Director of Open Enrollment Programs, Executive and Professional Education

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 Director of Open Enrollment Programs, Executive and Professional Education reporting to the Vice Provost, Executive & Professional Education.

The Director of Open Enrollment Programs provides strategic leadership for the development, growth, and academic oversight of NYU Abu Dhabi’s portfolio of open enrollment offerings across three key verticals: Community Learning, Professional Micro-Credentials, and High School Programs.Reporting to the Vice Provost of Executive and Professional Education, the role is responsible for designing and expanding a market-responsive portfolio that supports NYUAD’s academic mission while addressing regional workforce development, youth enrichment, and lifelong learning priorities. The Director oversees portfolio strategy, program development, financial performance, and operational excellence, positioning NYUAD as a regional leader in professional education and pre-university learning.Working closely with academic leadership, faculty, and external partners, the Director ensures programs are aligned with emerging market needs while maintaining academic integrity and institutional standards across the UAE, GCC, MENA region, and India.

Key Responsibilities:

Portfolio Strategy & Growth

• Lead the development and execution of a multi-year growth strategy for open enrollment programs across community learning, micro-credentials, and high school program verticals
• Collaborate with OEPE marketing, admissions, and business development teams to drive lead generation, conversion, and regional brand visibility
• Program Leadership & Academic Quality
• Lead market-informed program development and expansion in partnership with NYUAD faculty, NYU SPS New York, and global academic units
• Recruit, onboard, and manage academic and scholar-practitioner faculty and instructors in alignment with NYU academic standards
• Ensure academic integrity, safeguarding, regulatory compliance, and institutional approvals for all programs

Revenue & Financial Performance

• Hold P&L responsibility for the open enrollment portfolio and oversee financial performance and sustainability
• Manage enrollment targets, margin optimization, and financial forecasting to support program growth

Operational Excellence

• Provide strategic oversight of end-to-end program delivery across all open enrollment program verticals
• Create a high-quality learner experience across programs
• Ensure compliance requirements are met, particularly for programs involving minors
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives across program operations
• Work with the Program Delivery team to identify and hire academic and seasonal staff required for program delivery

Qualifications

Required Education:

• Master's Degree or higher from an accredited institution

Required Experience:

• 10+ years of progressive leadership experience in Continuing education, executive education, or professional education
• University-based or higher education program management
• Demonstrated experience building and scaling open enrollment or certificate portfolios
• Proven P&L responsibility and revenue growth leadership
• Experience managing multi-stakeholder academic partnerships
• Strong understanding of youth education, workforce development, and lifelong learning markets
• Knowledge of:
  • Open enrollment and continuing education business models
  • Youth education, pre-college pathways, and academic enrichment
  • Professional micro-credential and workforce credentialing markets
  • Higher education governance and quality assurance frameworks
• Skills:
  • Strategic portfolio design and market positioning
  • Financial modeling, pricing strategy, and margin management
  • Partnership development and stakeholder management
  • Program launch, scaling, and lifecycle management
  • Executive-level communication and presentation
• Abilities:
  • Lead cross-functional academic, marketing, admissions, and operations teams
  • Operate in a complex global university environment
  • Build high-trust relationships with faculty and external partners
  • Drive growth while maintaining academic excellence and compliance

Preferred Education:

• Doctoral Degree or terminal degree
• Certified Professional in Learning & Performance (CPLP)
• Project Management Professional (PMP)
• Certified Continuing Education Professional (CCEP)
• Safeguarding / Child Protection Certification (for youth programs)

Preferred Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Knowledge of:
  • UAE education regulation, youth safeguarding frameworks, and accreditation environments
  • Regional workforce priorities and national development agendas
  • Global micro-credential frameworks and digital credentialing ecosystems
• Skills:
  • International market entry and regional expansion
  • Institutional partnership negotiation
  • Thought leadership and brand positioning
• Abilities:
  • Operate at executive and ministerial levels
  • Represent NYUAD at global education forums and regional summits

Additional Information

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.