Head of Postdoctoral Affairs

About the role

The Head of Postdoctoral Affairs leads the strategic direction, program design and daily operations of the university’s postdoctoral portfolio. Reporting to senior leadership, the incumbent owns the postdoctoral program, sets priorities, creates guidelines and represents postdoctoral affairs across the institution.

Key responsibilities

• Develop and implement the overall strategy for postdoctoral affairs, aligning it with university research and faculty excellence goals.
• Collaborate with divisional deans and academic leaders to gather governance input, ensure alignment of divisional practices with university‑wide standards, and identify discipline‑specific development needs.
• Represent postdoctoral affairs on university committees, contribute to policy development and stay current on peer‑institution benchmarks.
• Continuously evaluate and improve postdoctoral programs, introducing new tools and initiatives that address emerging needs.
• Coordinate onboarding, orientation and appointment processes with HR, immigration and academic units.
• Design and deliver career‑development programming, mentor postdoctoral researchers and support PIs with mentoring resources.
• Build community through social, professional and networking events and support a postdoctoral association.
• Maintain dashboards tracking population, engagement and outcomes, and report on career placements and KPIs.

Required profile

• Master’s degree in higher‑education administration, AI, computer science, engineering or related field; doctoral degree preferred.
• 8–12 years of experience in academic research environments, including supervision or management of postdoctoral researchers.
• Proven experience in academic governance, policy development or research administration at a research‑intensive institution.
• Strong understanding of UAE higher‑education regulatory frameworks; familiarity with international research ecosystems.
• Leadership experience supporting faculty and research personnel, preferably in a STEM or AI‑focused graduate environment.