Senior Director

About NYU Abu Dhabi

NYU Abu Dhabi is pioneering a new model of higher education for a global world, dedicated to excellence in teaching and research and to advancing cooperation and progress on humanity’s shared challenges. Drawing on the strengths of the NYU global network, it offers an outstanding liberal arts and sciences education to students from the United Arab Emirates, the United States, and around the world, with a distinctive focus on intercultural understanding and leadership. It supports innovative research and graduate education programs that push forward the frontiers of knowledge and respond in powerful and interdisciplinary ways to vital global and local challenges.

Position summary

Applications are welcome from all qualified candidates. In line with UAE regulations, Emirati candidates are encouraged to apply.

Applications should consist of a covering letter, a full CV detailing academic and professional qualifications, employment history, current remuneration, and relevant achievements.

The closing date for applications is 7 August 2026 at 09:00 GST.

Role overview

Reporting to the Vice Provost of Executive and Professional Education, the Senior Director, Executive Education, will direct all key accounts management and business development initiatives in the Office of Executive Education (OEE).

The Senior Director is responsible for identifying and developing future markets; producing business and financial models; establishing new partnerships in the UAE, GCC and MENA region, and leading a high performing key accounts management and business development team. The role serves as the central point of coordination for the OEE, liaising with stakeholders across NYU Abu Dhabi, NYU New York, external partners, and clients.

The Senior Director will drive the expansion and impact of NYUAD’s executive education portfolio by fostering and overseeing strong relationships with government entities, corporate leaders, and industry stakeholders. The incumbent will work closely with NYUAD’s Chief Operating Officer, the Vice Provost for Executive and Professional Education, and collaborate across NYUAD, including Stern@NYUAD and the greater NYU global network to ensure sustainable revenue growth and long-term success.

The position requires independent judgment, strong initiative, and the ability to manage complex tasks with limited direct supervision in a fast paced entrepreneurial environment to meet strategic priorities and revenue goals set by the University.

Key responsibilities

Strategic leadership

Develop OEE’s enterprise client and partnership strategy in Abu Dhabi, the UAE, GCC, India and the MENA region

Work closely with institutional leadership to execute OEE’s executive education strategy

Leverage market research and industry partnerships to increase NYUAD’s executive education footprint in Abu Dhabi, the UAE and the region to meet revenue goals

Serve as the primary external ambassador for OEE

Business development and industry engagement

Cultivate and manage top-tier sovereign, ministry and corporate relationships

Drive multi-year framework agreements and renewal pipelines

Develop account growth plans that include upselling, cross-selling and renewals

Lead consultative discussions with potential and existing partners to develop custom programs tailored to workforce demands

Leverage research and data analytics to identify emerging trends and opportunities to meet client needs in the UAE, KSA and beyond

Expand NYU’s global presence by forming strategic alliances and partnerships beyond the region

Cross functional collaboration

Work closely with the COO and Vice Provost to develop and oversee revenue-generating agreements, business models, and financial sustainability of program offerings

Collaborate with faculty, program design, proposal specialists and delivery teams to meet client needs and establish benchmarks to track client health including satisfaction and renewal rates, and net revenue retention

Collaborate closely with internal teams, including Finance, Marketing, Admissions & Registration, Faculty and Academic Affairs, and Senior Program Managers

Prepare program design proposals, develop and execute agreements, and manage overall business relationships with all OEE contacts

Thought leadership

Identify emerging trends in workforce development to ensure NYUAD OEE remains at the forefront of executive education

Mentor and develop the Key Account Management and Business Development team, fostering a culture of excellence, collaboration, and professional growth

Actively contribute to university-wide leadership initiatives and training programs to ensure an equitable and inclusive work environment

Required education

Minimum of a master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA), M.Ed., Ed.M., Higher Education Administration, Leadership, Organizational Development, Public Policy, or a related field.

Required experience

Arabic language proficiency

12+ years experience in executive education or enterprise partnerships; senior leadership experience with complex stakeholders

Experience in sales lead generation, business development, proposal development and negotiations with a proven track record in securing and executing contracts, agreements, and memoranda of understanding

Experience leading a team or directly supervising staff

Experience managing resources including budgets

Ability to work effectively with individuals from diverse cultural and educational backgrounds and, in particular, demonstrated ability to work with Emirati nationals

Ability to operate under pressure and in a fast-paced and multi-tasking environment with short deadlines and minimal supervision

Knowledge of executive education market and workforce development trends and priorities in UAE, GCC, and MENA region

Familiarity with government and sovereign engagement frameworks, enterprise partnership models, executive leadership development, key account management, complex deal negotiation, financial and business modeling, strategic partnership building, proposal development, market expansion strategy, multi-year contract structuring

Ability to operate independently in a fast-paced entrepreneurial environment

Ability to manage complex stakeholder ecosystems and lead high-performing business development teams

Proven ability to drive revenue growth and profitability, build long-term sovereign and corporate partnerships, operate cross-culturally at executive and ministerial level, and serve as senior institutional ambassador

Preferred experience

GCC government contracting and sovereign partnership leadership

Multi-country executive education delivery

Experience with NYU or global university systems

Market expansion across UAE, GCC, KSA, India, MENA

GCC government procurement frameworks and sovereign partnership models

Regional policy engagement and government contracting frameworks

Multi-country partnership orchestration and regional market expansion leadership

Other information 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.