Head of Postdoctoral Affairs

Job Purpose:

The Head of Postdoctoral Affairs leads the strategic direction, program design, and day-to-day operations of MBZUAI’s postdoctoral affairs portfolio. This is a role with full ownership of the postdoctoral program area: the incumbent sets priorities, designs guidelines and process, and represents postdoctoral affairs across the university.

Key Responsibilities:

Strategy & Program Leadership

• Create and implement the strategy for Postdoctoral Affairs, aligning program priorities with OFEPA’s broader faculty excellence and advancement goals and with MBZUAI’s steady-state goal of becoming a comprehensive research university
• Liaise regularly with Divisional Deans and academic leadership to gather governance input on postdoctoral guidelines, ensure alignment between divisional-level practice and university-wide standards, and identify divisional-specific postdoctoral development needs (e.g., discipline-specific training, mentoring capacity, funding or gaps)
• Convene or participate in a governance mechanism (e.g., a Dean’s advisory input channel or postdoctoral affairs committee) to ensure postdoctoral guidelines and programming decisions reflect input from across divisions, not only from OFEPA
• Represent postdoctoral affairs in university-wide committees and working groups, and contribute postdoctoral-specific input to institutional policy development
• Stay current on postdoctoral policy trends and benchmark practices at peer institutions to keep MBZUAI’s offering competitive

Innovation & Continuous Improvement

• Continuously evaluate and evolve postdoctoral programs and processes rather than defaulting to existing practice, proactively developing new programs and initiatives that address emerging postdoc needs
• Identify and adopt new tools and approaches to improve the efficiency and quality of how postdoctoral affairs work is delivered, and serve as a role model for others in the office in how work is modernized and improved
• Stay current on emerging trends in postdoctoral affairs and higher education administration, evaluating each on its merits for MBZUAI’s context rather than adopting new tools, technologies, or practices without critical assessment

Onboarding & Appointment Coordination

• Partner with Academic Appointments, HR, Immigration, and other relevant departments to ensure smooth and compliant postdoctoral appointment processes
• Coordinate postdoctoral orientation processes in alignment with HR’s onboarding and orientation framework, ensuring a consistent, well-integrated experience for incoming Postdoctoral Researchers

Career Development & Mentoring

• Develop and deliver postdoctoral career development programming, including mentoring structures, training, and pathways to independent research, faculty or industry roles
• Oversee Postdoctoral Researchers’ Individual Development Plans (IDPs) and related activities, ensuring consistent use, tracking, and follow-through across the postdoctoral population
• Provide mentorship guidance and support to Postdoctoral Researchers directly, and equip PIs/supervisors with tools and resources (e.g., mentoring toolkits, structured check-in templates) to strengthen the quality and consistency of PI – Postdoctoral Researcher mentoring relationships
• Partner with academic units and administrative departments to expand development opportunities available to Postdoctoral Researchers, connecting them to relevant training, funding, and career resources beyond OFEPA’s own programming

Community & Engagement

• Build and sustain a sense of community among MBZUAI’s postdoctoral researchers, including organizing social, professional, and networking events and supporting or establishing a postdoctoral association or equivalent community structure
• Liaise with appropriate departments on outreach and community services for Postdoctoral Researchers, connecting them to relevant campus and community resources

Data, Reporting & Outcomes

• Maintain a data dashboard tracking the postdoctoral population, program engagement, and outcomes, aligned with MBZUAI’s steady-state goals and priorities, and support quarterly reviews with data, initiatives, and metrics that showcase progress against set KPIs
• Track and report on postdoctoral career outcomes, including next-position/employer placement, as a measure of the postdoctoral program’s success and effectiveness
• Maintain a library of toolkits, templates, and SOPs for postdoctoral affairs processes, keeping them current and accessible for consistent use across the office

Other Duties

• Contribute to university-wide programs, including orientation, wellbeing initiatives, global observances, leadership development, and personal growth activities.
• Perform all other duties as reasonably directed by the line manager that are commensurate with these functional objectives.

Qualifications and Criteria:

• Master’s degree in higher education administration, Artificial Intelligence, Computer Science, Engineering, or a related discipline or a related field.
• A Doctoral degree will be preferred.

Essential:

• Minimum 8–12 years of experience in academic research environments, including experience supervising or managing postdoctoral researchers.
• Demonstrated experience in academic governance, policy development, or research administration within a research-intensive institution.
• Experience in higher education leadership roles supporting faculty and research personnel.
• Familiarity with international research ecosystems and postdoctoral career pathways.
• Strong understanding of UAE regulatory and higher education governance frameworks is preferred.

Preferred:

• Experience in a STEM or AI-focused graduate education environment.
• Fluency in Arabic and/or prior experience in UAE higher education.