UK–China Commercial Partnership Manager (Mandarin Speaking, £45k, Education) in London

Job Description
We have an exciting opportunity for a UK–China Commercial Partnership Manager role in a UK-based education management company. The organisation empowers global citizenship by connecting educators and schools through immersive international programmes and technology‐enabled collaboration. It delivers study tours, exchanges, delegations, and leadership experiences that transform how young people engage with the world. They are seeking to hire a commercially focused, bilingual Sales & Partnerships Manager to drive revenue growth and lead strategic partnerships across UK–China programmes. The role centres on high‐value sales, complex cross‐border negotiations, and senior‐level account management. Based in Liverpool, with regular travel between the UK and China, this position suits someone confident in senior stakeholder environments, experienced in international negotiation, and skilled at building long‐term institutional relationships.

Job Requirements

Minimum 5 years\’ experience in high‐performance sales or commercial roles, ideally within travel, education, or hospitality.

Eligible for full‐time work in the UK.

Fluent in Mandarin and English, both written and spoken.

Demonstrated success in complex B2B and B2C sales, international deal‐making, and contract negotiation.

Strong knowledge of the China market, including education, travel, and commercial practices.

Proven ability to manage senior stakeholders across cultures and geographies.

Skilled in commercial negotiation, including pricing, margins, and partnership structures.

Comfortable working across borders, time zones, and multicultural environments.

Proficient with CRM and collaboration tools, such as HubSpot, Monday.com, Microsoft 365, and WeChat.

Willing and able to travel regularly between the UK and China.

Able to pass an enhanced DBS check.

Job Responsibilities

Drive commercial performance for UK–China education travel programmes, consistently achieving revenue targets.

Build and manage a high‐quality sales pipeline across schools, education groups, and institutional partners.

Lead full sales cycles including prospecting, pitching, proposal development, negotiation, and contract closure.

Represent the organisation internationally at events, school visits, education forums, and trade delegations in the UK and China.

Align marketing activity with commercial goals to maximise demand generation and conversion.

Develop and grow strategic partnerships with UK and Chinese schools, education organisations, DMCs, and suppliers.

Lead commercial negotiations covering pricing, margin structures, contracts, and long‐term framework agreements.

Structure scalable, commercially sound partnership models balancing educational quality and profitability.

Act as senior commercial lead for high‐value accounts and strategic partners.

Maintain senior‐level client relationships and serve as a trusted commercial advisor.

Oversee programme delivery from a commercial standpoint ensuring commitments made during sales are met.

Manage escalations and commercial risk in collaboration with operations teams.

Identify upsell, cross‐sell, and renewal opportunities across existing accounts.

Develop and execute a UK–China growth strategy informed by market trends, regulation, and customer needs.

Maintain deep knowledge of the Chinese education and outbound travel market to inform commercial decisions.

Serve as the primary commercial representative with major Chinese education organisations, including via WeChat and in‐person engagement.

Support long‐term institutional partnerships between UK and Chinese schools.

Provide commercial leadership to UK and China teams without day‐to‐day operational management.

Ensure seamless handover from sales to delivery with clear scopes, budgets, and success metrics.

Collaborate cross‐functionally with finance, marketing, and operations to ensure commercial viability and scalable growth.

About Us
Mandarin Recruitment is a service that helps UK and China businesses & organisations find and source high‐quality Mandarin‐speaking professionals. We have unparalleled and exclusive channels to the Chinese speaking market, allowing us to be the leading organisation for specialist Mandarin recruitment.

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