Associate Director– Al Ghurair Innovation Hub

Khalifa University; Abu Dhabi Emirate; On-site; AED 350,000 - 560,000; Full time

Job summary

Khalifa University seeks an Associate Director to lead strategic partnership initiatives with the Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation. The role translates strategy into actionable plans, coordinates stakeholders, and ensures high-impact delivery across the AGF–KU partnership and the Al Ghurair Innovation Hub.

The role focuses on governance, sustainability, and scaling of innovation models within a university context in the UAE, with emphasis on AI-enabled learning and evidence-based decision making.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in education, Educational Technology, Innovation Management, or related field (master's preferred).
• Minimum 10 years' experience in higher education innovation, institutional strategy, or complex program leadership.
• Experience designing or scaling institutional innovation models within complex organizational environments.
• Experience supporting and engaging with senior leadership, steering committees, or senior governance forums.
• Experience developing and overseeing multi-year sustainability or resource mobilization strategies, including budget management and partnership development.
• Experience engaging with national or regional education policy stakeholders or sector-level positioning initiatives.
• Strong stakeholder engagement and relationship-building skills across diverse audiences.
• Excellent project management, communication, facilitation, and problem-solving abilities.
• Track record of producing strategic reports, institutional learning outputs, or thought-leadership publications in education or innovation.
• Experience working within the UAE higher education sector.
• Familiarity with AI-driven learning tools, adaptive pedagogy, and digital-first instructional design.
• Familiarity with data-driven performance systems and evidence-based decision-making frameworks.
• Experience in cross-institutional or multi-stakeholder educational initiatives.
• Knowledge of monitoring & evaluation processes for educational programs.
• Demonstrated ability to represent institutions in high-level forums, conferences, or public platforms.
• Experience securing institutional partnerships involving multi-year funding commitments or blended funding models.
• Experience leading organizational change or transformation initiatives within higher education settings.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate and deliver hub initiatives with timelines, budgets, resources, and milestones.
• Ensure interventions are tested, evaluated, and refined per KU procedures.
• Oversee implementation integrity and reporting with the Monitoring & Evaluation partner.
• Support resource mobilization and sustainability plans for partnership initiatives.
• Identify funding and partnership opportunities; support proposals and business cases.
• Develop and manage strategic relationships with private-sector, government, and academic partners.
• Capture and apply institutional learning to inform scaling decisions and strategy.
• Embed knowledge sharing across KU and AGF; produce annual Hub Impact & Insights Report.
• Ensure governance compliance with AGF/KU conditions and tracking of performance targets.
• Prepare updates, risk assessments, and decision-support materials for the Joint Steering Committee.

Skills

Stakeholder engagement

Project management

Communication

Leadership

Facilitation

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor's degree (Education / Educational Technology / Innovation Management)

Job description

The Associate Director supports the strategic direction and leads the day-to-day coordination and delivery of the strategic partnership initiatives between the Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation (AGF) and Khalifa University (KU). The role translates agreed strategy into actionable plans, coordinates stakeholders, monitors implementation, and ensures initiatives are delivered effectively and achieve their intended outcomes.

The Associate Director contributes to the strategic development, operational effectiveness, sustainability, and institutional integration of the Al Ghurair Innovation Hub at Khalifa University, supporting its development as a university-based innovation model.

The roll-out of the planned Cooperative Education Program, Employability Certificate, and Gaming Development Bootcamp are the first of several initiatives under the partnership to be coordinated and supported by the Associate Director.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership

• Support the strategic stewardship of the AGF–KU partnership, facilitating alignment between KU, AGF, senior leadership, and the Joint Steering Committee.
• Contribute to the design and lead the implementation and continuous improvement of the Hub's operating model.
• Support development of the partnership's multi-year strategic roadmap and translate strategic priorities into implementation plans, measurable outcomes, and coordinated activities.
• Coordinate and monitor the performance of Hub initiatives, ensuring implementation plans, milestones, and performance measures remain aligned with agreed strategic objectives.
• Contribute to the Hub's long-term sustainability and institutional impact through forward planning, partnership development, resource planning, and recommendations for future growth beyond the initial AGF funding period.

Stakeholder Management

• Build and sustain strong relationships with faculty, administrators, students, and external partners.
• Represent and promote the mission and partnership values of KU and AGF, including with governmental and sector stakeholders.
• Support institutional positioning and contribute to dialogue on innovation, digital learning, and faculty development within higher education forums.

Project & Program Management

• Manage and coordinate implementation of Hub initiatives, including timelines, budgets, resources, and progress against milestones.
• Ensure all interventions are rigorously tested, evaluated, and refined, in compliance with KU procedures.
• Oversee implementation integrity across all initiatives, liaising with the independent Monitoring & Evaluation partner for accurate, timely, transparent reporting.
• Contribute to resource mobilization and sustainability plans for initiatives under the partnership.
• Identify funding and partnership opportunities; support development of proposals, business cases, and stakeholder engagement.
• Develop and manage strategic relationships with private-sector organizations, government entities, academic institutions, and other partners.

Knowledge Management

• Capture and apply institutional learning from Hub initiatives to inform scaling decisions and strategic direction.
• Embed structured knowledge sharing across KU and AGF.
• Produce and present strategic performance updates to senior leadership; lead development of the annual Hub Impact & Insights Report.

Compliance & Governance

• Ensure adherence to governance structures, funding conditions, and performance targets set by AGF and the Joint Steering Committee.
• Manage the Stereo meeting process, including agenda preparation and action tracking.
• Uphold agreed AGF/KU branding and strategic alignment across all partnership activities.
• Serve as a key coordination point for the Joint Steering Committee, preparing updates, recommendations, risk assessments, and decision-support materials.

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor's degree in education, Educational Technology, Innovation Management, or a related field (master's preferred).
• Minimum 10 years' experience in higher education innovation, institutional strategy, or complex program leadership.
• Experience designing or scaling institutional innovation models within complex organizational environments.
• Experience supporting and engaging with senior leadership, steering committees, or senior governance forums.
• Experience developing and overseeing multi-year sustainability or resource mobilization strategies, including budget management and partnership development.
• Experience engaging with national or regional education policy stakeholders or sector-level positioning initiatives.
• Strong stakeholder engagement and relationship-building skills across diverse audiences.
• Excellent project management, communication, facilitation, and problem-solving abilities.
• Track record of producing strategic reports, institutional learning outputs, or thought-leadership publications in education or innovation.
• Experience working within the UAE higher education sector.
• Familiarity with AI-driven learning tools, adaptive pedagogy, and digital-first instructional design.
• Familiarity with data-driven performance systems and evidence-based decision-making frameworks.
• Experience in cross-institutional or multi-stakeholder educational initiatives.
• Knowledge of monitoring & evaluation processes for educational programs.
• Demonstrated ability to represent institutions in high-level forums, conferences, or public platforms.
• Experience securing institutional partnerships involving multi-year funding commitments or blended funding models.
• Experience leading organizational change or transformation initiatives within higher education settings.