Senior Program Officer supporting Cleveland State University, USA

Grok Global Services is hiring for a Senior Program Officer to support Cleveland State University.

Location: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

About Cleveland State University

Cleveland State University is a public research university located in the heart of downtown Cleveland, Ohio. Founded in 1964, CSU serves approximately 14,000 students across eight colleges and schools and offers more than 175 academic programs. Known for its engaged learning model, CSU connects students with real-world experience through internships, co-ops, research, and partnerships with major organizations including Cleveland Clinic, NASA Glenn Research Center, and leading regional employers. For international students, CSU offers a strong combination of academic breadth, career preparation, affordability, student support, and access to a vibrant U.S. city.

About the Role
Reporting to Cleveland State University (CSU)’s Director of International Recruitment, and supported by Grok’s regional leadership and Relationship Coordinator, the Senior Program Officer will deliver CSU’s student recruitment, partner engagement, and market development activities across the Region.
The role will strengthen CSU’s visibility and recruitment outcomes through agent and partner engagement, prospective student follow-up, offer-holder conversion, market intelligence, and in-market recruitment activity. The position will focus primarily on building sustainable pipelines for CSU’s undergraduate and graduate programs.
The Senior Program Officer will operate under CSU’s direction and within Grok’s Program Office framework, helping CSU expand its in-market presence while ensuring strong execution, local insight, and timely reporting.

Region : Southeast Asia, including Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, etc.

Reports to : CSU - Director of International Recruitment, with support from Grok Global Services’ Southeast Asia leadership and CSU’s Grok Relationship Coordinator.

Key Responsibilities:
Student Recruitment & Pipeline Execution

- Manage student recruitment activity across the Region to support CSU’s enrollment goals.

- Support recruitment for CSU’s undergraduate and graduate degree programs across priority academic schools.

- Provide accurate guidance to prospective students, parents, counselors, agents, and partners regarding CSU programs, admissions requirements, application processes, and student experience.

- Conduct prospective student and applicant follow-up in local time zones to support application completion, offer-holder conversion, financial document submission, visa preparation, and pre-arrival planning.

- Support conversion and yield activities in collaboration with CSU admissions and other campus teams.

- Identify incomplete applications or missing documentation and conduct appropriate follow-up to encourage completion.

- Use CSU systems and agreed reporting tools to monitor student pipelines, application progress, and enrollment outcomes.

Agent & Partner Engagement

- Build, strengthen, and manage relationships with agents, counselors, schools, feeder institutions, and other recruitment partners across the Region.

- Deliver agent training, updates, and engagement activities to ensure accurate knowledge of CSU programs, admissions processes, student support, and key value propositions.

- Support CSU’s engagement with institutional partners, high schools, EducationUSA offices, U.S. Embassy and Consulate events, and other relevant organizations.

- Monitor and report on partner and agent activity, performance, and market feedback.

- Identify strategically important partners and recruitment channels across the Region.

- Represent CSU professionally in recruitment and partner-facing settings, while operating within CSU’s direction and Grok’s in-country support model.

Marketing & Events Execution

- Plan and deliver recruitment activities including agent visits, school visits, fairs, workshops, information sessions, and yield events.

- Support localized outreach designed to increase awareness of CSU and generate qualified student interest.

- Collaborate with CSU’s marketing and recruitment teams on Region-specific messaging, campaigns, and promotional materials.

- Use digital and social media platforms, as appropriate, to support CSU’s visibility and student engagement.

- Identify opportunities to engage current CSU students, alumni, parents, or other community members from the Region.

- Recommend high-impact recruitment and marketing activities based on local market conditions, student behavior, and partner feedback.

Market Intelligence & Reporting

- Gather and analyze market data on student mobility trends, competitor activity, program demand, pricing, scholarships, visa conditions, and student preferences.

- Provide timely market intelligence to CSU and Grok to inform recruitment planning and strategy.

- Identify CSU programs with strong potential traction in the Region and support relevant positioning.

- Contribute to annual planning around recruitment targets, travel plans, budgets, and market development opportunities.

- Provide regular updates on student interest, student contacts, applications in progress, partner activity, and market conditions.

- Prepare reports, meeting notes, and other updates as required by CSU and Grok.

Alignment with WPI’s Global Recruitment Strategy

- Ensure in-market activity supports CSU’s broader international recruitment and enrollment strategy.

- Work collaboratively with CSU units, which may include administrative and academic units.

- Support CSU’s efforts to grow its international student body through recruitment in new and developing markets.

- Contribute to ROI-focused recruitment outcomes by operating within agreed budgets and providing clear activity and performance updates.

- Implement CSU-defined recruitment priorities, scholarship messaging, program launches, and conversion initiatives within the Region.

- Advise CSU on opportunities to improve recruitment processes, communication, application completion, and offer-holder conversion.

The Most Suitable Background

Education & Qualifications:

- Bachelor’s degree required.

- Study or work experience in the United States preferred.

- Additional training in international education, student recruitment, marketing, business development, or a related field desirable.

Experience:

- 4–7+ years of relevant experience in international education, student recruitment, admissions, sales, marketing, or business development.

- Experience supporting U.S. universities with recruitment in Southeast Asia strongly preferred.

- Proven experience managing student pipelines and supporting application growth and yield.

- Demonstrated experience building relationships with agents, schools, counselors, feeder institutions, or recruitment partners.

- Experience delivering recruitment events, student presentations, partner trainings, and market visits.

- Evidence of meeting or contributing to recruitment, enrollment, sales, or growth targets.

- Experience working independently in market while coordinating with international stakeholders across time zones.

- Experience with both undergraduate and graduate recruitment, including STEM- and non STEM-focused programs, highly desirable.

Skills & Attributes:

- Fluency in English, with excellent written and verbal communication skills.

- Ability to write clear emails, reports, and market updates in English.

- Strong relationship management skills across agents, students, parents, counselors, institutional partners, and university stakeholders.

- Ability to communicate program value clearly and confidently.

- Strong organizational and multitasking skills, including the ability to manage travel, events, reporting, and student follow-up.

- Professional judgment and ability to represent CSU appropriately in the Region.

- Results-driven, proactive, detail-oriented, and comfortable working toward recruitment and enrollment goals.

- Ability to analyze market information and translate insight into practical recruitment recommendations.

- Self-motivated, resilient, and comfortable working independently while remaining closely connected to WPI and Grok teams.

- Existing network of agent, counselor, school, or institutional contacts in the Region preferred.

Other Requirements:

- Based in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

- Ability and willingness to travel within the Region; significant travel is anticipated, approximately 30–40% depending on recruitment cycles and CSU priorities.

- Willingness to work occasional evenings, weekends, and traditional holiday periods to support recruitment activity, student follow-up, events, and meetings across time zones.

- Ability to use CSU systems, CRM tools, reporting platforms, and other technology required for recruitment, communication, and pipeline tracking.

About Grok Global Services

Founded in 2005, Grok Global Services is a best-in-class provider of international engagement services for higher education institutions. By joining our team, you will be working in a supportive environment full of like-minded professionals, each committed to advancing the internationalisation of higher education institutions from around the world.

A pioneer of in-country staffing in the international education sector, Grok remains at the forefront of this model and currently delivers this service across Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and the Americas. The company also boasts industry-leading divisions in digital marketing and strategic consulting.