Leadership Core and Foundations Manager

ABOUT ALU

ALU provides higher education for a higher purpose. Our students declare missions, not majors.
They develop the real-world skills to take on the world’s most pressing challenges. And they take ownership of their learning from day one through our peer and student-led approach – because ALU believes in the power and agency of young people to start shaping the future right now.
Together with a world-class faculty and staff, our students are igniting a ripple of positive impact across Africa and the world.

HOW WE WORK

As a high-growth start-up, the ALU Team works in starkly different ways to traditional academic bureaucracies. We approach education from first principles, empower individuals to design, test, and implement creative new ideas, and work closely together to craft transformative learning experiences. We are deeply passionate about our students and excited by the challenge of building something entirely new.

The African Leadership University is committed to ensuring the safety and Well-being of all students under our care. As part of this commitment , we have a comprehensive safeguarding policy in place , which outlines our Zero-tolerance approach to any violation of safeguarding.

ABOUT THE ROLE

The Leadership Core and Foundations Manager is responsible for the end-to-end student experience in the Leadership Core and Foundation modules, encompassing the design, delivery, learning, and assessments. The manager will also be responsible for implementing the quality assurance and enhancement processes for the programme, the line management of the faculty and leads, and other associated activities to ensure the successful delivery of the programme. The manager should possess strong communication, organisational, and problem-solving skills, with experience in higher education and leadership development. This position is essential for enhancing the student learning experience and contributing to the institution’s mission. 

Responsibilities 

Programme Ideation and Design 

• Support the university leadership in the development of an aligned vision and narrative for ALU education.
• Actively contribute to ALU’s product roadmap through systematic program review, continuous discovery, review cycles, and engagement with stakeholders across the organisation. 
• Provide robust learning theory support to designers and the faculty to ensure coherent program designs, content, and delivery. 
• Contribute to the alignment of the program to HEC regulatory requirements, in cooperation with the Quality Assurance Team. 
• Draft and maintain program-related documentation in collaboration with appropriate others. 

Programme Delivery 

• Manage the Leadership Core and Foundation academic components of the in-person programme induction for each new intake, including responsibility for its development, evolution and delivery. 
• Support the university leadership in the development of the operational strategy and vision for the delivery of the Leadership Core and Foundation modules. 
• Work cross-functionally with other departments to optimise the resources, processes, and platforms required to deliver high-quality learning experiences for students, and best working experiences for the programme team. 
• Lead the Leadership Core and Foundation team in their work and ensure compliance with HEC and internal regulations, policies, and procedures. 
• Communicate and lead the process for developing and integrating a multi-tiered assessment framework consistent with the design and intent of the programme. 
• In collaboration with the Registrar’s Office, develop and follow-through on a system and process for conveying student grades into the Student Information System. 
• Contribute to decision-making as a member of the Assessment Board. 
• Contribute to the annual development of a programme budget, including regularly updating a staffing plan in alignment with enrollment (projected and actual). 
• Ensure the learning materials, assessments and other relevant components meet internal and external quality assurance requirements. 

Programme Review 

• Collect and apply both qualitative and quantitative data from student, staff, and industry input and feedback to design and redesign the programme. 
• Maintain high levels of quality assurance, including assisting programme moderation, evaluation, and approval processes. 
• Conduct an annual programme review to ensure content is up-to-date, valid, relevant and reflects current and future trends in the 14 grand challenges and great opportunities, whilst considering pedagogical approaches suited for both in-person and online learning. 
• Regularly monitor and evaluate both student and programme team (coaches, leads, tutors) satisfaction. 
• Play a leading role in the implementation of modifications to the programme following the findings of annual programme review, periodic review, student-staff consultative groups, student evaluations and other quality assurance and enhancement instruments. 

People Management 

• In collaboration with the Director of Academics, build and lead the Leadership Core and Foundation team.
• Liaise with relevant stakeholders as appropriate to coordinate departmental hiring and onboarding. 
• In conjunction with the Director of Academics, manage the developmental process and performance management of learning coaches and learning coach leads. 
• Provide programme strategic direction to the faculty and leads.
• Coordinate program team OKRs and performance management for the team. 

Institutional Service 

• Maintain awareness of best practices, emerging technologies, and innovations in education that may be adopted to improve student outcomes. 
• Communicate institutional strategy and establish a shared vision with relevant external stakeholders.
• Serve as the main point of contact for other departments at ALU, external academic partners and professional networks working with or seeking to work with the ALU undergraduate programmes.
• Attend and lead external ALU undergraduate programme presentations where necessary.
• Engage in institutional service through active participation in the Senate and its sub-committees as per their composition. 
• Such other duties in respect of the Company as may be reasonably assigned by your manager.

Requirements 

Essential 

• Master’s degree or higher in Leadership, Business Administration, Social Sciences, Leadership or related subjects. 
• At least 5 years of experience in leadership, leadership education and development, experiential education, or similar roles within higher education. 
• Proven experience in curriculum design, development, and quality assurance in higher education. 
• Strong communication (oral and written), interpersonal and presentation skills. 
• Excellent problem-solving skills with attention to detail. 
• Demonstrated ability in team leadership, mentoring, and performance management. 
• Proficiency in Learning Management Systems (LMS) and educational technologies, such as Canvas, Salesforce, etc. 
• Excellent time management skills with the ability to multitask, prioritise own work, and work independently.

Desirable 

• Experience in programme management and leadership at a higher education institution.
• Experience with innovative learning techniques in higher education. 
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, ever-evolving environment, demonstrating high comfort with self-directed work and navigating ambiguity effectively. 
• Openness to critique and curiosity to learn from other perspectives. 
• Demonstrated commitment to fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion. 
• Strong regional and international network with NGOs, startup incubators, accelerators, etc. 
• Additional industry or educational credentials, particularly in education, leadership, or entrepreneurship.