[Hiring] Vice President of Engagement @ALU

Role Description

The Vice President of Engagement serves as the university’s primary external ambassador, responsible for building, mobilizing, and stewarding the relationships that enable institutional growth, influence, and long-term impact. This role is part of the Senior Leadership Team responsible for cultivating and stewarding the relationships that power the university’s mission, reputation, and long-term sustainability.

This role leads the design and execution of an integrated engagement strategy that brings together philanthropy, partnerships, marketing, impact, alumni and community engagement, and stakeholder stewardship into a unified function. The Vice President drives the university’s resource mobilization efforts, securing funding and strategic support to advance its mission, while cultivating partnerships that expand its reach, relevance, and contribution across Africa and the world.

Central to the role is the responsibility to build and sustain a powerful, lifelong community of students, alumni, parents, staff, donors, and partners; ensuring that engagement with the university is meaningful, consistent, and anchored in shared purpose.

The role also oversees the university’s marketing, branding, and public relations strategy, ensuring a clear, compelling, and differentiated institutional voice, and leads impact reporting and storytelling to demonstrate the university’s outcomes and influence to stakeholders.

Through strong external representation, relationship leadership, strategic communications, and institutional convening, the Vice President positions the university as a trusted partner, connector, and platform for advancing leadership and impact on the continent.

Qualifications

• Significant leadership experience in fundraising, partnerships, external affairs, or stakeholder engagement.
• A proven track record of building relationships that lead to funding, partnerships, or institutional growth.
• Experience working with senior leaders, boards, donors, and global networks.
• Familiarity with Africa’s development, philanthropic, or innovation ecosystems.
• Experience in higher education is valuable but not required.

Requirements

• Mission-Driven: Demonstrates deep personal alignment to Africa’s development and ALU’s mission, with the ability to inspire belief and mobilize diverse stakeholders (donors, partners, alumni, and communities) around a shared purpose.
• Strategic: Builds and sustains trust-based, high-value relationships across sectors, cultures, and geographies, with strong judgment on how to engage, influence, and steward stakeholders over time.
• Ownership & Excellence: Operates with a high level of accountability, translating ambitious ideas into tangible outcomes in a fast-moving, evolving environment, while maintaining quality and follow-through.
• Systems Thinking: Sees connections across functions (fundraising, partnerships, brand, alumni, impact) and integrates them into a cohesive strategy, avoiding silos and maximizing institutional leverage.

Benefits

• Developing and executing a comprehensive fundraising & business development strategy including major gifts, foundations, corporate giving, and development campaigns.
• Building and managing relationships with high-net-worth individuals, philanthropic foundations, and institutional donors.
• Partnering with leadership and the Board to identify and cultivate strategic donors.
• Developing compelling funding propositions aligned with the university’s mission and programs.
• Establishing systems for donor stewardship, reporting, and impact communication.
• Leading major institutional fundraising campaigns when required.
• Building the process, data and systems to ensure seamless coordination of the customer experience, and data collection.

Company Description

At the African Leadership University (ALU), we are not just an academic institution; we are a launchpad for Africa’s next generation of leaders. Our mission is bold: to develop ethical, entrepreneurial changemakers who will shape Africa’s future. Through an innovative curriculum, hands-on learning, and a vibrant pan-African community, we equip our students to tackle complex challenges, connect the dots across diverse perspectives, and create solutions that drive lasting impact.

We are dedicated to fostering an open yet secure environment, balancing the safety of students, staff, and visitors with respect for individual rights, and safeguarding responsibilities.