Associate Director Online Masters

Introduction

At Rotterdam School of Management BV, Erasmus University (RSM BV), we empower individuals to excel in an ever-evolving global business environment through our Executive Education, MBA, Online Masters and leadership development programmes. In 2025 we will launch 2 new online master programmes and we are looking for an Associate Director who will be leading these programmes from a business and operational  point of view and will manage the programme management team. As these programmes are new, the Associate Director will be a key person in setting up the structure for the online programmes and, in collaboration with the other stakeholders, make sure they can be launched successfully. The Associate Director works closely with the Academic Directors of the Online Masters and shares responsibility for all aspects of programme success. These aspects include student satisfaction, mission alignment (impact), financial performance, and programme reputation. 

Job description

The Associate Director of Online Masters at RSM BV will perform two key functions. First, the role is to establish, shape, and operate RSM’s new online business as a profitable centre  in a successful way – ensuring impact, reputation and financial viability. 

Secondly, the role holder will represent the operational interests of RSM in discussions with current and future academic partners involved in online programme delivery. This part of the role focuses on commercial, customer, and operational aspects, ensuring that all operational design and delivery details are agreed upon with partners, and that the university’s resource commitments and cost recovery are clearly understood.

The role will provide the commercial and operational guidance necessary for the EUR faculties to design, launch, and manage the fully online post-experience masters. The successful candidate provides support to achieve commercial objectives, as well as manage the student experience through to successful completion. This includes setting up the team and operating procedures to start the programme successfully – and to take ownership of recruiting the right (amount of) students so we can start effectively. 

The ideal candidate brings a commercial perspective to launching the Online Masters - focusing on the right positioning of the programme in the global market, finding commercial opportunities in recruitment for these programmes and exploring commercial spin-offs and spin-outs. This role will also involve overseeing the relationship with the internal and external partners along the value chain, to ensure the delivery of effective services to online students, to ensure the best possible student journey and to promote continuous improvements to the programme, aligned with financial goals of the programmes.

The position will oversee a team that offers services in programme management, commercial operations and student support. They will manage their own profit and loss (P&L) and fully administer the delivery of post-experience online programmes including based on their annual operating plan, which includes a financial budget. The Associate Director works together with other Associate Directors (MBA degrees and Open/Customised Programmes) to create synergies and align operations. 

Responsibilities include:

• Partnership management: ensure that RSM BV and its partners meet their contractual obligations regarding commercial operations, academic quality, progression, and student numbers.
• Setting up programme operations in such a way that it is both scalable and can benefit from processes and best practices in other programmes.
• Ensuring that all online programs adhere to RSM’s high-quality standards to maintain parity with on-campus offerings.
• Developing and implementing policies and procedures to ensure that the student experience is equally high-quality in both online and on-campus programs.
• Ensuring sufficient academic and pastoral support staff are in place to meet current and future demands based on student enrolment.
• Providing leadership to foster effective collaboration between professional services departments and academic staff. 
• In the start-up phase: supervising commercial operations (marketing and recruitment) ensuring profitability of the programmes through achieving the established enrolment targets. 
   

Job requirements

To be successful in this position, you will need to have the following knowledge, expertise or skills. 

•    MSc or MBA degree
•    Preferably a minimum of five years of experience in a similar position in an international academic environment
•    At least five years' experience in leading international teams in a dynamic and demanding environment
•    Project management skills
•    Proven experience in complex stakeholder management
•    Excellent communication and presentation skills in English, including public speaking
•    Excellent organizational skills
•    Commercial and online experience
•    Flexible orientation and willingness to work outside normal working hours when the programme requires
•    Ability to work with a culturally diverse body of student, faculty and staff

Employment conditions and benefits

We offer an ambitious, international and dynamic environment, in which we compete with the top business schools in Europe. You will be part of a close, innovation-driven team on a vibrant university campus. Your ambition and personal drive will be greatly valued and we invest in personal development. We make sure you feel good about yourself, that you enjoy your work and that you grow in your profession. 

You will also get:

• A salary between € 4500 – € 5500  gross per month on fulltime basis (ex. 8% holiday allowance), based on your education, knowledge and work experience.
• 25 holidays and 12 ADV days.
• Variable end of year performance bonus.
• Travel cost reimbursement (the possibility to travel with NS business card)
• Discount on membership of Erasmus Sport.  
• Access to online learning platform GoodHabitz and wellbeing platform OpenUp.
• Regular fun work events and drinks. 
• Participation in our collective pension scheme: premium full paid by RSM, voluntary employee contribution is optional.

Employer

Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University Rotterdam (RSM BV) is one of Europe’s most international and innovative business schools. Its primary focus is to develop business leaders with international careers who can become a force for positive change by carrying their innovative mindset into a sustainable future. RSM BV is privately funded and provides a first-class portfolio of bachelor, master, MBA, PhD and executive programmes with an international team of 100 staff working from the university campus in Rotterdam.

RSM BV offers an environment where the staff is encouraged to embrace change as a challenge in helping the organisation reaching its goals and those of its students. The working atmosphere at RSM BV is informal and communication lines are short. Being an independent and commercial company within the Erasmus University, the situation of RSM BV is sometimes complex and challenging. At the same time the company itself it small enough to maintain personal contacts and be able to have an overview of what’s going on throughout the organisation. The environment is culturally diverse and very international.

RSM BV is located in a pleasant and relatively small office, based at the Erasmus University campus in Rotterdam. It’s a lively environment, with students, staff and different companies and restaurants. The office is easy to reach by public transport as well as by car.

RSM BV is an equal opportunity employer and explicitly encourages applications from candidates of all genders, ethnicities and nationalities. RSM BV values internal mobility; therefore internal candidates are strongly encouraged to apply. For more information, please visit the RSM BV website: www.rsm.nl</p

Department

The Associate Director Online Masters will set up a team of professionals taking care of all operations that need to be in place to run the programme smoothly and improve it on an ongoing basis.

Next to managing their own team, the Associate Director Online Masters is also part of a team with other Associate Directors (for MBA and Executive Education programmes) in the Delivery & Execution department of RSM BV. In total the Delivery and Execution department consists of 30 staff members.

Additional information

We are looking for a candidate that lives maximum 50 kilometres from Rotterdam. RSM BV has a hybrid working set-up where we expect you to be in the office the majority of the week.

Would you first like to learn more about the position or about RSM BV? Please contact Ms Saskia Piercy, HR Advisor at RSM BV via recruitment@rsm.nl

Timeline

This full hiring process will exist out of two interview rounds. After the first round, you will be notified if you’re through to the second interview round.

Application deadline:     30 November 2024

1st round interviews:       between 2 and 6 December

2nd round interviews:      between 9 and 13 December

Expected start date:        February 2025

Applying

If you see yourself as a person who thrives by working in a innovating, stimulating, international and growing environment and you recognize yourself as a qualified candidate for this vacancy, please click on the application button on this page and send your CV and covering letter (in English) to Ms Saskia Piercy, HR Advisor, Rotterdam School of Management BV, Erasmus University.