What Happened
The Instituto Técnico Superior Especializado (ITSE) has opened a public competition to choose a new educational manager who will complete the 2025-2029 term after the resignation of Milena Gómez in January. The selection was authorized by Resolution No. ITSE-CD-008-2026, approved on May 15, 2026, by the institution’s Board of Directors.
The post is currently held on an interim basis by Suzanne Sáez, who stepped in after Gómez left the position. The hiring process is designed to fill one of the most important leadership roles at Panama’s public higher-education technical institute, which has grown steadily since its creation under Law 71 of November 8, 2017.
Requirements and Timeline
Applicants must be Panamanian, at least 35 years old, of recognized integrity, and hold a university degree related to the position. The call also requires at least 10 years of experience in administrative management and five years in educational management, among other criteria.
The application period runs from May 18 to June 19, 2026, through the ITSE website. Document submission will take place from June 22 to June 26, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., at the Academic Records Secretariat on Avenida José Domingo Díaz, near the airport route.
After that, the process will move into preliminary evaluation, interviews, essay presentation, and final selection, following the schedule approved by the Board.
How the Selection Will Work
The evaluation matrix gives weight to several parts of a candidate’s profile: university degrees count for 20%, complementary academic and professional training for 10%, professional experience for 20%, the interview for 25%, and the essay presentation for 25%. The structure shows that the institution is looking not only for credentials, but also for leadership capacity and a clear vision for the school’s next phase.
The new regulation published in the Official Gazette on May 15 also allows re-election of the educational manager. That update creates two routes for the position: an ordinary public selection open to Panamanian citizens who meet the requirements, and an extraordinary selection or re-election that can extend the incumbent’s term for another four years.
Why It Matters
ITSE is one of Panama’s key public higher-education institutions focused on short-cycle technical training. It began operating under a legal framework that gives it academic, administrative, economic, and financial autonomy, and it now serves a student body of nearly 5,000 at the start of the second academic term of 2026.
The leadership transition comes at a time when technical education remains closely tied to labor market demand in Panama, especially in areas that require specialized skills and faster professional insertion. The incoming manager will be responsible for steering strategy, administration, and academic priorities while advancing the institution’s strategic plan and its emphasis on innovation and educational quality.
With a 2026 budget of $21.8 million, the post carries direct influence over how the institute organizes growth, resources, and academic development in the years ahead.