Associate Director, SCMP Learn

South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd; Hong Kong; On-site; HKD 900,000 - 1,300,000; Full time

Job summary

The South China Morning Post Learn team is seeking an Associate Director to lead our Hong Kong Schools unit, driving retention and expansion of school subscriptions while building a sustainable educational ecosystem. You will serve as the ambassador for SCMP Learn, cultivating partnerships with school leaders and collaborating across departments to achieve commercial and strategic goals.

Based in Causeway Bay, the role involves working with Principals, English Panel Chairs, and decision-makers

Qualifications

• 8–10 years in business development, sales leadership, or institutional partnerships in education sectors.
• Established Hong Kong primary/secondary school network preferred.
• Proven track record delivering multi-stakeholder initiatives and ecosystems.
• Ability to bridge commercial, editorial, and technical teams.
• Native or near-native fluency in English and Cantonese, strong written and verbal communication.

Responsibilities

• Lead the HK Schools team to retain current school subscriptions and aggressively identify new business opportunities to expand our market share across Hong Kong.
• Build and nurture high-level, long-term relationships with School Principals, English Panel Chairs, and key educational decision-makers to deeply understand their needs and integrate SCMP Learn into their core curriculum.
• Formulate and execute strategies that embed SCMP Learn products into the daily school environment, transitioning offerings into a long-term educational ecosystem.
• Coordinate with internal departments—Events, Marketing, Editorial, Product Management, and Operations—to ensure campaigns run smoothly, align product roadmaps with school needs, and deliver on revenue and ecosystem goals.
• Mentor, inspire, and manage a high-performing business development and relationship management team, setting KPIs and fostering collaboration.

Skills

Business development

Sales leadership

Stakeholder management

Cross-functional collaboration

Strategic planning

Team leadership

Job description

About the Team: The SCMP Learn team provides a comprehensive portal dedicated to empowering young learners with essential English language skills. Partnering with over 70% of Hong Kong schools, they deliver award-winning publications like Young Post and Posties, alongside interactive, journalism-inspired learning programmes. The team also hosts expert-led community events to actively support and connect educators, parents, and students across the region.

Purpose of the position:
SCMP Learn is seeking a strategic and results-driven Associate Director to lead our Hong Kong Schools team. The primary objective is to drive the retention and expansion of our school subscription business while building a sustainable, long-term educational ecosystem. You will serve as the key ambassador for SCMP Learn, cultivating enduring partnerships with school leaders and collaborating across internal departments to achieve our commercial and strategic goals.

In this role, you will:

• Business Growth & Strategy: Lead the HK Schools team to maintain current school subscriptions and aggressively identify new business opportunities to expand our market share across Hong Kong.
• Stakeholder Partnership: Build and nurture high-level, long-term relationships with School Principals, English Panel Chairs, and key educational decision-makers to deeply understand their needs and integrate SCMP Learn into their core curriculum.
• Ecosystem Development: Formulate and execute strategies that embed SCMP Learn products into the daily school environment, transitioning our offerings from simple subscriptions into a long-term, indispensable educational ecosystem.
• Cross-Functional Leadership: Actively coordinate with internal departments—including Events, Marketing, Editorial, Product Management (PM), and Operations—to ensure seamless execution of campaigns, align product roadmaps with school needs, and deliver on both short-term revenue targets and medium-term ecosystem goals.
• Team Management: Mentor, inspire, and manage a high-performing business development and relationship management team, setting clear KPIs and fostering a culture of collaboration and excellence.

Skills and Experience that will lead to success:

• Experience: Minimum 8-10 years of experience in business development, sales leadership, or institutional partnerships, preferably within the publishing, EdTech or education sectors.
• Network: An established network of contacts within Hong Kong primary and secondary schools (Principals, English Panels, etc.) is highly preferred.
• Strategic Execution: Proven track record of meeting commercial targets while successfully launching and scaling complex, multi-stakeholder initiatives or ecosystems.
• Collaborative Skills: Exceptional stakeholder management and cross-functional project management skills, with the ability to bridge the gap between commercial, editorial, and technical teams.
• Language: Native or near-native fluency in English and Cantonese; strong written and verbal communication skills are essential.

Work location will be at Causeway Bay office.

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The South China Morning Post (SCMP) is a leading news media company reporting on China and Asia for over a century. Founded in 1903 and headquartered in Hong Kong, SCMP is the city's newspaper of record with a growing correspondent staff across Asia and the US. Our vision is to "Elevate Thought" and our mission is to "Lead the global conversation about China." SCMP champions the plurality of voices in Asia through its extensive news coverage and is committed to high-standard journalism. Besides its flagship newspaper, SCMP publishes news 24/7 on SCMP.com. In 2020, SCMP became the first Asian news organization to join the Trust Project, promoting global transparency standards for journalism.