Head of Partner Development and Pathway Recruitment

English Path; City of Westminster; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

An international education provider is seeking a Head of Partner Development and Pathway Recruitment to spearhead university partnerships and student recruitment initiatives. This position involves developing strong relationships with universities, managing recruitment strategies, and contributing to team development. Ideal candidates will have over 5 years of experience in similar roles, excellent communication skills, and a track record in launching educational programs. This role is based in the City of Westminster, UK.

Qualifications

• 5+ years leading multi-programme student recruitment initiatives.
• Experience developing and reporting on recruitment plans and budgets.
• Proven track record in launching new campuses or academic divisions.

Responsibilities

• Conduct market analysis to identify key recruitment markets.
• Expand recruitment agency, school, and sponsor networks.
• Liaise with university partners and maintain relationships.

Skills

University partnership liaison

Stakeholder engagement

Student recruitment strategies

Excellent communication skills

Leadership abilities

Education

Qualification in Marketing, International Education, Business Administration or related field

Job description

English Path (EP) is expanding our provision of university pathway courses across the EP network of colleges, launching new colleges and delivering programmes at university partner locations. The Head of Partner Development and Pathway Recruitment is accountable for the expansion and execution of the pathway programme student recruitment launch for EP's new pathway offering. Working closely with the pathway leadership team, you will play a lead role in securing new university partnerships, recruitment agency partnerships, product training, and student‑recruitment initiatives. Your goal is to ensure that the pathway offering is effectively positioned across the EP and GEDU partnership and student recruitment network.

Roles and Responsibilities

• Conduct market analysis and demographic research to identify key recruitment source and destination markets.
• Expand EP's agency, school and sponsor network to support growth.
• Identify and liaise with current and future university partners, stewarding strong relationships.
• Play a role on launch teams for new products and new delivery locations.

Project & Budget Management

• Create and maintain comprehensive plans with clear milestones, dependencies, and contingency measures to ensure recruitment targets are met.
• Establish clear project plans and KPIs that can be effectively monitored, escalating issues and facilitating rapid decision‑making.
• Ensure compliance with all necessary regulatory approvals and accreditations (e.g. QAA, Ofqual, CMA, GDPR/DSAR protocols).
• Direct involvement in campus and programme launch budgets, with ongoing ownership of operational budgets.

Staffing & Team Development

• Contribute to the recruitment, training and induction of staff.
• Establish probation and performance‑review timelines, conduct regular check‑ins, and coordinate professional‑development workshops to upskill recruitment staff.
• Cultivate a positive, applicant‑centric campus culture by setting expectations for service delivery, academic excellence, and peer collaboration.
• Formal performance reviews at 6 and 12 months to assess progress against key milestones.
• Opportunity to lead and grow a new team as the business expands.

Marketing & Recruitment Collaboration

• Work with the wider Marketing and Recruitment teams to produce programme and college‑specific promotional materials: brochures, website content, virtual campus tours, social‑media campaigns, and localised advertising.
• Support the creation of targeted agent‑engagement strategies.
• Provide regular recruitment updates, detailing application volumes, offer acceptance rates, deposit collections, and demographic breakdowns.
• Culture that reflects EP's core values of student‑centered excellence, innovation, and inclusivity.
• Flexibility and adaptability as responsibilities may evolve with campus growth.
• Travel opportunities within the UK and internationally, as required.

Other Information

• Commit to EP's values and regulations, including equal opportunities policy.
• Commit to EP's Social, Economic and Environmental responsibilities and minimise environmental impact in the performance of the role and actively contribute to the delivery of EP's Environmental Policy.
• Health and Safety responsibilities to ensure a safe and secure working environment for staff, students and visitors.
• EP is an equal opportunity employer. We value diversity and welcome applications from candidates of all backgrounds.

Qualifications

• Experience with university partnership liaison in an international and domestic context.
• Experience working effectively with external stakeholders including university staff, recruitment agencies, schools' representatives, and scholarship bodies.
• Minimum 5 years of experience leading large‑scale, multi‑channel, multi‑programme student recruitment initiatives within higher education, international education, or language pathway contexts.
• Proven track record of launching new campuses, learning centres, or academic divisions with clear ownership of timelines, budgets and deliverables.
• Experience developing student recruitment plans, owning budgets and reporting performance to senior leadership.
• Ability to translate strategic objectives into detailed operational plans, ensuring alignment across Academic, Operations, Marketing and Finance functions.
• Familiarity with pathway programme frameworks (foundation, pre‑sessional) and accreditation processes.
• Understanding of student‑centered learning environments and quality‑assurance best practices for international cohorts.
• Experience influencing internal and external stakeholders including Board members, university partners, government agencies and vendors.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with experience preparing board‑level reports, project updates and public presentations.
• Ability to communicate portfolio vision, strategy and performance updates to various internal and external stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to recruit, onboard and mentor cross‑functional teams, fostering a collaborative, high‑performance culture.
• Comfortable working in a dynamic, fast‑paced environment where priorities may shift rapidly; proactive problem‑solver.
• Prior involvement in securing university progression agreements or articulation partnerships (desirable).
• Qualification in Marketing, International Education, Business Administration or a related field (desirable).

Additional Notes

This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee. Other duties, responsibilities and activities may change or be assigned.