Student Success Manager (EMEA)

Student Success Manager (EMEA)

Location: London, United Kingdom

Business unit: Student Recruitment - UBS

Job type: Full time, permanent

Working arrangement: Hybrid

This position offers a hybrid work model, allowing flexibility between working from home and our office. Typically, employees are expected to work 2 days in the office per week.

Why QS?

At QS, we believe that work should empower you. That’s why we foster a flexible working environment that encourages every employee to own their career whilst flourishing personally and professionally. Our company values underpin everything we do – we collaborate, respect and support each other.

It’s our mission to empower motivated people around the world to fulfil their potential through higher education, ensuring that everyone has access to opportunities that change lives.

Our diversity makes us stronger. By sharing our experiences, we learn from one another and achieve more together, driving progress across the sector.

At QS, you’ll be responsible for implementing real change in the international higher education landscape. You’ll take on meaningful challenges that see a positive impact across the business and the wider sector.

We’re confident you’ll feel right at home here. QS was named as one of Newsweek’s Top 100 Most Loved Workplaces® in the UK (October 2023), recognising the respect, trust and appreciation that drive our culture every day. And as a gold-accredited Investors in People organisation – putting us among the top 28% of workplaces globally – it’s official: QS is a place where everyone can thrive.

The role

The Student Success Manager (EMEA) – plays a critical leadership role in supporting the delivery of a high-quality student experience across the EMEA portfolio. As the only Manager physically based in the UK — where all EMEA clients and senior stakeholders are located — this role provides essential local leadership presence, operational continuity, and stakeholder proximity.

This role ensures consistent performance across a multi-site Student Success structure (KL, BLR, LON, Chengdu), while strengthening collaboration with Account Management, Reporting & Insight, and wider UBS teams. The London SS Manager will lead a team of student-facing staff and partner closely with the Assistant Director (EMEA) to embed standards, drive quality, and elevate service delivery for our UK-based partners.

This position exists as part of the stabilisation plan for the region, ensuring sustainable leadership coverage and operational resilience as we enter the January 2026 cycle.

Role Responsibilities

Operational Leadership

Lead the London Student Success team in delivering consistent, high-quality student experience aligned with regional expectations.

Serve as the on-ground operational anchor for all UK-based clients, ensuring rapid response to client priorities and escalations.

Translate client objectives into team-level action plans that drive enquiry handling, engagement, and conversion outcomes.

Oversee daily workflows, capacity planning, and resource allocation to ensure targets and SLAs are met across email, phone, and omnichannel activity.

Partner with managers across KL and BLR to ensure balanced distribution of client load, operational continuity across time zones, and strong cross-site collaboration.

Stakeholder Engagement & Partnership

Act as the primary Student Success leadership representative in the UK, maintaining strong relationships with Account Management, commercial partners, and client-side operational teams.

Support Client Strategy & Performance Meetings and provide operational insight into performance trends, risks, and opportunities.

Participate in external meetings with UK clients to discuss performance, student engagement, quality themes, and transformation initiatives.

People & Performance Management

Line-manage London-based Team Leaders and/or SEAs, fostering a high-performance culture grounded in accountability and continuous improvement.

Set and monitor team and individual KPIs, ensuring alignment with service delivery, productivity, and quality standards.

Provide coaching, performance feedback, structured development pathways, and succession planning.

Support onboarding and cultural integration of new hires as the London team expands.

Quality, Culture & Continuous Improvement

Embed global QA standards, ensuring consistent quality across email, phone, and follow-up interactions.

Identify performance gaps and introduce structured interventions to drive improvement, in partnership with QA teams.

Champion a cohesive culture across London and wider EMEA teams, strengthening engagement and alignment with UBS values.

Contribute to refinement of processes ahead of upcoming digital transformation initiatives (e.g., CRM and AI-enabled tools).

Build a feedback loop with team leaders and staff to assess morale, risks, and opportunities for team development.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

Work in close partnership with the Assistant Director (EMEA Student Success), Team Leaders, and peers across KL, BLR and Chengdu.

Collaborate with Client Success, Talent Acquisition, and QA to ensure team alignment with client and internal priorities.

Represent London in regional forums and support global transformation initiatives.

Reporting & Insight

Use dashboards, QA results, and operational data to identify trends and produce actionable insights.

