Relationship Manager, Higher Education

PPL Dynamics; Doha; On-site; QAR 180,000 - 300,000; Full time

Job summary

PPL Dynamics in Doha, Qatar, is seeking a Higher Education Relationship Manager to support the Executive Director – Higher Education in managing the local portfolio, stakeholder engagement, and execution of strategic initiatives.

The role requires a deep understanding of the higher education landscape, strong stakeholder-management capabilities, and the ability to coordinate multiple initiatives across universities, government entities, and academic partners in a complex environment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required; Master's degree preferred.
• 8–12 years of relevant professional experience, preferably in higher education, government, or complex institutions.
• Strong experience in stakeholder management, relationship-building, and project coordination.
• Good understanding of higher education governance, regulatory environments, and reporting requirements.
• Proven ability to work with senior academic, government, and corporate stakeholders, with excellent communication and negotiation skills.

Responsibilities

• Support the Executive Director in implementing strategic objectives for the higher education portfolio.
• Manage day-to-day local operations and activities related to the portfolio.
• Develop and maintain relationships with university leadership, academic institutions, and government entities.
• Coordinate strategic projects and operational plans across higher education entities.
• Monitor progress against objectives and provide updates to senior leadership.
• Prepare reports, presentations, and management updates for leadership.
• Facilitate stakeholder meetings, working groups, and follow-up on actions.
• Identify challenges and opportunities for improvement requiring senior intervention.
• Support governance, regulatory, accreditation, and quality alignment.

Skills

Stakeholder management

Project coordination

Operational management

Governance knowledge

Communication

Negotiation

Cross-functional coordination

Analytical reporting

Relationship-building

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree preferred

Job description

Location: Doha, Qatar
Employment Type: Full-Time
Nationality: Qatar Nationals Only
Reporting To: Executive Director – Higher Education

Job Summary

The Higher Education Relationship Manager will support the Executive Director – Higher Education in the effective management and coordination of the higher education portfolio, with primary responsibility for local operations, stakeholder engagement, relationship management, and the implementation of strategic initiatives.

This position requires a strong understanding of the higher education environment, excellent stakeholder-management capabilities, and the ability to coordinate multiple initiatives in a complex, multi-stakeholder environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Support the Executive Director in implementing the strategic objectives and priorities for the higher education portfolio.
• Manage and coordinate day-to-day local operations and activities related to the higher education portfolio.
• Develop and maintain effective working relationships with university leadership, academic institutions, government entities, and other key stakeholders.
• Act as a key liaison between internal teams and external higher education partners to facilitate communication, coordination, and timely resolution of issues.
• Coordinate the implementation of strategic projects, initiatives, and operational plans across relevant higher education entities.
• Monitor progress against agreed objectives, timelines, deliverables, and performance indicators, providing regular updates to senior leadership.
• Support the development of reports, presentations, briefing materials, and management updates for senior leadership.
• Facilitate meetings, working groups, and stakeholder engagements and ensure appropriate follow-up on agreed actions.
• Identify operational challenges, emerging issues, and opportunities for improvement and elevate matters requiring senior-level intervention.
• Support initiatives related to academic excellence, student experience, research, innovation, institutional collaboration, and organizational development.
• Coordinate with relevant stakeholders to ensure alignment with applicable governance, regulatory, accreditation, and quality requirements.
• Support budget monitoring, resource planning, and administrative coordination for assigned initiatives and activities.
• Assist in developing and implementing policies, procedures, frameworks, and operational processes related to higher education.
• Promote collaboration, knowledge‑sharing, and best‑practice adoption across relevant institutions and stakeholders.
• Support change management and continuous improvement initiatives within the higher education portfolio.
• Represent the higher education function in relevant local meetings, committees, forums, and stakeholder engagements as delegated.
• Provide insights and recommendations to the Executive Director on local higher education developments, stakeholder matters, and operational priorities.

Candidate Profile

• Bachelor's degree in Education, Higher Education, Business Administration, Public Administration, Management, or a related discipline; a Master's degree is preferred.
• Minimum 8–12 years of relevant professional experience, preferably within higher education, education, government, public‑sector organizations, or a complex institutional environment.
• Strong experience in stakeholder management, institutional relationships, project coordination, or operational management.
• Good understanding of the higher education landscape, governance structures, and regulatory environment.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively with senior academic, government, and corporate stakeholders.
• Strong communication, negotiation, coordination, and relationship‑building skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and initiatives simultaneously in a fast‑paced and complex environment.
• Strong analytical, reporting, presentation, and problem‑solving capabilities.
• Experience working across multiple departments or institutions and coordinating cross‑functional initiatives.
• Strong proficiency in English; Arabic language skills are highly desirable.
• Strong knowledge of the local higher education and stakeholder environment is preferred.
• Qatar National candidates only.