Job Description

Our client is seeking an experienced Careers & Alumni Relations Manager to lead and develop careers, employability and alumni engagement initiatives in the UAE. This role plays a critical part in supporting students and graduates with their professional development, strengthening alumni relationships, and building meaningful partnerships with employers and external stakeholders.

The role combines careers delivery, alumni engagement, corporate relations and regulatory reporting, and requires someone confident operating in a higher education environment in the UAE.

Key Responsibilities

Careers & Employability

• Deliver one-to-one careers coaching to postgraduate students via face-to-face, telephone and email.
• Design and deliver group workshops focused on career management, employability and professional development.
• Promote and coordinate careers services delivered by central teams.
• Build relationships with local and regional employers to generate job, internship and placement opportunities.
• Organise careers fairs, employability events, networking sessions and company visits.
• Engage external industry speakers to enhance students’ understanding of the local and regional market.
• Produce employability materials such as CV books and employer-facing resources.

Alumni Relations

• Act as the main point of contact for locally and regionally based alumni.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with alumni groups and committees.
• Plan and deliver alumni-focused events, including networking sessions and speaker events.
• Manage alumni communications across email, newsletters and social media, working closely with marketing teams.
• Support alumni engagement initiatives that strengthen employability outcomes and brand visibility.
• Contribute to alumni-related marketing, communications and fundraising activities.

Corporate & External Engagement

• Develop and manage relationships with corporate partners, stakeholders and sponsors.
• Identify and grow partnerships that support employability initiatives, events and strategic projects.
• Represent the organisation at external networking and community events.
• Support social responsibility initiatives by identifying and securing suitable sponsors.
• Maintain and expand an active network of employers and partners across the region.

Strategy, Reporting & Compliance

• Support the implementation of careers and alumni strategies aligned with wider organisational goals.
• Collaborate on and prepare reports for the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, including user statistics, feedback, insights and recommendations.
• Ensure accurate data management and reporting, working closely with central careers and alumni teams.
• Maintain high standards of data integrity and compliance.
• Contribute to special projects and wider initiatives as required.

Requirements

• Certified Career Coach (mandatory).
• Proven experience within higher education, careers services, employability or alumni relations.
• Strong understanding of the UAE higher education landscape and regulatory environment.
• Experience preparing reports, statistics and insights for external or regulatory stakeholders.
• Excellent stakeholder management and relationship-building skills.
• Confident communicator with strong emotional intelligence.
• Highly organised, proactive and comfortable managing multiple priorities.
• Able to work independently while collaborating effectively with central and local teams.
• Comfortable working flexible hours, including evenings and occasional weekends.
• Discreet and professional, with a strong understanding of data protection and confidentiality.
• Strong IT skills, particularly PowerPoint and Excel.
• Willingness to travel as required.