Business Development Executive

Working with us

Cognita is a global family of over 90 schools across 21 countries, with more than 100,000 students, 22,000 colleagues, 14 curricula and 9 languages of instruction. Our strength lies in our diversity. There is no single model of a Cognita school because education is inherently local. When families choose a school, they are making a deeply personal and community-based decision, and our schools reflect this.

What unites us is a shared ambition to deliver consistently high-quality education, alongside an exceptional experience for students and parents. We define this clearly through group-wide standards that articulate what “great” looks like, while allowing schools the freedom to express their local identity.

We have recently launched a new vision and strategic plan. It is ambitious and sets a clear direction for the years ahead.

Job Overview

Cognita is growing its centralised Sales Hub in Dubai, and we're looking for a Business Development Executive to support prospective families considering our schools in Asia. You'll be the trusted first point of contact for families and guide them from first enquiry through to application and enrolment, with a premium, personal experience at every step.

This is not a traditional admissions administrator role. It is a proactive, target-driven sales position for someone who thrives on pace, enjoys picking up the phone and takes real pride in converting genuine interest into secured enrolments.

You'll work closely with school-based Admissions, Parent Experience, Marketing and leadership teams, so families get one seamless journey whether they first speak to the Dubai Hub or to the school directly.

What you'll do
Sales and pipeline management

• Own the journey for prospective families from enquiry to application and enrolment
• Manage a high-volume pipeline across phone, email, WhatsApp and other channels
• Qualify families by understanding their relocation plans, educational needs, preferred start dates and decision-making criteria
• Hold consultative sales conversations that clearly communicate each school's value and what sets it apart
• Spot buying signals, handle objections and keep opportunities moving with a disciplined follow-up cadence
• Prioritise high-intent, time-sensitive enquiries and support outbound campaigns, including re-engaging historic enquiries and incomplete applications
• Consistently meet enrolment, conversion and activity targets

Parent experience

• Act as a trusted adviser, delivering a personalised, premium experience throughout the school search
• Communicate confidently with families from a wide range of cultural backgrounds
• Respond within agreed service levels and handle concerns calmly, taking ownership and escalating where appropriate
• Build strong knowledge of the schools you support so every conversation feels informed and authentic

School partnership and admissions journey

• Coordinate with school teams to arrange tours, virtual meetings, assessments and other admissions activity
• Ensure clear, timely handovers between the Sales Hub and schools
• Build strong relationships with school leadership, Admissions, Parent Experience and Marketing colleagues across Asia
• Support Open Days, events and recruitment activity, virtually or in person

CRM, data and continuous improvement

• Keep accurate, up-to-date records of every family interaction in the CRM
• Use dashboards and pipeline data to manage your performance and prioritise your activity
• Work to clear KPIs on response times, call activity, follow-up, pipeline progression, conversion and enrolments
• Share insight from parent conversations with schools and Marketing, and contribute ideas to help shape the Asia Sales Hub as it grows

About you
Essential

• Excellent written and spoken English
• Proven experience in sales, business development, admissions, account management or relationship management
• A strong track record of achieving commercial targets
• Significant customer service experience, ideally in a premium, high-touch environment
• Experience managing a sales pipeline in a CRM such as HubSpot, Salesforce or similar
• Confidence on the phone and comfort handling a high volume of calls and follow-ups
• Strong written communication across email and digital channels
• Highly organised, able to manage multiple families and priorities at once
• Culturally aware, with confidence engaging international families
• Ability to work independently while collaborating with teams across different locations
• Flexibility to work early shifts, typically starting between 4:00am and 8:00am UAE time, to cover Singapore and wider Asian operating hours

Desirable

• Fluency in Mandarin or Vietnamese
• Experience in international schools or education admissions
• Knowledge of the Singapore or wider Asian education market

You must be…

• A self-starter with energy, pace and genuine commercial drive
• Proactive and persistent, while staying consultative and professional
• Motivated by targets and by seeing enquiries convert into enrolments
• Resilient, solutions-focused and ready to take ownership
• Detail-oriented, especially with CRM and pipeline data
• Collaborative and able to build credibility with school and regional stakeholders
• A "go-getter" who treats every enquiry as an opportunity

Please note: this role supports Asian markets from Dubai, so early starts are an essential requirement. Some weekend working, school events and international travel may also be required.

Cognita is committed to safeguarding the welfare of children and young people and expects the same from its employees. All new staff will be subject to detailed and enhanced pre-employment clearance, including identity checks, criminal background checks for all countries lived in, qualification checks, employment checks to include an exploration of any gaps in employment, and satisfactory reference checks for all employment in the last 10 years.