About Global University Systems (GUS)
Global University Systems (GUS) is an international education group that empowers students to transform their lives through education. We believe education drives careers, lives, and society forward, enabling a brighter future for all. Our network of 30 institutions offers the broadest range of industry-relevant skills through inclusive, accessible, and digital-first learning. We currently educate around 122,000 students on campuses worldwide and have 20M+ unique subscribers to our courses. Our global ecosystem powers accessible digital learning and academic achievement.
About Gus Education India (GEI)
GUS Education India (GEI) is the education arm of Global University Systems, a leading Global Education conglomerate. Established in 2017, GEI boasts a portfolio of over 35 Institutions and collaborates with prestigious universities and institutions worldwide, offering educational services that enhance their operations and impact.
Nature of The Job
- The Student Advisory Director Role within the Student Advisory function holds a level IV position in the organizational hierarchy, reporting directly to the Managing Director. This role is fully accountable for Service Line Managers (SLMs) at level III and is responsible for coordinating and integrating sub-functions within the Student Advisory teams. This coordination is essential for managing and implementing strategies at both the functional and organizational levels.
- As the principal point of contact for Student Advisory at GEI, the Student Advisory Director collaborates closely with the Managing Director, external stakeholders to implement solutions that align with key business objectives. The Student Advisory Director is accountable for developing and executing strategic plans to achieve organizational goals. The key aspect of work at this level is overseeing Student Advisory function for multiple Institutions and leading and inspiring SLMs and their teams, in achieving their intake targets. This role has direct responsibility for high-level decision-making and collaboration with executive leadership and key stakeholders.
The Student Advisory Director works with internal and external stakeholders to determine budgets, staffing, and resource allocation for the entire function, prioritizingprojectsbasedontheirpotentialimpactandstrategicalignmenttodemonstrateROI. The planning horizon for this role spans 2 to 5 years.
Job Purpose
The primary purpose of this job is to develop and implement sales strategies to achieve revenue targets through high quality and high value student advisory interactions. This role involves leading the Student Advisory function, building stakeholder relationships, and collaborating with cross-functional teams. Key responsibilities include analyzing market trends, sales data, quality data, and financial performance to identify growth opportunities, managing the sales budget, and monitoring performance metrics. The Student Advisory Director also drives new initiatives to expand market presence, ensuring optimal resource allocation and maintaining cost efficiencies. This position is crucial for fostering a high-performance culture that delivers quality interactions, and contributing to the organization's long-term success.
Key Accountability
Strategic Sales Planning
- Partner with management and institutional stakeholders to create and execute a comprehensive sales strategy aimed at delivering revenue targets and business objectives through high quality, high impact student advisory interactions.
- Assess and refine sales strategies by analyzing target markets trends, student segments, pricing, and promotional activities to seize growth and revenue opportunities.
- Continuously monitor and evaluate the performance of Sales Lead Managers (SLMs) by tracking key metrics from application to deposit and adjusting sales strategies based on performance.
Internal and external Stakeholder Relationships
- Build and maintain relationships with key stakeholders to ensure alignment with strategic objectives and stakeholder satisfaction.
- Hold regular meetings with stakeholders to transparently share progress updates, address challenges, and gather feedback.
- Collaborate closely and coordinate with marketing, operations, product development, and entity teams to proactively address and overcome any obstacles impeding target achievement
Sales and Performance Target Management
- Establish clear sales and performance targets for the student advisory team to drive revenue growth and exceed business objectives.
- Allocate team targets, set clear performance expectations, distribute workload, ensuring optimal team productivity and goal attainment.
- Define and standardize stages in the sales funnel and conduct regular pipeline reviews to ensure targets are on track.
- Continuously monitor sales performance against intake targets, identify areas for improvement, and take corrective actions as necessary to efficiently achieve targets.
- Analyze sales performance data to identify growth opportunities and ensure data-driven decision-making.
Team Management and Development
- Communicate key goals to the Student Advisory team and ensure teams have necessary resources and tools to achieve results.
- Work with the L+D function and dedicated Sales Trainers to ensure regular training on product knowledge, sales techniques, and CRM tools.
- Track and measure KPIs to measure progress toward sales goals, conduct performance reviews and provide constructive feedback.
- Lead and motivate a high performance sales team to foster a positive, inclusive, and collaborative culture.
