Your Role:
As the Senior Vice President of Regional Operations is a key executive leader responsible for the strategic, commercial, and operational performance of a major global region. This role holds full P&L accountability for Europe Region (excl Spain), ensuring sustainable growth, operational excellence, and long‑term competitiveness.
Acting as the principal deputy to the Chief Global Operations Officer (CGOO), the SVP assumes full executive authority for global operations in the CGOO’s absence and represents the organisation in high‑level internal and external forums. The SVP ensures that regional strategies, academic programs, and operational delivery align with CEA CAPA’s mission, meet partner expectations, and deliver exceptional student outcomes.
The role leads a regional leadership team, fostering a commercially astute, operational excellence focused culture that balances growth, quality, compliance, and financial discipline across all jurisdictions, to ensure that the student onsite experience is of the highest standard.
What You’ll Do:
Strategic & Commercial Leadership
-
Set the long‑term strategic direction for the region in alignment with CEA CAPA’s global objectives.
-
Hold full P&L ownership, driving revenue growth, margin optimisation, and disciplined cost management.
-
Lead a commercially minded, business‑focused operating model, ensuring decisions are grounded in data, market intelligence, and enterprise priorities.
-
Deputise for the Chief Global Operations Officer, representing global operations in executive forums, board‑level discussions, and cross‑functional initiatives.
-
Drive regional strategic planning, including market expansion, new location feasibility assessments, and investment prioritisation.
-
Champion global initiatives across the region, ensuring consistent implementation and alignment with enterprise standards.
-
Represent CEA CAPA (beyond the region) in U.S. partner‑facing engagements, strengthening institutional relationships and organisational reputation.
Executive Regional Leadership
-
Build, lead, and develop a high‑performing senior leadership team through inclusive recruitment, succession planning, and targeted development.
-
Establish workforce strategies that support regional growth, operational resilience, and long‑term talent sustainability.
-
Provide executive coaching to regional leaders, fostering agility, accountability, and a culture of continuous improvement.
-
Oversee crisis management and major student‑related escalations, ensuring coordinated, timely, and risk‑aware responses.
-
Maintain strong communication channels across international sites and the Global Support Office, ensuring alignment and transparency.
Stakeholder management
-
To effectively work across a cross functional group of key stakeholders in order to support increased efficiency, operational delivery and student satisfaction.
-
Key global operations stakeholders being – regional leaders, finance director, commercial director.
-
Cross functional stakeholders – Academics, Program Delivery, H&S, legal & compliance, finance, people operations, etc.
-
Lead key projects representing Europe region and the wider global operations function as appropriate.
Regional Program & Academic Oversight
-
Ensure all regional programming meets the highest standards of academic quality, accreditation requirements, and student experience expectations.
-
Partner with Global Academic Affairs to shape curriculum innovation and continuous improvement, ensuring relevance, rigor, and global alignment.
-
Oversee the regional continuous improvement process, using evaluations, observations, and stakeholder feedback to drive enhancements.
-
Provide executive oversight of KPIs/OKRs for regional directors, ensuring performance targets are met and improvement plans executed.
-
Lead escalated forecasting, capacity planning, and scenario modelling to support organisational decision‑making.
Operational Excellence & Risk Management
-
Ensure the efficient, compliant, and high‑quality operation of all study centers and partner locations.
-
Oversee regional implementation of global operational, financial, and administrative initiatives.
-
Identify operational risks and lead the development of mitigation strategies across safety, compliance, legal, and reputational domains.
-
Provide executive oversight of vendor management, particularly multi‑jurisdictional relationships critical to operational delivery.
-
Lead regional budget creation and management, ensuring optimal allocation of resources and strong financial stewardship.
-
Present at quarterly regional reviews, delivering executive‑level reporting on compliance, financial performance, workforce trends, and risk exposure.
Partnership & External Relations
-
Build and maintain strategic relationships with universities, accreditation bodies, local partners, and key stakeholders.
-
Negotiate high‑value agreements that strengthen CEA CAPA’s market position and deliver mutual benefit.
-
Represent the organisation at major conferences, industry events, and partner engagements.
-
Oversee site visit preparation and ensure visits deliver measurable return on investment.
Quality Assurance, Compliance & Governance
-
Lead the implementation of robust quality assurance frameworks across the region.
-
Ensure full compliance with internal policies, accreditation standards, and local legislation, proactively assessing the impact of regulatory changes.
-
Oversee regional audits and ensure timely execution of corrective action plans.
-
Serve as a named signatory for legal entities and act as regional liaison for legal, tax, and labour matters.
-
Provide executive oversight of facilities strategy and regional budget governance.
What Makes a Great Candidate:
-
Master’s degree or equivalent preferred.
-
Fluency in English and at least one language spoken in the region.
-
Minimum 15 years of experience in international education or related fields.
-
Demonstrated success leading large, diverse, multi‑jurisdictional teams.
-
Business development and global/regional growth focus.
-
A finance background and a deep understanding of cost levers and how to optimise profit.
-
Experience living or working abroad, with strong knowledge of regional culture, business practices, and academic environments.
Person Specification
-
Strategic, forward‑thinking planner with strong commercial acumen.
-
Demonstrates a customer‑centric approach and commitment to high‑quality student experiences.
-
Proven ability to lead complex, multi‑jurisdictional operations with full P&L accountability.
-
Empathetic, inspirational, and inclusive leadership style.
-
Skilled communicator, negotiator, and relationship‑builder.
-
Politically savvy, resilient, and adaptable in a rapidly changing environment.
-
Creative problem‑solver with strong decision‑making capability.
-
Operates with urgency, resourcefulness, and a focus on impact.
-
Embodies CEA CAPA values: curiosity, empowerment, inclusivity, collaboration, and integrity.
We believe great talent comes in many forms and that there is no one size fits all in hiring. If you feel you may be a great fit for this role but do not check all of the boxes, we encourage you to apply and show us why you're the right candidate for this position.
Who We Are:
CEA CAPA is a premier provider of transformative international education experiences, committed to empowering students to become thoughtful and thriving leaders through living and learning abroad. With a presence in 62 cities across 22 countries in Europe, Latin America, Asia, and Australia, we offer comprehensive study abroad and career readiness programs that integrate academic excellence and cultural immersion. Our global footprint includes 11 international study centers, and we proudly support over 10,000 students annually in partnership with more than 375 U.S. universities and over 50 international institutions. CEA CAPA is in a dynamic phase of growth and is powered by a global team of nearly 700 professionals who are deeply mission-driven and committed to creating inclusive, supportive and enriching environments that help students grow academically, personally and professionally.
Our commitment to creating a sense of belonging means we welcome individuals of all abilities, ages, citizenships, educations, ethnicities, family statuses, gender identities, genders, genetic information, languages, marital status, military experiences, political views, pregnancy, races, religions, sexes, sexual orientations, socioeconomic statuses, and work experiences and therefore we encourage applicants from diverse lived experiences to apply.
Note: This role profile is intended to provide an overview of the key responsibilities and qualifications for the position. It is not exhaustive, and the role holder may be required to undertake additional tasks and duties, as necessary and in line with evolving business needs. Any proposed permanent modifications to this role profile will be made in consultation with role incumbents, and relevant stakeholders in accordance with applicable policies and legislative requirements.
