Head, Department of Intelligent Operations and Marketing

POSITION OVERVIEW

School: International Business School Suzhou (IBSS)

Academic Title: Professor

Location: Suzhou, SIP Campus

Contract Type: Fixed-term, 3-year renewable. 3^rd contract is open-ended

ABOUT XJTLU

In 2006 Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU) was created by the University of Liverpool and Xi’an Jiaotong University – a top ten university in China. Offering a unique international education experience, XJTLU brings together excellent research practice and expertise from both institutions and gives students the skills and knowledge they need to secure careers in a global marketplace. XJTLU has over 25,000 currently enrolled students and about 2,400 academic and support staff. About a third of the faculty are non-Chinese and the language of instruction is English. XJTLU offers our undergraduates and postgraduates over 100 programmes with a diverse spectrum of courses.

As a pioneer in higher education innovation, XJTLU pro-actively embraces the transformative potential of artificial intelligence (AI) to fulfill its mission of innovative education, and to reshape the future education paradigm. The university’s strategic framework rests on the integration of AI into teaching, scientific research, management and social services. Through AI empowerment, the university aims to enhance the experience of students and employees, enable research and innovation, and enhance its global reputation.

With a focus on innovative learning, teaching, and research, XJTLU draws on the strengths of its parent universities, and plays a pivotal role in facilitating access to China for UK and other institutional partners. At same time, XJTLU is exploring future education by blending the educational theory, best practice and culture from west and east.

For detailed information about the university, please visit www.xjtlu.edu.cn.

LOCATION

XJTLU is located in the Higher Education Town of Suzhou’s Industrial Park (SIP). Suzhou is a 2-hour drive west of Shanghai. The city is well-connected via nearby airports (Shanghai, Wuxi, and Hangzhou) to cities such as Hong Kong, Seoul, Tokyo, and Taipei, and via high-speed rail to most major cities in China.

Suzhou has a long history of being an educational center of China. And the Suzhou Industrial Park (SIP), with its abundance of research and development opportunities, is a regional hub of innovative change and home to over 120 of 3 the Fortune 500 Companies. Greater Suzhou represents the fourth largest concentration of economic activity in China in terms of GDP, with a GDP per capita exceeding that of the UK.

Suzhou encompasses the spirit of both old and new in China, with the historic old town’s canals, UNESCO World Heritage Site gardens, and many museums attracting millions of tourists annually. SIP offers an excellent quality of life with high environmental standards. The nearby Jinji Lake provides attractive views, by day and by night, and there is a variety of shopping facilities, international and local restaurants, entertainment hubs and nightlife. Suzhou is also home to several international schools. Suzhou has been ranked as one of Asia’s Top 50 Most Livable Cities (2024 – 2025).  

ABOUT INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS SCHOOL SUZHOU (IBSS)

International Business School Suzhou (IBSS) at Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University is growing in size and influence in pursuit of its vision to be a leading international business school. The school is based on strong principles of internationalism, innovation, inspiration and integrity, which together ensure a positive impact on society through our teaching, research and business engagement. In that pursuit, IBSS became the youngest “triple crown” business school, accredited by AACSB (2016), EQUIS (2018), and AMBA/BGA (2020).

The five departments of IBSS are Accounting, Economics, Finance, Intelligent Operations and Marketing, and Strategic Management and Organizations with over 180 faculty members and more than 6,000 students from over 60 different countries. IBSS delivers a range of undergraduate, postgraduate, IMBA, PhD and Executive Education programmes across all major business disciplines.

The department of IOM, which encompasses the fields of Operations Management, Information Management, Marketing, and Project Management, became an independent academic unit in 2020, as a result of splitting the original Department of Management. At present, the IOM department has a strong team of 37 academic staff and 12 Ph.D. students, publishing in top journals, such as Production and Operations Management, Journal of Operations Management, MIS Quarterly, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, British Journal of Management, European Journal of Operational Research, Journal of Service Research, International Journal of Information Management, International Journal of Production Economics, and Decision Support Systems. Members of the department teach undergraduate students in marketing, business administration, and information management and information system programmes as well as postgraduate students in Management MRes, MSc Operations and Supply Chain Management, MSc Project Management, as well as MSc Management or the IMBA.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Supporting its rapid expansion, IBSS now seeks to appoint a Head for the IOM department to join the business school’s leadership team. This is an exciting opportunity for a senior academic and established researcher to become part of a young, fast-growing, and internationally recognized institution situated in the heart of one of China’s most innovative and entrepreneurial economic areas.

