Sr Manager Employability & Industry Relations

GBS Dubai; Ajman Emirate; On-site; AED 120,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

A prominent educational institution in UAE is seeking a Sr Manager for Employability & Industry Relations. The role involves collaborating with global heads to enhance employment opportunities for students, designing employability programs, and fostering industry partnerships. Ideal candidates should have a Bachelor’s degree and over 10 years of relevant experience in the education or recruitment sector.

Qualifications

• Min 10 years of relevant experience, preferably from the employer side and/or a recruitment agency.
• Experience in corporate early careers recruiting and student employability.
• Ability to navigate academic offerings with KHDA frameworks.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with Global Head of Employability to align local strategies.
• Build successful employer strategies and partnerships.
• Design and implement a student employability programme.
• Engage alumni for networking and job placements.
• Lead broader industry engagement initiatives.

Skills

Local Industry Knowledge

Higher Education Expertise

Industry Relations

Strategic Influence

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Job description

Sr Manager Employability & Industry Relations

Ajman, UAE

Full Time

Onsite Role

Job Summary

The Sr Manager of Employability & Industry Relations (UAE) will play a critical role in positioning GEDU UAE (GBS Dubai & GUC Ajman) as a trusted and forward-thinking educational brand within the UAE and will generate employment opportunities for students. The ideal candidate must demonstrate the ability to:

• Collaborate with and support the Global Head of Employability and Employer Relations to ensure local strategies in the UAE are aligned with GEDU’s global employability vision, fostering consistency, shared best practices, and scalable impact across the Group.
• Proactively build new, successful, and long-standing employer strategies and partnerships in a competitive and fast-evolving market that will lead to placements of our students. This requires going above and beyond to define and pitch GEDU’s value proposition to prospective employers and deliver a differentiated, high-impact service that sets GEDU students apart from competitors.
• Design and implement an innovative, future-focused student employability programme that equips students with the technical, professional, and interpersonal skills most valued by today’s employers. The programme must ensure that graduates are career-ready and able to compete in a dynamic global job market to secure employment.
• Develop and implement a structured alumni engagement programme that expands opportunities for networking, mentoring, and job placements in UAE and across the GEDU student and alumni community, fostering long-term professional connections and career development pathways.

In addition to these core responsibilities, the role leads the strategy, development, and execution of broader industry engagement initiatives that strengthen GEDU’s standing within the UAE’s business and education ecosystem. It will drive impactful collaborations with local industries, regulatory bodies (e.g., KHDA), government agencies, alumni networks, and affiliate universities to increase student employability, foster innovation, and secure mutually beneficial partnerships through MOUs, sponsorships, and placement opportunities.

Skills, Knowledge and Experience Required

• Local Industry Knowledge: Deep understanding of the UAE business landscape, with a well-established professional network in sectors of national strategic importance.
• Higher Education Expertise: Knowledge of the Higher Education sector, Pearson qualification standards and KHDA (Knowledge and Human Development Authority of Dubai). Proven ability to navigate and align academic offerings with KHDA frameworks and private sector needs.
• Industry Relations: Demonstrated success in establishing and managing senior-level relationships across government, corporate, and education sectors in the UAE.
• Strategic Influence: Ability to represent the institution at national forums and shape collaborative agendas that respond to UAE employment and innovation goals.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree.
• Min 10 years of relevant experience, preferably from the employer side and/or a recruitment agency a mixture of corporate (early careers recruiting and programmes), recruitment agency and student employability (academia) experience.

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