership in international education.

This role is ideal for a leader who can move from high-level strategy to actionable insights, inspire teams into execution, and build long-term value for both partners and the business.

Location: Canada (Kitchener or Ontario preferred)
Reports to: Chief Commercial Officer
Type: Full-time, Executive Leadership

What You’ll Be Doing Every Day:

Institution Partner Strategy & Growth

• Own the global institutional partner lifecycle – from acquisition and onboarding to retention and expansion.

• Develop and lead the partner engagement strategy across all destinations.

• Expand ApplyBoard’s institutional footprint in new markets to diversify our business globally.

• Grow revenue per institution by driving adoption of value-added services and differentiated solutions.

• Segment partners by value and potential, with clear tiering and resource allocation models.
  

Commercial Leadership & Revenue Ownership

• Take full P&L ownership of ApplyBoard’s institution-facing business.

• Optimize and scale our Recruitment-as-a-Service (RaaS) model, working with institutions to deliver enrollment growth as a managed service.

• Identify, test, and scale new revenue streams aligned with partner needs and ApplyBoard’s platform capabilities.

• Own performance against revenue, margin, and growth targets.
  

Sales & Account Management Leadership

• Lead and scale a high-performing team of Partner Sales Managers and Account Executives across global destinations.

• Build strong cadences for forecasting, performance reviews, and pipeline health.

• Act as an executive sponsor to key institutional partners and prospects.
  

Cross-functional Collaboration

• Partner with Product, Marketing, Legal, and Operations to shape the institutional experience.

• Collaborate with Destination Leaders to match student demand with strategic supply.

• Represent the voice of institutions in strategic planning, product development, and pricing innovation.
  

Operational Excellence

• Define and track KPIs across the institutional lifecycle: acquisition, engagement, performance, and satisfaction.

• Drive CRM best practices, data integrity, and partner insights to inform growth strategies.

• Reduce friction in onboarding and implementation through scalable processes and tooling.

What You Bring to the Table

• 10+ years in B2B sales, partnerships, or client services

• Proven P&L or revenue ownership, with a track record of scaling account portfolios and launching new offerings

• Strong people leadership skills, with a history of building and managing high-performing, multicultural teams

• Deep understanding of strategic account growth, segmentation, and partner lifecycle management

• Demonstrated experience entering and growing new markets and building differentiated service models

• Balance of strategic thinking and operational execution — can turn ideas into results

• Analytical and data-driven, with comfort in fast-paced, high-growth environments

• Proficient in Salesforce or similar CRM, dashboards, and partner analytics

• Excellent communicator and stakeholder manager, both internally and externally

• Mission-driven with a passion for expanding access to education
  

Preferred Industries:

• Technology, SaaS platform sales, and two-sided marketplaces

• Experience in education or international student recruitment is a strong plus, but not required

What We Offer:

• A chance to transform global education and impact thousands of lives

• Competitive salary and performance-based incentives

• Hybrid and flexible working arrangements

• Comprehensive health and wellness benefits

• Personal development and leadership growth opportunities

• A collaborative, mission-driven, and innovative culture

About ApplyBoard

ApplyBoard empowers students around the world to access the best education. With more than 1,000,000 students from over 150 countries helped with their journey in less than a decade, we are just getting started.

ApplyBoard’s 1,200 global team members in 30 countries assist students and our 1,500 partner institutions by empowering the international student sector with innovative technology and insights. As a five-time consecutive Deloitte Fast 50 and Fast 500 ranked company, ApplyBoard is growing and scaling like few other companies. On top of our strong growth, our people are growing personally and professionally. ApplyBoard India was Great Place to Work Institute (India) certified for outstanding employee experience and workplace culture.

Thank you for your interest in joining the ApplyBoard Team and being part of our mission to Educate the World. While we are lucky to attract a high level of interest in each of our roles, only qualified applicants will be contacted and selected for an interview.

ApplyBoard welcomes and encourages applications from people with disabilities. Accommodations are available upon request for candidates in all aspects of the hiring and selection process.