Executive Director

U.S.-Mexico Commission for Educational Exchange (COMEXUS) | Fulbright-García Robles

Location: Mexico City, with domestic and some international travel

Reports to: Binational Board of Directors and the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs

Annual budget: $6.3 million

Contract: Two-year entrustment contract, with the possibility of renewal subject to satisfactory work performance

Compensation: Competitive package, commensurate with education and experience

Start date: Approximately January 2027

Application deadline: November 15, 2026

Search conducted by: Crossborder Leadership

About COMEXUS

The U.S.-Mexico Commission for Educational Exchange (COMEXUS) invites U.S. and Mexican citizens to apply for the position of Executive Director. Founded in 1990, COMEXUS is a non-profit binational commission that promotes mutual understanding between both nations through academic and cultural exchange programs, including the Fulbright-García Robles Program. Its headquarters are in Mexico City, and its funding is provided by the Mexican and United States governments, program alumni, and a select group of sponsors.

COMEXUS is governed by a binational Board of Directors that includes U.S. and Mexican members and representatives of the U.S. Embassy, the Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores (SRE), the Secretaría de Educación Pública (SEP), academia, and the private sector.

The Role

The Executive Director is the public face of a high-profile, prestigious binational program, a role that requires outstanding interpersonal and diplomatic skills. The Executive Director oversees an annual budget of $6.3 million and leads a multicultural team that collaborates with a complex network of stakeholders. The position requires domestic and some international travel to promote U.S.-Mexican academic cooperation and the Fulbright-García Robles Program.

Key Responsibilities

• Binational mandate. Advance COMEXUS's binational mandate and respond to the strategic interests of both governments.
• Strategic priorities. Identify priority sectors for U.S.-Mexico academic and institutional collaboration.
• Partnerships at every level. Build and manage partnerships at both national and subnational levels, including with federal and state governments in the United States and Mexico.
• Funding growth. Expand and diversify sustainable funding and strategic partnerships.
• Selection integrity. Safeguard rigorous, transparent, merit-based selection processes.
• Alumni, impact, and visibility. Strengthen alumni engagement, impact measurement, and COMEXUS's visibility, including through external communications and media.
• Stewardship and leadership. Provide strong financial stewardship, human resources management, and leadership of a multicultural team, ensuring the financial health of the organization.
• Cross-border fluency. Operate effectively across U.S. and Mexican institutional, cultural, and government environments.
• External representation. Represent COMEXUS externally with strong diplomatic, communications, and stakeholder-engagement skills.

Required Qualifications

• Minimum of 8 years of professional experience, including experience at the CEO or senior management level in a business, government agency, or non-profit organization.
• Demonstrable success in business development, marketing, and profile-raising, including external communications and media management.
• Experience in fundraising.
• Demonstrable success in business development, strategic communications, and stakeholder engagement, including institutional positioning, external relations, and media engagement.
• Solid knowledge of the higher education sector, both public and private, in Mexico and the United States.
• Experience engaging the Mexican Government on issues of higher education.
• Ability to lead and oversee a multicultural team that collaborates with a complex network of stakeholders, and to strategically manage and oversee the financial health of the organization.
• Advanced degree in a related field.
• Fluency in both English and Spanish.
• Legal eligibility to work in Mexico at the time of application.

Why Join COMEXUS

• Lead the Fulbright-García Robles Program, a flagship of binational academic exchange that continues to shape U.S.-Mexico relations.
• Work at the intersection of two governments, academia, the private sector, and civil society, with real authority to grow opportunity.
• Join a respected binational commission with more than three decades of history at a pivotal moment for educational diplomacy.
• Live and lead from Mexico City while engaging counterparts across both countries.

How to Apply

Interested candidates should send their CV in English and Spanish, together with three references, to cynthia.kaplan@crossborderleadership.com by November 15, 2026. Candidates must be available to assume the position by approximately January 2027. Incomplete applications or applications received after the closing date will not be considered.

Information about the Fulbright Program in Mexico can be found at www.comexus.org.mx.

All applications and inquiries are handled in strict confidence by Crossborder Leadership.