• Convert: turn strategic relationships into signed agreements, joint programs, and activated workstreams; translate the campus licensing roadmap into structured execution between Hamburg and Saigon.
• Expand: scale the partner network, program ecosystem, and physical campus footprint; secure premises and shape the delivery format.
• Support strategic access: co-engage Vietnamese authorities, regulatory bodies, and anchor partners on cross-border investment, governance, and licensing pathways.
• Support academic business development: enable research partnerships, grant-funding pathways, and credibility-building infrastructure operationally.

• Budget execution: translate strategic direction into the multi-year operating budget, capital plan, and cash-flow framework.
• Liquidity planning and forecasting: maintain rolling liquidity forecasts; project cash needs against operating commitments and licensing milestones; flag funding gaps to the Campus Director and KLU Hamburg in time for action.
• Cross-border alignment: principal day-to-day contact with KLU Hamburg Administration on capital flows, intercompany funding, and the structuring of investment as registered capital contribution; develop executable proposals for Campus Director approval and Hamburg sign-off.
• Payment governance: operate dual-approval discipline. Co-approve standard transactions; escalate elevated thresholds. Maintain audit-ready records; ensure no out-of-process disbursements.
• Compliance and licensing execution: drive regulatory, tax, labor, and corporate compliance work in Vietnam; shepherd the campus license process through its legal, financial, and procedural milestones.
• Hamburg functional alignment: as functional counterpart to KLU Hamburg Administration, keep Saigon's operating standards, controls, and reporting cadence consistent with HQ expectations of a branch entity.
• IT liaison and local alignment: act as the on-site point of contact for KLU Hamburg IT; keep local infrastructure (SharePoint, hardware, software, and tooling) synchronized with Hamburg's specifications; coordinate procurement, deployment, and support with the Hamburg IT team.

• Operationalize relationships: convert corporate, NGO, governmental, and academic relationships into activated agreements with measurable outputs.
• Enable campus build-out: engage and secure operating partners for premises, host institutions, infrastructure providers, and strategic local sponsors.
• Sustain the ecosystem: keep the partner network healthy so program viability, student opportunity, and institutional reputation are continuously reinforced.

• Connect functions: ensure coherent execution across the campus.
• Cycle integrity: recycle delivered outcomes (graduate quality, employer feedback, research output) back into business development positioning and Recruitment narrative.
• Resolve bottlenecks: set cross-functional priorities, unblock decisions; do not centralize routine communication.
• Hamburg ↔ Saigon: structured channel between local teams and HQ counterparts.

• Program viability: ensure programs are operationally and financially sustainable; operational and academic infrastructure in place ahead of cohort milestones.
• Strategic translation: convert strategic and academic priorities into operating roadmaps, resource plans, and operational commitments.
• Standards alignment: keep local execution consistent with KLU Hamburg's academic, operational, and brand standards.

Ways of Working

• Direct collaboration is the default: teams work directly with each other; the Deputy does not centralize communication.
• Payment routing: all functions submit through a single channel for dual approval; standard threshold (Deputy + Director); elevated threshold (Director + Members' Council).
• The Deputy: aligns priorities, removes bottlenecks, and intervenes where coordination breaks down.

Key Interfaces

• Members' Council of KLU Saigon.
• Campus Director.
• Academic Director and Research Director.
• Office Manager (financial execution, compliance, and admin).
• Marketing, Recruitment, Program, and Student Services teams.

• Executive Director of Administration (functional reporting line).
• Finance, Controlling, and Legal (capital flows, licensing, intercompany structuring).
• Deans / Faculty (program standards and academic alignment).
• Marketing & Student Affairs (admission and program coordination).
• IT (infrastructure, SharePoint, software standards, and local deployment).

• Vietnamese authorities and licensing bodies (Ministry of Education and Training, DPI, immigration, tax).
• Corporate partners across logistics, supply chain, manufacturing, and services.
• Academic and institutional partners (universities, research institutes, professional bodies).
• NGO, foundation, and Kühne Foundation network partners.
• Real estate, campus infrastructure, and delivery-format partners.

Success Metrics

• Operational reliability: predictable, audit-ready finance, HR, compliance, and reporting.
• Payment governance discipline: clean dual-approval audit trail; zero out-of-process disbursements.
• Hamburg alignment: on-time, accurate financial reporting and capital-flow execution; clear shared understanding of the licensing and investment roadmap.
• Licensing progression: milestone progress on the campus license plan.
• Partnership conversion: rate at which strategic relationships convert into activated agreements, infrastructure, and program inputs.
• Campus development: progress on premises, delivery format, and supporting partner infrastructure.
• Cycle integrity: measurable handoff quality across business development → Conversion → Programs → Outcomes.
• Cross-functional flow: fewer escalations, faster decision cycles, fewer coordination bottlenecks.
• Standards consistency: Saigon's alignment with KLU Hamburg's academic, operational, and brand standards.

