Strategic Partnerships Lead — Growth & Stakeholder Excellence

Zayed University; Dubai; On-site; AED 300,000 - 450,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Tax-free salary

Housing allowance

Annual flight tickets

Education subsidies

Healthcare coverage

Job summary

Zayed University in the United Arab Emirates is seeking a Partnership Manager to lead partnership development, stakeholder engagement, and collaboration efforts that align with the university's strategic priorities. You will drive the end-to-end lifecycle of partnerships, coordinate MOUs, and monitor performance against KPIs to deliver value.

The role requires strong negotiation, market insights, and the ability to engage with government entities, industry partners, and academic institutions to

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree with a minimum of 8 years of experience and at least 6 years in a managerial position; or Master’s with a minimum of 6 years of experience and at least 4 years in a managerial position.
• Certification in a relevant field is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Identify, evaluate, and develop partnership opportunities that support the University's strategic priorities and institutional objectives.
• Build and maintain effective relationships with government entities, industry partners, academic institutions, international organizations, and other key stakeholders.
• Manage the partnership development lifecycle, including stakeholder engagement, proposal development, negotiation support, agreement coordination, and implementation follow-up.
• Coordinate the preparation, review, and processing of Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs), partnership agreements, and related documentation in collaboration with relevant stakeholders.
• Conduct market research, stakeholder mapping, benchmarking studies, and environmental scanning to identify emerging partnership opportunities and leading practices.
• Coordinate with internal departments to identify partnership needs and facilitate the development of mutually beneficial collaboration initiatives.
• Monitor partnership activities and performance against established objectives and KPIs, and prepare periodic reports and recommendations.
• Support the assessment of partnership risks, compliance requirements, and governance obligations, and recommend mitigation actions where required.
• Represent the University in meetings, conferences, forums, exhibitions, and networking events to strengthen external relationships and promote institutional interests.
• Maintain partnership records, databases, and documentation to ensure accuracy, accessibility, and compliance with institutional requirements.
• Support stakeholder engagement and communication activities to strengthen collaboration and maximize partnership value.
• Perform other related duties as assigned by the Direct Supervisor.

Skills

Stakeholder engagement

Partnership development

Negotiation

Market research

Governance and compliance

Education

Bachelor’s degree with 8+ years experience

Master’s degree with 6+ years experience

Job description

Zayed University in the United Arab Emirates is seeking a Partnership Manager to lead partnership development, stakeholder engagement, and collaboration efforts that align with the university's strategic priorities. You will drive the end-to-end lifecycle of partnerships, coordinate MOUs, and monitor performance against KPIs to deliver value.

The role requires strong negotiation, market insights, and the ability to engage with government entities, industry partners, and academic institutions to