Provide regular performance reporting to senior management and contribute to cycle reviews and forecast discussions.

Other

Any other duties that fall within the purpose and scope of the role.

This position may involve work outside of the standard business hours.

Key skills and experience

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience.

Experience working in student recruitment, international education, contact centre operations, or similar customer-focused environments where you’ve managed high volumes of enquiries and supported diverse stakeholders.

Proven leadership experience managing high-volume, student-facing or service-oriented teams.

Strong communication and stakeholder management skills, particularly with senior UK-based partners.

Ability to work in a hybrid environment and foster engagement across locations.

Proficiency in CRM systems, reporting dashboards, Microsoft Office, and digital communication tools.

Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage competing priorities under pressure.

High emotional intelligence, cultural awareness, and sound judgement.

Desirable Attributes

Experience working across regions or in multi-site operational environments.

Understanding of UK higher education landscape and international student recruitment.

Prior experience working with quality assurance frameworks.

Success Measures / Targets

Team consistently meets productivity, engagement, quality, and service delivery KPIs.

Strong operational continuity and reduced escalation risk for EMEA clients.

Enhanced collaboration and aligned delivery across KL/BLR/LON/Chengdu teams.

Positive feedback from clients and internal stakeholders.

Positive team engagement and collaboration demonstrated in a hybrid work setting.

Demonstrated leadership presence and visibility in EMEA client engagements and collaboration across EMEA regional teams.

Please note, if you don't meet all the criteria but believe you have the skills and passion to thrive in this role, we encourage you to apply.

So, who are we and what do we do?

QS is the world leader in higher education services, analytics, insights and intelligence. From consultancy to student mobility, academic partnerships to branding solutions, our services power both institutional and individual success.

We’re behind the world’s most widely read university rankings (Meltwater 2023). Our QS World University Rankings® reach hundreds of millions, shaping decisions and guiding futures.

Since launching in 1990, our impact and influence have only grown. Today, we work with more than 2,000 of the world’s leading higher education institutions, over 12,000 employers, and governments seeking change and socioeconomic development through higher education.

Join QS and you’ll join an 800-strong community of problem-solvers, creators, collaborators and change-makers based in 40+ countries and 11 international offices, including Australia, Malaysia, India, Romania, Singapore, France, Germany, the USA and our headquarters in London.

With every talented new hire, business acquisition and bold initiative, we’re strengthening our reach and delivering even greater value to institutions and learners worldwide. Are you ready to shape the future of higher education?

We take investing in our people very seriously.

As standard you will have:

Competitive base salary

Access to an annual bonus scheme (for qualifying roles only)

25 days annual leave, plus bank holidays – increasing to 27 days after 5 years’

Access to a Buy Holiday scheme allowing you to buy up to 5 additional holiday days per year

Enhanced maternity and paternity leave

Generous pension through Royal London

Comprehensive private medical insurance and wellness scheme through Vitality

Access to QSmiles – a discount scheme that actually makes a significant difference

Cycle to work scheme

A vibrant social environment and multicultural and multinational culture

But that’s not all. Outside of these standard benefits we also offer resources to allow professional growth and wellness initiatives to nurture a healthy mindset:

Free subscription to the Calm App – the #1 app for sleep, meditation, and relaxation

A focus on welfare which is led by our global wellness team, with mental health first aiders globally

Access to a variety of diversity and inclusion initiatives and groups

Strong recognition and reward programs – including a peer-to-peer recognition platform, quarterly and annual QS Applaud Awards, Connect with your Career annual PD event

Support for volunteering and study leave

Free subscription to LinkedIn learning – with over 5000 courses and programmes at your fingertips

Options to join our outstanding global Mentorship programme    

Like what you’ve heard? Great, apply now!

As a candidate, we know the application and interview process can be daunting and so it’s important that you have a great experience with us. Our dedicated Talent Team will work hard to ensure you are fully informed at all stages and you are really excited by this opportunity to do meaningful work in the education space.

Equal opportunities

QS Quacquarelli Symonds is proud to be a fair and equal organisation where everyone has the same opportunity to achieve their full potential, irrespective of their background or personal attributes. We celebrate our diversity and believe through sharing our experiences we can learn from one another, be stronger together, and enable our business to thrive. 

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