• Senior leadership in international higher education, professional services, or a comparable scaling international organization.
• Track record of running operations through delegated execution.
• Cross-border HQ–local entity experience under a functional-reporting (matrix) arrangement.
• Strong financial and budget management; comfort with cross-border capital structures, intercompany funding, capital contribution mechanics, and dual-approval governance.
• Proven ability to convert partnerships into delivered outcomes (infrastructure, premises, program-enabling agreements).
• Vietnamese regulatory, licensing, and compliance experience highly valued.

• Systems thinking and structural clarity.
• Cross-functional integration and matrixed leadership.
• Stakeholder management across regulatory, corporate, academic, and HQ levels.
• Clear, structured written and verbal communication.

• Degree in business, management, logistics and supply chain, finance, law, or a related field; international qualification preferred.
• Fluent English. Vietnamese and/or German strongly preferred.
• Right to work in Vietnam.

• You will develop a scalable business development and sales process together with relevant internal stakeholders. You will systematically translate market feedback into portfolio decisions: build, pilot, scale — or consciously decide not to pursue.

• You will identify and acquire national and international target companies and build strong relationships with key decision-makers, particularly at C-level and in HR, Learning & Development, Supply Chain, and Operations Leadership.

• You will lead structured discovery conversations, qualify opportunities, develop compelling value propositions, and manage the full sales process from discovery to proposal and closing.

• Together with the organization, you will develop new offerings, particularly open and customized executive education programs as well as further partnership formats. You will guide new formats from the first idea through piloting to scaling.

• You will translate client needs into clear program architectures, including learning outcomes, target groups, formats, faculty involvement, and pricing logic. Typical deal sizes range from approximately €50,000 to €200,000.

• You will build anchor partners and strategic client relationships with strong repeat potential, for example through learning journeys, talent pipelines, or long-term development partnerships.

• You will engage and coordinate internal stakeholders such as faculty, the Executive Education team, Career Services, Research Centers, and the Innovation Hub. You will create orientation, commitment, and clear decision-making foundations.

• You will be responsible for building and managing the sales pipeline, ensuring reliable forecasting, and maintaining high-quality CRM data. You will take clear ownership of results and revenue.

• You bring at least 7 years of experience in B2B business development or sales, ideally in consultative selling of advisory or service-based offerings such as executive education, consulting, corporate partnerships, or professional services. You have a proven track record of building pipelines, managing opportunities, and closing deals.
• You have experience in developing and selling non-standardized offerings. You are able to co-create solutions with clients and internal stakeholders, structure requirements, and clearly define scope, outcomes, delivery setup, and pricing logic.
• You are strong in stakeholder leadership without direct authority. You engage internal experts, particularly faculty and professors, for market-relevant initiatives, moderate different interests, and create commitment.
• You work in a structured, process-oriented, and results-driven way. CRM usage, forecasting, fit checks, clean handovers, and reliable pipeline management are natural parts of your professional business development approach.
• You are confident in senior-level interactions, including pitches, workshops, negotiations, and strategic client conversations. You bring full professional fluency in both German and English.
• You hold a master’s degree or equivalent qualification and are willing to travel internationally.

• Experience in higher education, executive education, research, or at the interface between academia and business is an advantage.
• Industry knowledge or a strong network in logistics, supply chain, operations, or related sectors would also be beneficial.

• You bring entrepreneurial thinking, drive, and resilience. You do not see internal challenges as barriers, but as conditions to design around in order to create viable solutions.
• You have sound judgement and can identify which opportunities are scalable, which partnerships have long-term potential, and when a request should consciously not be pursued.

• You will receive an attractive compensation package with a performance-based component directly linked to revenue targets.

• We offer a structured hybrid working model with up to 50% remote work.

• You will take on a key role in building our Business Development function, with a clear perspective to further develop and lead the BD team internationally in the future.

• You will benefit from a personal development budget, access to KLU programs, and opportunities to participate in international conferences.

• You will work within an international ecosystem connecting academia, business, logistics, supply chain, and socially relevant initiatives.

• You will have a direct influence on revenue, partnerships, and the positioning of the Executive Education & Business Solutions Unit — with short decision paths and high visibility.

• Your workplace will be located in Hamburg’s HafenCity, one of the city’s most attractive and dynamic districts.

• cover letter
• CV
• relevant references or certificates
• salary expectations