We have an open-access approach to recruitment providing ethical counselling to students seeking to join Heriot-Watt ensuring they are recruited to the right programme and at the right level. The person in this role will manage and work with a team of student recruiters comprising of personnel recruiting both domestic (Malaysia) students as well as students from overseas (International) to join campuses in Malaysia, the UK and Dubai. The post holder will ensure the team receive sales training and product knowledge to provide professional guidance to all prospects.
S/he will also be expected to participate in recruitment activities such as Open Days and Higher Education exhibitions, and to support other university activities in a professional and flexible manner. This varied role requires the exercise of independent judgement and initiative, strong administrative and excellent interpersonal skills. The person in this role must be willing to travel and be flexible in his/her working hours and will work in close collaboration with the team.
He/she will work in close partnership with the professional services teams and academic staff across campuses and the wider University, and sometimes, directly with applicants. It will be essential to work in collaboration and communicate with Heriot-Watt colleagues on other campuses to drive the university’s global student recruitment strategy.
This role reports to the Senior Manager, Recruitment and Admissions and will be based at the University's campus in Putrajaya, the administrative capital of Malaysia.
Key Duties and Responsibilities
1. Develop, plan, and manage student recruitment and enrolment strategies in collaboration with the Senior Manager, Recruitment and Admissions.
2. Lead and manage the student recruitment team, monitoring performance to ensure enrolment targets are met across all intakes, including responsibility for leads management.
3. Collaborate with the Prospect Experience & Admission Manager to drive successful student conversions and enrolments.
4. Conduct market and competitor analysis to propose tactical recruitment initiatives, including tuition fees, waivers, and scholarships.
5. Support efforts to optimise Sales Cost of Acquisition by enhancing process efficiency and improving team productivity
6. Work alongside Marketing & Communications teams to develop and execute promotional campaigns across digital and print channels to support recruitment efforts.
7. Coordinate with HWU’s regional recruitment teams to support student recruitment across the HWU global network.
8. Plan, lead, and execute recruitment events, including on-campus Open Days, education fairs and special events designed to attract prospective students
9. Monitor recruitment activities, providing timely reports and insights to the Senior Manager, Recruitment and Admissions.
10. Stay updated on education industry trends, analysing market data and prospect enquiries to identify opportunities for new programme development.
11. Lead, motivate, and develop the student recruitment team, including identifying and addressing training needs.
12. Manage and train a team of student ambassadors to assist with recruitment activities.
All HWUM staff endeavours will embody our shared values of: Inspire, Collaborate, Belong, and Celebrate.
Please note that this job description is not exhaustive, and the role holder may be required to undertake other relevant duties commensurate with the grading of the post and its general responsibilities. Activities may be subject to amendment over time as the role develops and/or priorities and requirements evolve
Person Specification
Education & Qualifications
Essential
- Must have a degree – preferably in marketing, communications, business, administration or relevant professional qualifications
Experience
Essential
- A minimum of 5 years’ experience in a student recruitment environment.
- Proven experience in leading teams and engaging stakeholders to deliver effective and efficient student recruitment strategies.
- Experienced in managing external agencies to enhance and supplement recruitment activities.
Desirable
- Strong record of success in goal-driven roles
- CRM experience/training to manage sales pipeline.
- Proficient in data analysis, performance reporting, and executing strategic initiatives
- Familiarity with international student markets and regional recruitment trends.
Competencies, Skills & Knowledge
Essential
- Strong Interpersonal Skills: Demonstrable and well-developed interpersonal skills; comfortable engaging directly with suppliers, agents, and prospective students. Proven track record in building productive relationships with clients, partners, and suppliers.
- Excellent Communication Skills: Exceptional written and verbal communication abilities, with a professional tone suitable for handling complex enquiries.
Specifically, a very high standard of written English, with demonstrable ability to prepare clear, concise, and professional reports. - Organisational and Team Management Skills: Excellent organisational skills with the ability to manage self and others effectively to deliver high-quality, efficient professional services.
- Able to make independent decisions affecting day-to-day operations while involving relevant stakeholders as needed.
- Experienced in managing and motivating teams to achieve recruitment objectives.
- Proactive and Adaptable: Flexible, proactive, detail-oriented, and self-motivated.
- Able to maintain high performance under pressure and meet tight deadlines, employing appropriate coping strategies to sustain personal wellbeing.
- Professional Presentation: Able to present a professional image and communicate confidently with a broad range of individuals, from prospective students and parents to senior managers and external stakeholders.
- Analytical and Strategic Thinking: Strong analytical skills, capable of interpreting data, evaluating reports, presenting findings, and generating actionable insights to inform recruitment strategies.
- Collaborative Approach: Proactively builds relationships and networks across teams, both within the HWUM campus and across the HWU Group, to drive shared objectives.
- Result-Oriented: Takes prompt, proactive action to accomplish objectives and deliver outcomes efficiently.
Desirable
- Strong Selling and Counseling capabilities
- Strong Customer Service experience
- Familiar with Sales Tools, Processes and Technological development and management.
- Familiar with Higher Education products customer profiling and competitor profiling.
- Strong AMP:
• Attitude: Value-driven with strong work ethics.
• Motivation: Highly self-motivated with a focus on achieving results.
• Passion: Committed to the broader purpose of higher education and its impact on society. - Sales Driven: Results-oriented with a passion for delivering outcomes through effective sales methodologies and a culture of excellence.
- Excellent Communication & Presentation: Skilled in communication, presentation, counselling, and people management.
- Team Player: Collaborative, with experience working across levels in complex organisations to achieve shared goals.
- Conflict Management: Capable of identifying and resolving conflicts fairly and efficiently
- Project Management: Strong planning and monitoring skills to lead and deliver successful projects.
- Willing to work beyond normal working hours and during weekends.
Essential Criteria – these are attributes without which a candidate would not be able to undertake the full remit of the role. Applicants who do not clearly demonstrate in their application that they possess the essential requirements will normally be eliminated at the short-listing stage.
Desirable Criteria – these are attributes which would be useful for the candidate to hold. When shortlisting, these criteria will be considered when more than one applicant meets the essential criteria.
Other Relevant Information
We aim to hold interviews at the Malaysia Campus in Putrajaya on the week of 30 September 2025.
For more information about Malaysia Campus, please visit http://www.hw.edu.my.
For information about Purpose-Driven Education, please see our website: https://www.hw.ac.uk/malaysia/about/purpose-driven-education.htm
Application Process
Applications should be submitted to Careers system.
Applications must be submitted by 30 September 2025. If you are not contacted by the selection committee by 10 October 2025 then please assume that on this occasion your application has been unsuccessful.
The University is committed to equality of opportunity.
