Position Summary

Applications are welcome from all qualified candidates. In line with UAE regulations, Emirati candidates are encouraged to apply

New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) seeks to appoint a Assistant Director, Project Management reporting to the Associate Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs.

This role serves as the strategic integrator for the division, leading enterprise-level planning, governance, assessment, and resource optimization across eight departments, 80+ FTE, and 2,000+ students.

The position provides executive advisory leadership to shape divisional priorities, align operations with institutional strategy, and ensure measurable impact on student success, retention, and engagement. The incumbent drives cross-functional transformation initiatives; establishes governance frameworks for data, communications, professional development, and budget planning; and ensures divisional readiness for accreditation, compliance, and institutional reporting.

This role operates at the intersection of strategy, analytics, finance, and organizational development, translating institutional vision into executable roadmaps while building divisional capacity and accountability.

Key Responsibilities

Divisional Strategy, Governance & Transformation

Serve as strategic advisor to the Associate Vice Chancellor on divisional planning, performance, and risk
Lead the development, execution, and monitoring of the Student Affairs strategic roadmap, ensuring alignment with NYUAD and One NYU institutional priorities
Establish governance frameworks for cross-departmental initiatives, ensuring clarity of decision rights, accountability, and performance metrics
Oversee divisional change management initiatives, ensuring adoption, stakeholder alignment, and measurable outcomes
Identify operational risks and performance gaps; develop mitigation strategies and executive-level recommendations

Institutional Effectiveness, Data Strategy & Analytics

Architect and govern a comprehensive divisional assessment and performance management framework aligned with accreditation and institutional KPIs
Provide executive-level analysis of student engagement, retention indicators, learning outcomes, and subpopulation performance trends
Lead predictive and exploratory analytics initiatives to identify early intervention opportunities and strategic investment areas
Represent Student Affairs in institutional data governance conversations across NYU New York and NYU Shanghai
Ensure data integrity, compliance tracking, and reporting accuracy for mandatory training, accreditation, and institutional audits
Supervise and develop a graduate analytics team, building internal analytical capacity

Financial Stewardship & Resource Optimization

Lead the annual divisional planning and budget cycle, aligning financial investments with strategic priorities and measurable outcomes
Develop financial modeling and cost-benefit analyses for new initiatives and resource allocation decisions
Advise divisional leadership on budget trade-offs, long-term resource planning, and operational efficiencies
Establish accountability frameworks to promote fiscally responsible decision-making across departments
Partner with Finance to monitor budget performance, forecast risks, and recommend reallocations

Executive Communications & Institutional Positioning

Define and implement the divisional communications and storytelling strategy to articulate impact, outcomes, and student success narratives
Oversee executive communications on behalf of divisional leadership, ensuring alignment with institutional messaging and change priorities
Govern divisional digital ecosystem standards (shared drives, portals, sites) to ensure security, efficiency, and knowledge continuity
Ensure consistent brand alignment and quality assurance across all internal and external messaging. Lead interdivisional coordination with IR and External communication teams

External Reporting, Accreditation & Institutional Relations

Lead the production of the Annual Student Engagement Impact Report as a strategic institutional document informing senior leadership and external stakeholders
Serve as divisional lead for accreditation data, compliance readiness, and government reporting
Represent Student Affairs in cross-campus One NYU initiatives requiring coordinated data, planning, or reporting
Engage external partners, accreditation bodies, and peer institutions for benchmarking and best-practice exchange

Institutional Events & Strategic Representation

Provide executive oversight of divisional participation in high-visibility institutional events (Open Day, Candidate Weekends, re-orientation programs), ensuring strategic alignment and measurable impact
Ensure resource optimization and coherent divisional representation at institution-wide initiatives

Other duties as assigned

Qualifications

Required Education:

Master's degree in higher education appropriate fields

Required Experience

7+ years of project management experience
Fluency with Microsoft office suite, linked in learning, project management tools
Experience working with diverse populations, including familiarity working with international youth
Knowledge of assessment within higher education / student affairs context
Experience engaging with partners in the UAE

Preferred Experience

Project Management Qualifications
High proficiency in developing and implementing strategic communications campaigns and leveraging data for storytelling
Ability and willingness to work evenings and weekends, particularly during the academic year
Excellent organization, presentation, written communication, and interpersonal skills
Passion for community building, working with students and social impact
Experience working with diverse populations, including familiarity working with international youth
Knowledge of assessment within higher education / student affairs context
Experience engaging with partners in the UA E

Additional Information

About NYUAD

NYU Abu Dhabi is a degree-granting research university with a fully integrated liberal arts and science undergraduate program in the Arts, Sciences, Social Sciences, Humanities, and Engineering. NYU Abu Dhabi, NYU New York, and NYU Shanghai, form the backbone of NYU's global network university, an interconnected network of portal campuses and academic centers across six continents that enable seamless international mobility of students and faculty in their pursuit of academic and scholarly activity. This global university represents a transformative shift in higher education, one in which the intellectual and creative endeavors of academia are shaped and examined through an international and multicultural perspective. As a major intellectual hub at the crossroads of the Arab world, NYUAD serves as a center for scholarly thought, advanced research, knowledge creation, and sharing, through its academic, research, and creative activities.

Associate Director - Project Management

Associate Director - Project Management

Assistant Director, Strategic Initiatives - Student Affairs (Fixed-Term for 3 years)

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