Most executive searches happen quietly behind closed doors. But when a company decides to publicly recruit for a role that reports directly to the CEO and oversees a platform reaching millions of learners, it signals something worth paying attention to.
Today’s Featured Gig is the executive director position at edX, part of 2U—a role that sits at the intersection of higher education strategy, consumer platform leadership and the future of how universities reach learners at scale.
Kees Bol, CEO of 2U, has the answers to my questions about the gig.
Q: What is the company’s mandate behind this role? How does it advance 2U’s strategic priorities?
A: The edX platform is core to our future. This role exists because we’re making a significant, long-term investment in the platform—not just maintaining it, but building its next chapter. The executive director will own the full strategy for edX as a consumer platform, meaning they’ll have the authority to make decisions, drive growth and shape how millions of people worldwide find learning that transforms their lives and careers.
Here’s the strategic context that makes this role particularly important right now: We’re operating in a moment when universities need to make careful decisions about their online learning partnerships. At 2U, we’ve been deliberate about who we are and who we serve. Universities aren’t just a segment of our business—they’re the foundation of it. About 70 percent of our partners are colleges and universities, and we’ve built our expertise around what they specifically need to succeed online: program-level support, student success infrastructure and partnership models that align with their missions.
The executive director will steward a platform that lives at the center of that strategy.
Q: Where does this role sit within the company structure? How will this person engage across the organization?
A: This person reports directly to me, which tells you how central this work is. But the real work happens horizontally. The executive director needs to be an exceptional collaborator—someone who can work across product, marketing, partnership management, B2B sales and technology teams to execute a unified strategy.
We’re looking for someone with deep e-commerce and B2C platform experience because edX operates at real scale—over 5,300 programs are live on the platform today, serving learners at every stage of their careers. But the person in this role also needs to understand higher education’s unique rhythms and values. They’ll be working closely with our university partners on content strategy, evolving partnerships and innovations that make learning more accessible without sacrificing rigor.
This is a builder role in every sense. We need someone who can drive immediate results while laying the organizational and technical foundations for long-term growth.
Q: What would success look like in one year? Three years? Beyond?
A: In year one, success means establishing credibility and momentum. That also looks like building trust with our university partners, aligning teams around a clear platform strategy and launching initiatives that demonstrate our commitment to innovation—particularly around AI-enhanced learning experiences and subscription offerings.
By year three, this leader should have fundamentally strengthened edX’s competitive position. That means a more diverse portfolio of learning products that meet learners at different price points and credential types and measurably improved conversion and retention.
Beyond that, success is about building something that lasts. Early in 2026, our learner network on edX will reach 100 million people. This leader will shape how the platform serves the next 100 million. The strategy they build, the partnerships they strengthen, the innovations they launch—those will define edX’s trajectory for years to come.
Q: What kinds of future roles would someone who took this position be prepared for?
A: This role is excellent preparation for CEO-level positions, whether in ed tech, SaaS or consumer platforms more broadly. The executive director will lead a complex, matrixed organization; balance mission and margin; and make strategic decisions at the executive level.
It’s also strong preparation for leadership roles that sit at the intersection of education and technology transformation. Higher education is navigating real change right now—enrollment pressures, rising costs and faculty who are teaching online but don’t always feel prepared to design effective online courses. Add AI transformation and shifting employer expectations around skills. Leaders who can navigate that complexity, who understand both the business fundamentals and the human stakes, are increasingly valuable.
The person who succeeds in this role will have demonstrated they can build and scale in a complex environment, collaborate across organizational boundaries, and keep learners at the center of every decision. Those capabilities travel well.
