Professor/Programme Director of IMBA

Xi'an Jiaotong - Liverpool University – Department of Strategic Management and Organisations

Position Overview

School: International Business School Suzhou, Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

Department: Department of Strategic Management and Organisations, or another IBSS department depending on disciplinary fit

Position: Professor or Professor of Practice in a field relevant to business studies, with appointment as Programme Director of the International MBA for Executives

Track: Research Track or Practice Track

Rank: Full Professor

Location: Suzhou, China

Contract Type: Fixed-term, renewable. Third contract is open-ended.

About XJTLU

In 2006, Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU) was founded by a partnership between the University of Liverpool, UK, and Xi’an Jiaotong University, 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 now has over 25,000 enrolled students studying in both Suzhou and Liverpool in the UK. There are currently about 2,500 staff, including more than 1,300 academic staff from over 60 countries. XJTLU offers our undergraduates and postgraduates over 120 programmes with a diverse spectrum of courses.

With a focus on innovative education 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 the same time, XJTLU is exploring future education by blending the educational theory, best practice and culture from the West and the East.

The current year marks the 20th anniversary of XJTLU. As part of its strategic priorities for the coming decade, the university is entering a new and exciting phase of development. XJTLU continues to innovate in education models, and is now transitioning from a collection of distinct approaches toward a unified, integrated Academy model – a syntegrative ecosystem designed to break down silos, enhance agility, and solidify XJTLU’s position at the forefront of global education and research.

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

Location

XJTLU is located in Suzhou Industrial Park, one of China’s most dynamic centres of innovation, advanced manufacturing, research and development, and international business. Suzhou is approximately two hours by car from Shanghai and is well connected to major cities in China and across Asia through nearby airports and high-speed rail.

Suzhou combines deep cultural heritage with a highly developed modern economy. Its historic old town, canals, UNESCO World Heritage gardens, museums, and cultural sites sit alongside one of China’s most successful industrial and innovation ecosystems.

Suzhou Industrial Park is home to a large number of multinational companies, research institutions, technology firms, and professional service organisations. This makes it an exceptional environment for a business school committed to academic excellence, executive education, applied research, and meaningful engagement with practice.

The city also offers a high quality of life, with international schools, modern housing, strong public infrastructure, restaurants, shopping, cultural venues, and recreational facilities around Jinji Lake and across the wider Suzhou area.

International Business School Suzhou

International Business School Suzhou is the business school of Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University. Located in Suzhou Industrial Park, IBSS occupies a distinctive position at the intersection of international higher education, Chinese economic development, and the evolving needs of business and society.

IBSS is the youngest business schools in the world to have achieved Triple Crown accreditation from AACSB, EQUIS, and AMBA. This reflects the School’s commitment to international quality standards, responsible management education, impactful research, and engagement with the business community.

The School is organised into five academic departments: Accounting, Economics, Finance, Intelligent Operations and Marketing, and Strategic Management and Organisations. It has over 180 faculty members and more than 6,000 students from over 60 countries. IBSS delivers undergraduate, postgraduate, doctoral, International MBA, and executive education programmes across major fields of business and management.

IBSS’s mission is grounded in the idea of bridging East and West. The School prepares Chinese students to operate confidently in international business environments and prepares international students and executives to understand China and the wider region. This dual orientation gives IBSS a particular responsibility: to produce knowledge, graduates, and executive learning experiences that are academically rigorous, internationally informed, and practically relevant.

At this stage of its development, IBSS is also rethinking what business education should become in the age of artificial intelligence, geopolitical uncertainty, technological transformation, and changing expectations from students and employers. The School is therefore seeking senior academic leaders who can help shape not only individual programmes, but also the future direction of business education itself.

The International MBA for Executives

The International MBA at IBSS is an executive-facing, part-time programme designed for experienced managers, entrepreneurs, and professionals. It is, in essence, an EMBA-style programme, bringing together mature learners who are seeking to deepen their strategic judgement, strengthen their leadership capabilities, and broaden their understanding of business in China and the world.

The programme leads to a University of Liverpool degree and is delivered by IBSS in Suzhou. It combines international academic standards with the distinctive business environment of the Yangtze River Delta, one of the most economically dynamic regions in China.

Unlike a pre-experience master’s programme, the International MBA for Executives is designed around participants who already bring substantial professional and managerial experience into the classroom. Its value therefore depends not only on the quality of individual modules, but also on the intellectual coherence of the programme, the quality of cohort interaction, the relevance of learning to executive practice, and the capacity of the programme to connect academic insight with real organisational challenges.

The next stage of development for the programme requires leadership that is both academically credible and externally engaged. IBSS is looking for a senior colleague who can strengthen the programme’s positioning, deepen its intellectual identity, enhance its executive relevance, and build stronger connections with alumni, corporate partners, entrepreneurs, and the wider business community.

Role Purpose

IBSS seeks to appoint a Professor or Professor of Practice who will also serve as Programme Director of the International MBA for Executives.

