Business Development Manager

international french school (singapore); Singapore; On-site; SGD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Job summary

The International French School (Singapore) is seeking a Business Development Manager to drive student enrollment growth across both the French and English streams, taking full ownership of admissions and enrollment outcomes.

You will lead admissions journeys, develop strategic partnerships with relocation agencies, embassies, and corporate partners, and collaborate with Marketing, Admissions and Academic Leadership to deliver an exceptional experience from first contact to onboarding.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration or related field; Master’s degree or certification is an advantage.
• 5–8 years’ experience in business development, sales, or admissions in a high-volume environment; school setting preferred.
• Proven track record of achieving enrolment or revenue targets; understanding of international education is an asset.
• Experience explaining curriculum and frameworks of teaching and learning is beneficial.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement an annual enrolment plan with targets for both streams.
• Lead the full admissions journey from lead generation to onboarding.
• Identify recruitment channels including expatriate families, AEFE network, and corporate relocations.
• Monitor enrollment performance using CRM/AI tools and analyze sources, conversion rates, and drop-offs.
• Provide weekly pipeline updates and intake forecasts to the Director.
• Lead development of strategic partnerships with relocation agencies, embassies, and multinationals.
• Represent the school at education fairs and expat events to generate qualified leads.
• Collaborate with Marketing to create multilingual collateral and optimise campaigns.

Skills

Sales & Conversion

CRM & Pipeline Management

Stakeholder & Partnerships

Family Engagement

Results Ownership

Organisation & Follow-Through

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Business Admin/Management

Master’s degree or professional certification an advantage

Tools

Salesforce

Microsoft Office

Google Workspace

Social media platforms

Job description

The Business Development Manager drives student enrollment growth and supports institutional expansion across both the French and English streams. This role carries full functional responsibility for student acquisition, admissions pipeline performance, and enrollment outcomes.

Acting as the lead for admissions and enrollment growth activities, the role combines strategic partnership development, bilingual community engagement, management and growth of the Corporate Membership Programme (CMP), and strong market intelligence to drive sustainable enrollment growth.

Working closely with Marketing, Admissions, and Academic Leadership, the role manages multiple inquiry channels, builds and manages strategic partnerships, and delivers an exceptional experience for prospective families from first contact through enrollment and onboarding. The ideal candidate brings a strong commercial mindset, proven business development or enrollment experience, and a passion for international education. This is a high-impact role with full accountability for enrollment performance, pipeline health, and conversion outcomes across both streams.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Develop and implement an annual enrolment plan with clear student targets for each new school year (September) and mid-year admissions, across both the French and English streams.

Lead the full admissions journey from lead generation to enrolment and onboarding, ensuring a smooth and consistent process across both streams.

Identify and develop key recruitment channels including Asian and western expatriate families, as well as French-speaking expatriate families, AEFE network schools, corporate relocations, embassy communities, relocation agencies, and multinational companies.

Monitor and analyse enrollment performance using AI and CRM tools (i.e. Salesforce), tracking lead sources, conversion rates, and drop-offs, and implementing corrective actions where required.

Analyse student retention and attrition trends, working with academic and pastoral teams to improve retention and re-enrolment.

Provide weekly pipeline updates and intake forecasts to the Director, with a stream-by-stream breakdown.

B. Corporate Partnerships & Community Development

Lead the development of strategic partnerships with relocation agencies, student recruitment consultants, embassies, multinational companies, French and international education networks, and feeder schools.

Represent the school at education fairs, expat events, corporate presentations, and community forums, promoting both educational streams.

Engage directly with HR Director(s) and Global Mobility Manager(s) within corporate partners to ensure the school is recommended and designated as a preferred education provider for relocating employee families.

Develop and manage corporate partnerships including the Corporate Membership Programme (CMP), to support employee families seeking bilingual education options.

Establish a Parent Ambassador Programme to strengthen referrals across both streams.

Identify and develop key recruitment channels including Westers, Asian and French-speaking expatriate families, AEFE network schools, embassy communities, and multinational companies.