- Promote work-life balance and support mental and physical well-being of the team.
- Implement attractive sales incentives and recognition programs to celebrate achievements
Student Support Management
- Enhance post-application support to boost student satisfaction, loyalty, and engagement.
- Provide efficient and effective support services to assist students from application stage till start of class, including visa assistance, pre-departure briefings, preparation for campus life for international students etc.
- Analyze student support metrics to identify areas for improvement and to address issues proactively.
- Reduce churn rate by promptly resolving student queries, interacting, and engaging with students, and offering value-added updates on
products or services.
Risk Mitigation and Business Continuity
- Identify operational risks or potential disruptions, implement risk mitigation strategies to minimize their impact.
- Manage and enhance the institution's online reputation by addressing student concerns and perceptions to foster a positive outlook.
- Conduct audits of Sales Operating Procedures (SOPs) followed by sales advisors to identify and mitigate potential risks, ensuring process integrity and compliance with legal and sales standards.
- Develop a crisis management and communication plan to address potential global events, such as pandemics or political changes, that could have a potential impact student recruitment.
Budget Planning
- Develop and manage the annual Student Advisory budget, allocating resources efficiently to support strategic initiatives.
- Monitor and identify opportunities for cost optimization, implementing corrective actions as necessary.
- Provide senior management with regular reports and updates on budget utilization
Innovation and Continuous Improvement
- Drive innovation by staying updated on industry trends to grow revenue, improve sales processes and enhance operational efficiency.
- Collaborate with IT to enhance CRM systems, automate repetitive and transactional tasks to optimize advisors time and effort.
- Analyze student feedback to identify areas for improvement and recommend enhancements to sales processes.
- Conduct market research and competition analysis to uncover trends and opportunities for revenue growth and market expansion.
Sales Performance Tracking and Reporting
- Publish sales performance reports, SLM wise on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis to senior executives and stakeholders.
- Track and analyze total sales revenue, conversion rates, team performance, per product or service line.
- Report sales pipeline velocity, qualified leads, revenue in the sales pipeline, key trends, and insights to aid in decision-making.
Desired Profile
Qualification
- Bachelor's degree in any discipline.
- MBA in Marketing or Sales.
Skills
- A Student Advisory Director should have a wide-ranging understanding of higher education industry and esp. in international universities.
- Proficient in organizational and time management skills.
- Adept at sales forecasting to predict future sales performance.
- Skilled in pipeline management, ensuring efficient tracking, nurturing, and conversion of leads to revenue.
- Proficient in identifying potential risks and implementing strategic mitigation plans.
- Experienced in leading large, cross-functional sales teams, fostering a collaborative environment.
Relevant Experience
- Over 10 years of outbound B2C sales experience with high value, high impact products.
- Experience in International student enrolment processes
GUS Values
- GEI is an equal opportunity employer and encourages applicants from diverse backgrounds to apply.
- There is an expectation that employees will maintain the values of the Group and will comply with the code of conduct as well as equality, diversity, health, safety policies of the company.
Benefits
- At GUS Education India, GEI we truly believe that diverse culture, backgrounds, and experiences drive innovation.
- This role is a full-time position with a competitive salary and benefits package.
- The company offers comprehensive medical insurance to its employees, which includes hospitalization, accidental insurance, term insurance and Gratuity, which is over and above the compensation.
- To make the daily commute easier, safer, and less stressful, the company provides cab facilities to its employees to and from the workplace within 30 kilometers radius.
- The company acknowledges the importance of mental and physical well-being and the need for rest and relaxation. Workdays are Monday to Friday and a comprehensive leave package for employee well-being is offered, which include 10 days of medical leave, 6 days of casual leave, 18 days of earned leave, 1 day of Happiness Leave, apart from 10 days of statutory leave, totaling to 45 days time off in a year.
Global University Systems equal opportunity employer. We provide equal opportunities and are committed to the principle of equality regardless of race, ancestry, place of origin, colour, ethnic origin, citizenship, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, record of offences, marital status, family status or disability.
The post holder may be asked to undertake different or additional duties in line with business requirements at the request of their line manager.
There is an expectation that all employees will maintain the values of the Group and will comply with the code of conduct as well as equality and diversity, health and safety and safeguarding policies. 
