THE OPPORTUNITY
Auckland International Campus (AIC) is entering its next phase of growth and operational maturity as it strengthens its position as a leading provider of high-quality international education in New Zealand.
The Deputy Chief Executive – Operations plays a critical role in ensuring the campus operates as a high-performing, commercially sustainable and learner-centred education business. Reporting directly to the Chief Executive, this role combines strategic leadership with hands-on operational oversight, ensuring campus operations and student services operate efficiently, productively and at scale while supporting sustainable growth and strong learner outcomes.
This is a role for a leader who is equally comfortable shaping strategic direction and rolling up their sleeves to ensure operational delivery. The successful candidate will bring strong commercial and financial acumen, with the ability to improve productivity, strengthen operational processes. This includes improving operational productivity, strengthening service delivery models and ensuring the campus operates with strong financial discipline and commercial awareness.
Working closely with the Chief Executive and leadership team, the DCE will help drive a 5–10 year vision for the campus, ensuring AIC continues to deliver high-quality education while evolving its business model to remain competitive in the international education market.
The role offers an opportunity for an ambitious executive who sees this position as a significant step toward future Chief Executive leadership, and who is motivated to build capability, deliver measurable results, and contribute to the continued success of AIC.
THE ROLE
The Deputy Chief Executive – Operations is responsible for overseeing the campus’s operational functions, ensuring high levels of learner satisfaction, strong learner outcomes, efficient campus operations, and sound financial performance.
The role has oversight across operational functions, student services and campus performance, ensuring systems, processes and people operate effectively to support learner success and organisational sustainability.
Key responsibilities include:
THE CANDIDATE
The successful candidate will be a highly capable operational leader with a strong education sector foundation and commercial mindset.
They will bring experience operating in complex, performance-driven environments and be comfortable leading complex operational environments, improving productivity and service delivery while maintaining strong educational outcomes.
Importantly, this role requires someone who is hands-on, curious and operationally engaged, a leader who enjoys understanding how organisations work in practice and who works alongside teams to solve problems and deliver results.
The ideal candidate will bring:
For a confidential discussion, please get in touch with:
David Price
National Manager, New Zealand
M. +64 (0)21 0239 2211 | E. dprice@hardygroupintl.com
The closing date for applications is Tuesday, 31 March 2026
The reference number to include in your application is H25_5346.