Head of Visiting Graduate Student Programs and Special Projects - Social Responsibility and Community Engagement

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 Head of Visiting Graduate Student Programs and Special Projects reporting to the Director, Global Outreach and Programs.

The Head of Graduate Visiting Student Programs and Special Projects leads the design, delivery, and growth of NYU Abu Dhabi’s Visiting Graduate Student initiatives, serving as the primary point of coordination for graduate students studying from NYU Tandon and, in the future, other NYU schools. This inaugural role ensures an exceptional academic, cultural, and personal experience that positions NYUAD as a premier global site for graduate education and a key contributor to NYU’s mission of global academic excellence, empathy, and belonging.

Working collaboratively with colleagues across Abu Dhabi and New York, the Head oversees all aspects of the program — including onboarding and orientation, advising, housing coordination, health and wellness, career planning, cultural engagement, and program evaluation. The role plays a strategic part in advancing institutional goals of enrollment growth, revenue diversification, and a unified graduate student experience across the NYU network.

In parallel, the Head oversees NYUAD’s Social Responsibility Adult Education Program, which provides educational and community-building opportunities for over 900 contracted and domestic worker colleagues. Through this portfolio, the role strengthens NYUAD’s commitment to inclusive education, ethical employment, and social impact. Together, these responsibilities define a high-profile position that fosters academic distinction, community engagement, and institutional leadership within NYU’s global ecosystem.  

Key Responsibilities: 

Head of Graduate Visiting Student Programs

• Leads all aspects of the strategic and operational delivery of NYU Abu Dhabi’s Graduate Visiting Student Programs, ensuring an exceptional academic and personal experience for semester and summer students from NYU Tandon and other NYU schools
• Develops and executes strategies that advance academic excellence, student well-being, and program distinction while fostering innovation in program design, orientation, advising, career development, and community integration
• Supports enrollment growth and revenue diversification targets. The position also liaises with Tandon Admissions to identify key recruitment and yield strategies, positioning NYUAD as the preferred study away site for graduate students. ensuring a seamless and supportive student experience aligned with NYU’s global mission and values
• Provides overarching leadership and strategic direction for the portfolio of student research programs at NYU Abu Dhabi. Establishes long-term and short-term goals that align with institutional priorities and oversees their effective implementation
• Designs, evaluates, and optimizes administrative structures, policies, and systems that support a range of high-impact programs, including: establishing research programs and opportunities for graduate students, grants, Summer Research Program, Research Awards, and other research-based experiential learning initiatives
• Ensure that programs are inclusive, scalable, and responsive to the needs of students and faculty, while advancing NYUAD’s reputation as a global research hub

 Office of Social Responsibility

• Increases program participation and diversifies course offerings by identifying thematic areas of interest through annual surveys, community input, and data analysis, driving continuous improvement and reinforcing NYUAD’s regional leadership in adult education for contracted and domestic worker colleagues
• Cultivates high-impact partnerships with service vendors, Compliance, and HR, leading onboarding sessions that reinforce NYUAD’s Supplier Code of Conduct and promoting ethical employment practices of domestic worker colleagues through faculty and staff orientation programming.
• Supervises the OSR Instructor, providing strategic direction and oversight for the day-to-day administration of programming, instructional coordination, and community engagement, while ensuring operational excellence
• Reports regularly to the Director of Global Outreach and Programs on key program metrics, outreach impact, and communication performance, using data to inform strategic decisions and strengthen visibility of NYUAD’s social responsibility initiatives across the university and beyond

 Graduate Visiting Student Programs & Office of Social Responsibility: Communications and Strategy

• Leads and executes a high-impact social media strategy across TikTok, Instagram, and other platforms platforms
• Manages a global team of 8–12 content creators based in New York and Abu Dhabi
• Develops trend-responsive content and campaigns tailored to prospective graduate visiting students engagement and yield goals
• Maintains outreach metrics and produces data-driven yield communications and newsletters
• Regularly audits internal and external communication pages to ensure consistency and alignment.
• Defines and tracks outreach goals using platform analytics and trend insights
• Produces and maintains content calendars and metric tools, including Hootsuite
• Generates and presents quarterly performance reports to leadership

Required Education: 

• Master’s degree in higher education administration, education, management, or a relevant field

Required Experience: 

• 5+ years of overall experience in developing, implementing, and managing study away programs, preferably in comparable positions, with a record of advancement and growth at progressively more responsible levels, preferably in higher education or in an education-related position within an established international organization or governmental body operating in the U.A.E
• Experience working with institutions of a multi-national, multi-cultural nature
• Study away experience
• Proven experience supervising individuals and teams at various levels.
• Experience in an academic environment, and particularly in student recruitment, advising, support, and retention
• Strong problem-solving, conflict resolution, analytical, and critical thinking skills gained within a complex, demanding work environment
• Excellent presentation skills, including the ability to engage extemporaneously with audiences to build relationships and gain trust
• Ability to use good judgment, discretion, diplomacy, flexibility, and initiative
• Ability to inspire confidence and build consensus in support of visiting student programs
• Advanced written, oral, and interpersonal communication skills. Strong organizational skills with the ability to prioritize tasks, manage complex workloads, and meet deadlines while maintaining accuracy and attention to detail across multiple time zones
• Demonstrated ability to work proactively and independently, with a solutions-oriented mindset and a strong “doer” mentality, capable of taking initiative and following through on assignments independently
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to proactively convey ideas clearly and effectively
• Exceptional interpersonal skills with a high degree of emotional intelligence, cultural sensitivity, and the ability to build trust and communicate effectively with contracted and domestic worker colleagues
• Advanced knowledge of social media platforms, including TikTok and Instagram, with experience in content creation, trend monitoring, and managing digital engagement strategies across global audiences
• Graphic design and visual communication skills; Canva and Adobe Creative Suite proficiency to produce high-quality digital and print materials
• Experience supervising staff or student teams and working collaboratively within dynamic, multicultural teams
• Excellent analytical skills, with the ability to prepare and interpret reports combining quantitative and qualitative data for program evaluation and decision-making
• Experience organizing and executing high-profile events and programs, including large-scale community celebrations and annual milestones
• Ability to manage multiple, concurrent projects and adapt to changing priorities in a fast-paced environment
• High level of professionalism, discretion, and confidentiality when interacting with internal and external stakeholders
• Willingness and flexibility to work occasional evenings and weekends, travel, and support programming across various time zones, as required by the nature of the role

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.