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

Job Number

2026-15360

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

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 UAE