Senior Manager of Operations and University Relationships (New Zealand)

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.

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.

Requirements

Visa regulations Improve: Application quality Offer conversion Visa success rates 5.