The successful candidate will provide intellectual, academic, and market-facing leadership for one of the School’s most important executive-facing degree programmes. The role is not limited to operational programme management. It requires someone who can articulate what an executive MBA experience should mean in the current business environment, how senior professionals learn, and how a business school located in China but internationally oriented can offer a distinctive programme for executives.

The Programme Director will work across departments and with professional services colleagues to ensure that the International MBA is academically robust, professionally meaningful, and strategically aligned with the School’s mission. The successful candidate will also represent the programme externally and help build the relationships needed to support recruitment, corporate engagement, alumni development, executive education, and the broader reputation of IBSS.

The appointment may be made on the research track or practice track, depending on the candidate’s profile.

For research-track candidates, the School will expect a strong record of internationally recognised research and the capacity to contribute to the research standing of IBSS.

For Professor of Practice candidates, the School will expect substantial senior professional experience, intellectual credibility, and the ability to connect business practice with high-quality executive education.

Key Responsibilities

Programme vision and academic leadership

• The Programme Director will lead the future development of the International MBA for Executives as one of IBSS’s flagship executive-facing degree programmes.
• The successful candidate will shape the academic identity of the programme, ensuring that it is more than a collection of individual modules. The programme should offer a coherent intellectual journey for experienced professionals, helping them develop strategic judgement, organisational insight, leadership capability, and the ability to operate across complex business environments.
• The postholder will lead curriculum review, programme enhancement, module coordination, assessment strategy, and learning design. They will work with module leaders, departments, professional services teams, and senior School leadership to ensure that the programme remains academically rigorous, professionally relevant, and distinctive in the market.
• The Programme Director will also ensure that the programme continues to meet the expectations of international accreditation bodies and quality assurance processes, while preserving the flexibility and responsiveness needed for executive education.

Executive learning and educational innovation

• The International MBA for Executives requires a learning model suited to mature, experienced participants. The successful candidate will therefore be expected to bring a sophisticated understanding of how executives learn.
• The programme should make effective use of case-based teaching, simulations, live business challenges, company engagement, reflective practice, peer learning, and applied projects. It should connect theory with practice without reducing academic learning to training. It should help participants move beyond functional knowledge towards judgement, synthesis, leadership, and strategic action.
• The Programme Director will play a central role in strengthening this educational approach. They will work with colleagues to develop teaching methods, assessment formats, and learning experiences that are appropriate for senior professional learners and aligned with the School’s broader ambition to rethink business education in the age of artificial intelligence.

Programme management and student experience

• The successful candidate will be responsible for the academic quality and overall student experience of the International MBA for Executives.
• This includes ensuring coherence across modules, supporting faculty teaching on the programme, monitoring student feedback, addressing cohort-level issues, and working with professional services colleagues to ensure effective programme delivery.
• The Programme Director will maintain regular engagement with students and alumni. They will be expected to understand the expectations of executive learners, respond constructively to their needs, and uphold the standards of a leading international business school.
• This role requires both academic authority and a service-oriented understanding of executive education. The postholder must be able to balance responsiveness to participants with the maintenance of academic standards and programme integrity.

External engagement and market positioning

• The Programme Director will be a visible representative of the International MBA for Executives.
• The successful candidate will work closely with the School’s business development, marketing, recruitment, alumni, and executive education teams to strengthen the programme’s external profile. This will include engagement with prospective students, employers, entrepreneurs, corporate partners, chambers of commerce, professional associations, alumni, and senior executives.
• The role requires someone who can speak credibly to both academic and business audiences. The successful candidate should be comfortable representing the programme in recruitment events, corporate meetings, public lectures, alumni activities, executive roundtables, and other external-facing settings.
• The Programme Director will also help identify opportunities for corporate partnerships, executive masterclasses, company-based projects, leadership development activities, international study opportunities, and customised learning pathways connected to the International MBA.

Teaching and contribution to the School

• The successful candidate will teach on the International MBA for Executives and, where appropriate, other postgraduate, executive education, or doctoral programmes.
• They will be expected to deliver teaching of a quality appropriate to a senior professorial appointment. Their teaching should be intellectually serious, professionally relevant, and suitable for experienced participants who bring their own organisational knowledge into the classroom.
• The successful candidate will also contribute to the wider life of IBSS. This may include involvement in School strategy, accreditation, doctoral supervision, faculty mentoring, executive education, business engagement, educational innovation, and relevant School or University committees.

Research, scholarship, or practice leadership

• The expected contribution in this area will depend on the track of appointment.
• Research-track candidates will be expected to maintain a strong international research profile, publish in high-quality journals, pursue external research funding where appropriate, supervise doctoral students, and contribute to the research environment of IBSS. Research performance in the School is benchmarked using internationally recognised indicators of journal quality, including the Academic Journal Guide and ABDC journal list.
• Professor of Practice candidates will be expected to bring substantial senior professional experience and to use that experience to enrich the programme, strengthen links with practice, support business engagement, mentor students, develop applied learning opportunities, and contribute to the School’s external reputation. They should be able to translate professional expertise into academically credible and educationally meaningful forms.

