Summary
Dubai Medical University is seeking a Director of Student Affairs in Dubai. The role leads student affairs strategy, policies, services, student engagement, wellbeing, career support, and major student events. It also oversees compliance, risk and safeguarding, service data and systems, staff, budgets, and vendors. Applicants need a master’s degree in a related field and 8–10 years of higher education experience, including at least 5 years in leadership; a doctorate is preferred.
The posting
As published on dmu.ae. Pulled from the employer's site and shown as they wrote it.
Responsibilities
- Set Student Affairs strategy, KPIs, and annual plan; align with mission, CAA/professional standards, and UAE cultural values.
- Own Student Affairs policies (conduct, wellbeing, clubs, events, residence/transport touchpoints, publications) and schedule cyclical reviews.
- Represent student interests on executive/academic bodies; embed student voice and due process in decisions.
- Charter/oversee the Student Union and clubs; manage elections, leader training, inclusivity, activity risk, and major student events.
- Deliver career education, coaching, internships/placements, employer engagement, fairs; maintain alumni engagement, mentoring, and outcomes tracking.
- Ensure timely counselling access, case management, crisis response, and health-promotion/prevention programs.
- Set service standards/SLAs, workflows, and calendars; maintain student-facing content (portal/web) for all services.
- Coordinate orientation, advising/study-skills signposting, early-alert/case conferences to support retention and success.
- Align onboarding, enrolment transitions, eligibility checks for milestones (e.g., graduation communications).
- Coordinate student-facing services and event logistics as needed.
- Secure safe transport and residence touchpoints, technology for bookings/case records, budgets/procurement, and HSE compliance.
- Maintain the Student Handbook; administer rights/responsibilities, grievances, appeals, and academic/behavioral integrity with transparent procedures and education.
- Ensure equitable access to services for students of determination, and other at-risk groups; monitor accommodations and outcomes.
- Evidence compliance with internal regulations and external standards (CAA/professional bodies); close audit gaps; contribute Student Affairs inputs to self-studies, program reviews, risk registers, and site-visit readiness.
- Govern data for KPIs, utilization, satisfaction, incidents; publish dashboards and “you said—we did” actions; redesign services based on feedback and outcomes.
- Champion systems for bookings, counselling/advising records, case management, co-curricular transcripts, events and engagement analytics; ensure data security and access controls.
- Lead student risk/wellbeing reviews; ensure safeguarding training for staff/student leaders; oversee event/activity risk assessments; coordinate emergency protocols and post-incident follow-up.
- Structure the Deanship; recruit, mentor, and appraise Student Affairs staff; manage budgets, contracts, and vendor SLAs; commission and monitor outsourced student-facing services.
- Oversee student-facing planning and communications for graduation and recognition events in coordination with Registrar and relevant units.
Qualifications & experience
- Master’s degree in Higher Education Administration, Educational Leadership, Psychology, Public Health, or a related field (Doctorate preferred).
- Minimum 8–10 years of experience in higher education, with at least 5 years in a leadership role.
- Experience in a medical or health sciences institution is highly desirable.
Competencies
- Strong strategic leadership and decision-making skills.
- Excellent communication and interpersonal abilities.
- Student-centered approach with high emotional intelligence.
- Conflict resolution and crisis management skills.
- Knowledge of higher education governance and compliance frameworks.
- Strong organizational, analytical, and reporting capabilities.
- Ability to lead cross-functional teams and manage multiple priorities effectively.