Chief Student Affairs Officer

Reporting jointly to the Executive Director of Schwarzman Scholars (New York) and the Dean of Schwarzman College (Beijing), the CSAO is a member of the senior leadership teams of both Schwarzman College and the Stephen A. Schwarzman Education Foundation. The CSAO is the senior-most Foundation employee based in China and resides on site at Schwarzman College in Beijing. The role is responsible for the student experience—residential life, wellbeing, community standards, leadership development, and co-curricular programming—for a globally diverse cohort of up to 150 Scholars each year.

Founded in 2013 through a partnership between Stephen A. Schwarzman and Tsinghua University, Schwarzman Scholars is a fully funded, one-year master’s degree program in global affairs designed to prepare the next generation of global leaders. The program offers a dynamic curriculum grounded in the pillars of China, leadership, and global affairs, with learning opportunities in and beyond the classroom, including leadership training, senior mentors, high-level interactions with Chinese leaders and visiting speakers, career development guidance, and Deep Dive trips across China. Each year, 150 Scholars from a wide range of geographies, industries, and academic backgrounds are selected from a highly competitive global applicant pool (approximately 5% admit rate). Our growing global network of dynamic leaders who work collaboratively across time zones, across borders and across disciplines now includes over 1,500 members from 107 countries and 490 institutions worldwide.

In conjunction with a world-class academic curriculum delivered by Tsinghua University and global visiting faculty, the student life experience is the anchor of the Schwarzman Scholars program—where leadership is practiced, community is built, and global perspectives are tested in real time. The CSAO is responsible for designing, leading, and continuously developing a student life program that is intellectually ambitious, culturally grounded, and deeply human, ensuring that leadership development is not abstract but practiced daily through residential life, dialogue, community norms, and shared responsibility.

This is a high-touch, high-expectation role requiring daily presence in the life of the College, close partnership with Chinese counterparts, and sound judgment in an environment where diplomacy, nuance, and cultural fluency are essential. Given the scale of the program, the CSAO must be comfortable operating as both strategist and doer—moving seamlessly from executive-level discussions to direct student engagement. The CSAO leads a small, highly engaged team in Beijing and works closely with colleagues in New York.

Importantly, the CSAO serves as a trusted bridge between students and leadership, as well as between New York, Beijing, and Schwarzman Scholars’ Chinese institutional partners. With students in residence for only one year, the CSAO plays a critical role in creating continuity, traditions, and shared values that sustain the program’s identity across cohorts. The role requires the ability to anticipate and navigate sensitive issues in a complex geopolitical and cultural environment in ways that prioritize learning, reflection, and growth.

The successful candidate will bring significant leadership experience in student affairs, residential education, or closely related fields, ideally in highly selective or mission-driven environments. The CSAO will be a builder—someone energized by creating programs, culture, and systems rather than simply maintaining them—and will bring substantial international experience, including living and working outside one’s home country. Strong cultural intelligence, comfort operating as a generalist across student life functions, and a genuine love of working closely with students are essential. Mandarin Chinese language ability is helpful but not required.

As an employee of both the Stephen A. Schwarzman Education Foundation and Tsinghua University, this position comes with a competitive salary, a fully furnished apartment and meal plan at Schwarzman College, and a comprehensive benefits package. For more information, to submit recommendations, or to express interest in the role, please contact: SchwarzmanCSAO@russellreynolds.com