C. IFS Brand Promotion & Networking

Represent the school at education fairs, expat community events, corporate presentations, and networking functions to build brand awareness and generate qualified leads.

Participate at Open Houses and on-campus school events to deliver a strong, conversion-focused experience for prospective families.

Work with the Marketing Communications department on content suggestions for the school’s presence on expat platforms, community forums, and online channels (including Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn) for both French-speaking and English-speaking audiences.

Work closely with the Marketing Communications department to develop prospect conversion-optimised collateral in French, English and Mandarin, including campaigns, social media content, email communications, and print materials.

Collaborate with Marketing Communications by sharing insights on target audiences, lead quality, and conversion performance to continuously optimise campaigns and messaging.

Monitor competitor schools delivering an International curriculum including bilingual (French and English) language options, including fees, positioning, and capacity.

Track expatriate mobility trends, demographic shifts, and corporate relocation patterns to identify emerging enrolment opportunities, (e.g., an influx of families from a specific country due to a new regional corporate headquarters).

Analyse local and global education trends to inform the school’s enrolment strategy and value proposition.

Provide quarterly reports on enrolment performance, market insights, and strategic recommendations.

Partner with Academic Leadership, pastoral teams, and school administration to monitor family satisfaction and identify early indicators of attrition risk.

Analyse student retention and attrition trends, and work collaboratively with relevant teams to develop and implement retention strategies.

Contribute to initiatives that strengthen the school’s community, family engagement, and overall experience — recognising that satisfied, retained families are also the school’s most credible ambassadors.

Track re-enrolment rates as a key performance indicator and provide regular reporting to the Director.

REQUIRED SKILLS, EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATION

Education:

Bachelor’s degree (minimum) in Business Administration or Management, Communications or Public Relation, Marketing, or related field; Master’s degree or professional certification is an advantage.

Experience:

5-8 years’ experience in business development, sales, or admissions in a high-volume, target-driven environment; experience in a school setting is strongly preferred.

Proven track record of achieving enrolment or revenue targets, with evidence of results.

An understanding of international and national education programmes and experience explaining curriculum and frameworks of teaching and learning is an advantage

Technical Skills:

Proficiency in CRM systems (i.e., Salesforce) and digital tools including Microsoft Office, Google Workspace, and social media platforms.

Soft Skills:

Sales & Conversion: Able to lead the full admissions funnel and convert enquiries into enrolments through tours, consultations, and follow-ups.

CRM & Pipeline Management: Disciplined in managing high volumes of leads, tracking performance data, and improving conversion rates.

Stakeholder & Partnership Management: Builds and sustains trust with prospective and existing families, corporate partners, and community networks to generate referrals and long-term relationships.

Family Engagement: Establishes rapport with prospective and existing families, clearly communicating the school’s value proposition and supporting families throughout the admissions journey.

Results Ownership: Strong accountability for enrolment targets and pipeline performance.

Organisation & Follow-Through: Ensures consistent follow-through, responsiveness, and process execution.

WORKING CONDITIONS

Contract Type: Permanent (Full-Time)

Work Hours: 42 hours per week

Remuneration: Remuneration based on experience and the IFS salary scale

Benefits: Health insurance coverage for employees, along with other benefits as outlined in the Employee Handbook.

Leaves Entitlement: The employee will be entitled to leave benefits in accordance with the IFS Leave Policy and applicable Singapore employment regulations.

LINE MANAGER

Direct Supervisor: Director, Marcom & Admission or any other person designated by the School.

WORKING RELATIONSHIPS

Internal Relationships: Works closely with Marketing & Communications, Admissions, Academic Leadership, School Administration, and other internal stakeholders involved in admissions, enrolment management, onboarding, and student retention.

External Relationships: Engages regularly with prospective and existing families, corporate partners (including HR and Global Mobility teams), relocation agencies, embassies, feeder schools, education consultants, and other external partners supporting student recruitment and enrolment.