This study aims to propose a new comprehensive conceptualization of the manager-level international experience (MIE) concept. It achieves this by building a framework based on Dewey`s philosophy of experience, conducting a systematic review of business and management literature, and integrating the results of these two steps. The outcome depicts MIE as a nine-dimensional concept encompassing length, depth, breadth, diversity, intensity, extensity, complexity, epic, and echo, operationalizable at regional or global levels of analysis. The new conceptualization can integrate the literature and pave the way for future empirical studies in various research fields, such as experiential knowledge and learning. •MIE has nine dimensions: length, depth, breadth, diversity, intensity, extensity, complexity, epic, and echo.•This concept can be analyzed at two levels: regional and global.•These nine dimensions stem from four principles of experience.