IBSS offers a truly research-conducive environment, a low teaching load, and a range of research support opportunities. Research activities include the publication of research articles, the development of external grant applications, and the presentation of scholarly work at international conferences. Research performance in the business school is benchmarked on internationally recognized lists of journal quality such as the Academic Journal Guide (UK) – a.k.a. the ABS list – and the ABDC list (AUS). The target levels on those lists are ABS3/ABDC-A and above.

Areas of responsibilities: (1) Strategic leadership and management; (2) Academic leadership; (3) Managing people and resources. The Head of Department is responsible for the strategic planning of the department, formulates academic direction, and provides operational oversight to the department. He/she will oversee the quality assurance process of teaching and assessment, provide faculty development guidance and assess performance criteria as well as direct the department’s external engagement. The Head of Department also assumes budgetary responsibilities.

PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES:

The successful applicant is expected to possess:

• A motivational leadership style,
• A solid wide range of managerial skills, and
• Good interpersonal and communication skills.

ESSENTIAL QUALIFICATIONS/EXPERIENCE:

The successful applicant to the position is expected to have:

• A PhD degree in Information Systems, Marketing, Supply Chain Management, or a related field,
• Administrative experience, e.g., as Programme Director, Department Head, or Associate Dean,
• Ideally at least ten years of teaching/research experience in higher education,
• A significant record of academic publications in excellent international journals,
• Supervised PhD students to completion,
• A record of research funding acquisition, and
• Acquired the academic rank of Professor.

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS/EXPERIENCE:

The successful applicant to the position would also possess the following attributes:

• Curriculum design and programme development experience,
• Teaching and/or research interest in Information Systems, Marketing, Supply Chain Management, Project Management, and etc.
• Familiarity with new technologies, such as AI, that foster innovative teaching and learning, and
• A record of engagement with the corporate community and professional organizations.

CITIZENSHIP & VISA REGULATIONS

Employment at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University is regulated by Chinese Labour Laws, and must comply with the regulations of the provincial government. These regulations determine eligibility for legal employment with regard to obtaining work permits and visas. Please be advised candidates over 65 may be not eligible for a work visa in the P.R. China.

CAREER DEVELOPMENT

• Clear career development path with annual review.
• Professional development trainings are provided.

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

SALARY: Salary is competitive

BENEFITS

1. Allowance: XJTLU provide various month/annual/one-off allowances as, including: 

• Housing allowance
• Travel allowance
• Kids’ education allowance
• Relocation allowance
• Etc.

2. Commercial insurance: international insurance plans customized for XJTLU staff and family members (for details refer to the University Policy).

3. Paid holidays: 

• Statutory Holidays (11 days)
• Annual Leave (36 days)
• Family Matters Leave
• Paid Sick Leave
• Marriage Leave
• Paternity Leave
• Parental leave

4. Working visa and residence permit in China: XJTLU sponsors working visa and residence permit in China for the staff.

RESEARCH FUNDING SUPPORT

The university provides every new faculty member with a Research Development Fund to support initial research projects, and a Research Engagement Fund to fund continuous research activities.

The university also supports all faculty members to apply for national, province and city level programs. These programs aim to support excellent scientists, both Chinese and non-Chinese citizens, to work and carry out research in China.

Talent/Research Program/Fund

• Outstanding Youth Science Foundation Project (Overseas)/RMB 1-3 million
• Innovation Leading Talent/up to RMB 2 million
• Outstanding Leading Talent of International Discipline/50% of Annual Package
• Young Leading Talent of International Discipline/50% of Annual Package

HOW TO APPLY

Please submit your application on our university website. Applications must be submitted in a single pdf file that includes 3 parts in the order of:

• A cover letter,
• A current CV, including country of citizenship, and highest degree level, and
• Contact Details of three references

Informal enquiries may be addressed to HRBP of IBSS, Ms. Ye Lan at Ye.Lan@xjtlu.edu.cn. Please quote the position and job ID in your enquiry.

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