Application Open:
Full-Time
Job Purpose:
The National Development Program Specialist, reporting to the Head of National Programs Development, supports the design, execution, and evaluation of strategic initiatives that advance national educational and developmental priorities. This role involves assisting in program planning, stakeholder engagement, and resource coordination to ensure the successful implementation of impactful projects. The specialist contributes to identifying opportunities, addressing gaps, and delivering tailored solutions in collaboration with internal teams and external partners. Focused on achieving measurable outcomes, the position ensures alignment with institutional objectives and national strategies while maintaining high standards of quality and efficiency in program delivery.
Key Responsibilities:
- Support the development of the university’s National Development Programs Strategy based on the university’s strategy for the continuous development and improvement of the Artificial Intelligence programs offered to students.
- Benchmark the National Development Programs policies and procedures to ensure improvement of the university programs and guarantee their quality.
- Support the efforts of developing specialized educational programs in coordination with the respective organizational units as well as leveraging local & international content providers in line with the university strategic requirements.
- Compile the content development of programs in coordination with the respective content service providers and ensure adherence to the contractual requirements.
- Support the accreditation requirements of educational programs and follow up with the relevant entities (Department of Knowledge and Education, Commission for Academic Accreditation, National Qualifications Authority) to get the needed approvals.
- Coordinate with the Heads of Accreditation, and Institutional Effectiveness & Quality Assurance, to identify market niches and industry requirements to identify any potential educational programs that can be introduced and delivered at the university in alignment with the university’s strategy.
- Coordinate with the Institutional Effectiveness and Quality Assurance organizational unit to ensure the development of the university’s quality assurance framework and manage its related standards, policies and processes and ensure its alignment across all educational programs and their delivery.
- Evaluate and assess the effectiveness of all educational programs output to ensure high quality of education is continuously provided to the university learners and the learning objectives and outcomes of its programs are being achieved.
- Identify gaps and areas for enhancement in the offered educational programs and their delivery methods, recommend corrective actions and ensure they are addressed.
- Coordinate with the Academic Affairs & Research divisions to ensure that the corrective actions have been implemented within the agreed timeframe to ensure the continuous improvement of the university programs and guarantee their quality.
- Ensure continuous improvement across all services of the National Development Program functions.
- Undertake any other related duties as assigned by the line manager.
Institutional Strategy:
- Develop and manage the section’s operational plans to facilitate efficient operations and ensure the achievement of MBZUAI’s strategic objectives.
- Ensure timely provision of campus life data and reports to management and recommend operational improvements to support planning, decision-making, and continuous improvement.
- Monitor monthly and quarterly performance results, identify areas for remediation, and—if required–take prompt, corrective action to meet section and MBZUAI goals.
- Ensure section priorities and plans fully align with department and divisional objectives.
Financial & Organizational Management:
- Manage the section budgeting process in compliance with MBZUAI’s Provost Office and finance department directives, policies, processes, and timelines.
- Effectively manage resources and report on the section budget; identify, account for, and report budget deviations; and take prompt, corrective action to ensure section goals are achieved within budget parameters.
- Contribute to accurate demand planning by analyzing and providing section data and information to inform accurate forecasting of resource requirements.
- Model and promote cross-collaboration between MBZUAI departments and sections.
- Lead on business change and continuous improvement by identifying opportunities and new requirements including improvements in IT- and AI- enabled processes, data reporting, and analytics.
- Develop, implement, and oversee section policies and procedures that align with MBZUAI’s goals and ensure efficient, effective, and compliant operations.
Academic Qualifications & Professional Experience:
- A minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in relevant discipline. A postgraduate qualification is preferred.
- 5 years of experience in a similar role position.
