Steffen Kaupp

Opening access to opportunity for global talent through education at scale | Language & healthcare education | Head of Teaching @ Lingoda

Leipzig, Saxony, Germany

About

Throughout my career, I’ve been driven by a simple question: How do we create learning experiences that don’t just teach skills — but open doors? Today, as Head of Teaching at Lingoda, I work at the intersection of education, leadership, and global mobility. I lead Lingoda’s teaching organization across language and healthcare education, aligning teacher strategy, workforce planning, quality management, and cross-functional decision-making. A significant part of that work is high-stakes: supporting international healthcare professionals as they prepare for licensing exams while building new careers and lives in Germany. Getting that right isn’t just about pedagogy. It’s about designing operations that are rigorous, humane, and scalable at the same time. My work is guided by a conviction: 𝐋𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐬, 𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝. I’ve worked across academia, the public education sector, and EdTech; and what I’ve learned is that the most important thing a learning organization can do is earn trust: from learners, from teachers, and from the teams delivering the work. That means clarity about standards, psychological safety to take initiative, and systems that make good teaching possible — not just in spite of scale, but because of it. My leadership approach is human-centered, data-informed, and systems-driven. I believe in ownership without micromanagement, in honest feedback as a form of care, and in building teams that are capable of more than their job descriptions. Ultimately, that’s what good teaching operations are for: seeing what becomes possible when people gain the confidence, skills, and support to move forward. Here on LinkedIn, I write about learning systems, teaching leadership, and the organizational side of education. If you are building, scaling, or leading in EdTech, L&D, or global mobility: let's connect!

Experience

  • Head of Teaching at Lingoda GmbH
    Aug 2025 - Present · 11 mos

  • Goethe-Institut e.V. (On-site)
    • Head of Language Department & Deputy Director
      Sep 2021 - Jul 2025 · 3 yrs 11 mos

      Strategic leadership of language department (sections: language courses, exams, educational cooperations, labor migration) including: • fiscal planning and controlling • HR management of language department (20 full-time employees, 60 teachers) • educational outreach initiatives and strategic partner engagement for labor migration programs • strategic growth management • strategic portfolio development and evaluation • recruiting, training, and mentoring of teachers • oversight of teaching quality management • teacher training and curriculum development • oversight of course planning and exam administration • oversight of cross-functional marketing team www.goethe.de/vietnam

    • Director of Language Programs & Deputy Director
      Aug 2019 - Aug 2021 · 2 yrs 1 mo

      Strategic leadership of language department including: • recruiting, training, and mentoring of instructors • teacher training and curriculum development • course planning and exam administration • fiscal planning and controlling • HR management of language department • educational outreach initiatives and partner engagement www.goethe.de/boston

  • University of Notre Dame (3 yrs 3 mos)
    • Executive Director Berlin Programs, Notre Dame International
      May 2016 - Jul 2019 · 3 yrs 3 mos

      • Envisioned, implemented, and managed four summer Berlin-based study abroad programs with an annual enrollment of 80 students. • Managed program budgets of $750,000. • Strategic student advising and enrollment management • Coached, trained, and mentored a team of 5 educational staff.

    • Assistant Teaching Professor, Department of German and Russian Languages and Literatures
      May 2016 - Jul 2019 · 3 yrs 3 mos

      • Implementation and quality management of innovative online curriculum at the beginning German level that increased student proficiency levels by 15%. • Re-designed intermediate level curriculum with a focus on project-based assessment to increase student engagement and proficiency.

  • Duke University (5 yrs 1 mo)
    • Administrative Intern, Graduate Student Professional Development
      2015 - 2016 · 1 yr

      • Supported the programming side of graduate student professional development; collaborated on professional development programming, co-edited a professional development blog, and provided mentoring resources for graduate students. • Assisted in researching and authoring of diversity & inclusion resources for Graduate students to increase accessibility for students from underrepresented communities.

    • Summer Berlin Program Associate
      2011 - 2016 · 5 yrs

      • Worked for a Berlin-based summer study abroad program; co-designed and co-taught an experiential learning course on post-war European history, program development, excursion planning, student supervision, orientation, and administrative support for the Executive Director.

    • Graduate German Instructor
      2011 - 2015 · 4 yrs

      • Taught beginning and intermediate language classes both at Duke University and UNC-Chapel Hill.

  • German School Faculty at Middlebury College
    2015 - 2015 · Less than a year

    • Taught German courses, guided a German politics group, and conceptualized and developed a  film series for students.