Senior Manager of Operations and University Relationships

This position is with  Kaaiser , one of the brands under  Manifest Global , which also includes  Cialfo ,  BridgeU  and  Explore .
About This Role
We are hiring a Senior Manager of Operations and University Relationships to own operations and grow University Partnerships.
This is a senior, high-impact role for someone who operates comfortably with university leadership, understands the commercial and strategic drivers of international recruitment, and can turn strong relationships into measurable, long-term value.
The role goes beyond relationship management. You will act as a strategic partner, commercial negotiator, and long-term relationship owner, ensuring partnerships are:


• High-performing today

• Strategically aligned for the future

• Commercially strong and defensible

Role Objective


• To  build and scale the New Zealand vertical  by:


• Establishing a  robust end-to-end operations system  (Application → Visa → Enrolment)

• Securing and managing  direct university partnerships in New Zealand



• This role is a business-building mandate , not just operational oversight.

What Success Looks Like


• A  fully functional NZ operations engine  with high visa success rates

• Strong portfolio of  direct university partnerships

• NZ established as a  revenue-generating vertical for Kaaiser

Key Responsibilities
1. Operations Setup & Management (Application → Visa)


• Design and implement  end-to-end processing workflows  for NZ applications

• Establish  SOPs, timelines (TATs), and quality benchmarks

• Oversee:


• Application submissions

• Offer follow-ups

• Visa documentation and filing



• Ensure  high visa success rate and compliance adherence

• Build and train a  dedicated NZ processing team

2. University Partnerships & Business Development


• Identify and prioritise  target universities and institutes in New Zealand

• Build relationships with:


• International offices

• Regional managers



• Negotiate and secure  partnership agreements / MOUs

• Drive towards  preferred / direct partner status

• Maintain ongoing engagement to increase  application and enrolment volumes

3. Market Development (India → NZ)


• Define and execute  India market strategy for New Zealand

• Enable B2B teams with:


• NZ-specific product knowledge

• Visa and admission insights

• Support positioning of NZ as a  viable and attractive destination



4. Conversion & Product Ownership


• Ensure clarity on:


• Course offerings

• Entry requirements

• Visa regulations



• Improve:


• Application quality

• Offer conversion

• Visa success rates



5. Stakeholder Management


• Act as  single point of contact  for NZ universities

• Collaborate with internal:


• Sales teams

• Operations teams



• Build a strong  feedback loop  between universities, agents, and internal teams

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)


• Operations


• Application → Offer conversion ratio

• Offer → Visa → Enrolment conversion

• Visa success rate ( target: 90%+ )

• TAT adherence and processing efficiency



• Partnerships


• Number of  university contracts signed

• Active partnerships generating applications/enrolments



• Business Growth


• Number of NZ applications and enrolments

• Agent activation for NZ

• Revenue contribution from NZ vertical



Candidate Profile


• 8–10 years of experience in  international education

• Managerial experience in Operations & University relations for NZ study destination

• Strong understanding of:


• NZ admission processes

• Visa frameworks



• Proven track record in:


• University relationship management

• Operations setup or scaling

• Strong stakeholder management and negotiation skills

• Ability to  build processes from scratch and scale them



Please note this role follows 5.5 days work week from the Delhi Office