Associate Director

Associate Director - Recruitment, East Asia - La Trobe University

Navitas is seeking a dynamic and experienced Associate Director - Recruitment for East Asia to work for La Trobe University. This pivotal role, based in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, will be instrumental in driving the university's international growth across Vietnam, Cambodia, Philippines, Singapore, and Malaysia. As the key deputy to the Regional Director, East Asia, you will lead a high-performing team, deliver exceptional recruitment outcomes, and shape market strategy in some of the world's most competitive education markets.

About the role

The Associate Director, East Asia is a key leadership role responsible for driving international student enrolment and revenue growth for La Trobe University across the East Asia region. Reporting to the Regional Director, you will act as the deputy lead for the region, with full accountability for managing the East Asia recruitment team and achieving all performance targets.

This position requires a strategic and commercially minded leader with a strong understanding of the regional market. You will be responsible for developing and executing recruitment strategies, managing significant budgets, and engaging with high-level external partners, including government and industry stakeholders. The role demands a balance of strategic vision and operational excellence to influence university-wide outcomes and significantly impact La Trobe's presence in the region.

Key Responsibilities:

• Develop and execute strategic recruitment plans, optimizing resource allocation and proposing budget proposals.

• Investigate, interpret, and evaluate information requiring considerable understanding of existing regulations, policies, and procedures.

• Apply theoretical and technical knowledge to design, review, develop, or test complex equipment, systems, or procedures.

• Demonstrate proficiency in existing rules, regulations, processes, and techniques within the work area, adapting them as needed to achieve objectives without impacting other functions.

• Utilize expertise and judgment to make decisions in ambiguous situations, delivering professional services that meet customer requirements.

• Identify additional service needs or shortfalls and coordinate or design innovative solutions to enhance service quality, efficiency, and continuity.

• Ensure the maintenance and application of professional and quality service standards within your area of activity.

• Identify and recommend improvements to policies and procedures to enhance the operational efficiency of the team and division.

• Possess detailed knowledge of relevant policies, systems, and procedures impacting international and domestic student admissions, credit, short courses, and related aspects.

• Efficiently process activities supporting admissions-related tasks in a timely manner.

• Liaise with, support, and advise the team, university staff, and other internal/external stakeholders on student matters relevant to the team's functions.

• Organize and deliver admission-related work to meet division and subunit objectives.

Essential Skills, Knowledge, and Experience

• Extensive experience in international student recruitment for Australian higher education at both strategic and operational levels, with a demonstrated progression into senior leadership. Proven ability to lead teams to exceed recruitment and revenue targets in Vietnam and/or the broader East Asia region.

• Established senior-level networks within the East Asia education sector, including government agencies, leading educational institutions, and top-performing agents, with a history of leveraging these relationships for market growth.

• In-depth knowledge of the Australian tertiary education sector and the education systems in key East Asian source markets, with the strategic ability to position programs competitively and drive market growth.

• Comprehensive understanding of Australian student visa processes and their implications for recruitment strategies.

• Advanced analytical capability to assess performance against KPIs and utilize data-driven insights to shape market strategies and resource allocation. Ability to investigate, interpret, and evaluate market trends, competitor strategies, and the market impact of policy or regulatory changes.

• Demonstrated leadership in managing cross-functional and geographically dispersed teams, fostering collaboration, accountability, and high performance.

• Proven experience in budget planning, forecasting, and management, ensuring optimal resource utilization to achieve strategic objectives.

• Legal right to live and work in Vietnam without the need for employer sponsorship.

• Valid passport with no travel restrictions, enabling regular travel within the region and to Australia.

What we can offer you:

Navitas is an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering an inclusive, accessible environment, where all employees feel valued, respected, and supported. We are dedicated to building a workforce that reflects the diversity of our students and communities in which we live and serve.

About Us

Navitas is a leading global education provider that has helped generations of learners transform their lives through education. We create life-changing opportunities to learn by delivering an extensive range of educational services to over 56,000 aspirational students across our global network each year.

Diversity and Inclusion

Navitas promotes and embraces an inclusive and diversified workforce. We believe equality, flexibility and diversity in the workplace will deliver a rich and collaborative environment for our employees, students, and clients.

How to apply

Please apply online to lodge your application successfully.

Applications will close on 07 November 2025. However, we reserve the right to progress or confirm applicants prior to close date. Applications received after the close date may be considered pending the recruitment process.

To our agency partners - thank you for your interest, however, we will not be accepting unsolicited applications, and we do not require support for this role, at this stage.

Extra information

For further information or to view other opportunities, please visit

Successful candidates will require full working rights in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

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