Qualifications and Experience

Essential qualifications and experience

Applicants must have a profile appropriate to appointment at full professor level or professor of practice level.

Applicants are expected to have:

• A doctoral degree in management, strategy, international business, organisational behaviour, entrepreneurship, marketing, operations, economics, finance, accounting, or another relevant business-related field. Professor of Practice candidates with outstanding senior professional achievements may be considered where their experience is clearly equivalent in standing and relevance.
• A strong academic, educational, or professional profile appropriate to a senior professorial appointment.
• Evidence of leadership in business and management education, executive education, programme development, or senior professional learning.
• Experience teaching or engaging with postgraduate, MBA, EMBA, executive education, or senior professional audiences.
• A strong understanding of the expectations of experienced managers, entrepreneurs, and executives.
• The ability to provide intellectual leadership for an executive-facing management programme.
• The ability to engage credibly with business leaders, entrepreneurs, alumni, corporate partners, and professional communities.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills in an international academic environment.
• A commitment to academic standards, student experience, programme quality, and continuous improvement.
• The capacity to work collegially across departments, with professional services teams, and with senior School leadership.

Additional expectations for research-track candidates

Research-track candidates should demonstrate:

• A strong and sustained research profile in management or a related business discipline.
• Publications in internationally recognised peer-reviewed journals appropriate to appointment at full professor level.
• A coherent and internationally visible research agenda.
• Experience in securing, or clear capacity to secure, external research funding.
• Experience in doctoral supervision.
• Evidence of contribution to research leadership, faculty mentoring, and the development of an academic community.
• A willingness to connect academic research with the School’s broader engagement with business, industry, and society.

Additional expectations for Professor of Practice candidates

Professor of Practice candidates should demonstrate:

• Substantial senior leadership experience in business, consulting, entrepreneurship, public-sector leadership, international organisations, or another field relevant to management education.
• A record of professional achievement that would command respect among executive learners and external partners.
• The ability to connect practical experience with conceptual insight and academic learning.
• Experience in executive education, leadership development, board-level engagement, corporate training, consulting, advisory work, or professional mentoring.
• Strong networks with business, government, professional bodies, entrepreneurs, alumni, or industry partners.
• The capacity to represent IBSS credibly in external-facing settings and to support the market positioning of the International MBA for Executives.
• A commitment to the standards and expectations of an international business school.

Desirable Qualifications and Experience

The following would be advantageous:

• Previous experience as an MBA, EMBA, DBA, executive education, or postgraduate programme director.
• Experience with AMBA, AACSB, EQUIS, or other international accreditation processes.
• Experience in an international business school or transnational higher education environment.
• Experience working in or with China, the Yangtze River Delta, or East Asian business contexts.
• A strong network among corporate partners, alumni, professional associations, chambers of commerce, or executive education clients.
• Experience developing customised executive education programmes or corporate learning partnerships.
• Experience designing or leading international study trips, company projects, consulting-style assignments, or executive learning residencies.
• Ability to contribute to more than one disciplinary area within IBSS.
• Chinese language ability is welcome but not required. The working language of XJTLU is English.

Citizenship and 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 stipulate who is eligible for legal employment with regard to work permits and visas.

Career Development

XJTLU offers a clear career development path with annual review. Professional development training is provided, and faculty members are supported in developing their academic, teaching, research, leadership, and professional engagement profiles.

For this role, the successful candidate will also have the opportunity to shape a strategically important programme within IBSS and to contribute to the School’s broader development in executive education, business engagement, and future-oriented management education.

Compensation and Benefits

SALARY: Competitive salary in the market

BENEFITS

Allowance: XJTLU provide various month/annual/one-off allowances as:

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

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

Paid holidays: 

• Statutory Holidays (13 days)
• Annual Leave (34 days)
• Family Matters Leave
• Paid Sick Leave
• Marriage Leave
• Paternity Leave
• Parental leave
• Etc.

Working visa and residence permit in China: 

• XJTLU sponsors working visa and residence permit in China for the staff.

How to Apply

Please submit your application via the XJTLU recruitment website (via the ‘Apply’ button above).

Applications should be submitted as a single PDF file including the following materials in order:

• A cover letter
• A current CV, country of citizenship, and highest degree level
• A statement outlining your vision for the future development of the International MBA for Executives at IBSS
• Evidence of teaching effectiveness and, where applicable, executive education, programme leadership, or senior professional learning experience
• For research-track candidates: selected research publications and a brief research statement
• For Professor of Practice candidates: evidence of senior professional achievement, business leadership, executive education, or industry engagement
• Contact details for three referees

For specific enquiries relating to the position, please contact Jie.Li02@xjtlu.edu.cn .

Informal enquiries may be addressed to HRBP of IBSS Ms. Ye Lan at Ye.Lan@xjtlu.edu.cn.