Campus Director – Zayed Military University (ZMU)

Job Category : SUAD/Zayed Military University Project

Job Type : Full Time

Job Reference Number : HR-FT-15-2026

Job Open Date : 2026-05-05 - Deadline: 2026-06-05

Job Location : Abu Dhabi, UAE - Zayed Military University (ZMU) Campus

Job Description

The Campus Director of Zayed Military University (ZMU) serves as the chief academic and administrative leader of the University project, responsible for overseeing its strategic development, institutional setup, program accreditation and delivery of academic programmes, faculty recruitment, and operational readiness. The Campus Director drives collaboration between Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi (SUAD), French academic partners (SU and UPC), and UAE military and governmental stakeholders to ensure that ZMU is established as a premier defense and leadership education institution in the UAE. The incumbent will need to work under the functional authority of both Deputy Vice Chancellor Academic and Administration of SUAD.

The Campus Director represents the university in high-level committees such as the ZMU Governance, supervises the Project Lead and working groups, and ensures alignment with national objectives, academic standards, and defense readiness expectations. This role is central to ensuring project milestones are met, cross-border institutional coordination is sustained, and the university’s launch and operations are effectively governed.

Key Accountability

Strategic Leadership & Governance:

Provide visionary leadership for the full establishment and rollout of ZMU in alignment with the UAE's defense strategy and Sorbonne University’s academic mission.
Serve as Chair of all strategic working groups, ensuring project alignment with key stakeholders.
Define institutional values, mission, and governance structures in partnership with SUAD, SU, and UPC, ZMU, Rabadan, KU and the Managing Partner.
Represent ZMU in high-level national and international forums.

Academic Program Development & Accreditation:

Oversee the design and approval of all academic programs and ensure compliance with UAE and French accreditation standards.
Guide coordination with the Ministry of Defense, CAA (UAE), MoHESR and academic partners to ensure timely accreditation and recognition of ZMU degrees.
Ensure academic rigor, interdisciplinary integration, and operational relevance of proposed curricula.

Operations, Budget & Project Oversight:

Direct institutional planning including budget allocation, procurement strategy, infrastructure development.
Oversee reporting of KPIs, financials, timelines, and deliverables to governing authorities and boards.
Monitor progress and manage resolution of complex operational risks across workstreams.

Stakeholder Engagement & Representation:

Act as the key liaison between ZMU and military, governmental, academic, and other entities.
Ensure strong institutional partnerships with the French higher education sector and the UAE’s defense institutions.
Lead recruitment strategy for senior academic and administrative leadership positions.

Team Leadership & Capacity Building:

Directly supervise the Project Lead and provide performance oversight for all working groups and subcommittees.
Build institutional capacity through talent acquisition, leadership coaching, and training development programs.
Drive a high-performance, mission-aligned culture across all ZMU teams.

Institutional Membership and Governance Roles:

To present SUAD at the high-level ZMU Committees.

Qualification

Minimum Qualifications:

PhD is mandatory.

Minimum Experience:

8 years of experience in administrative, teaching and research in higher education, and 5 years of project management experience

Job-Specific Skills:

Restricted to UAE Nationals only
Knowledge in the UAE and the French higher education systems and policies.
Negotiation, communication, presentation, and reporting skills.
Strong leadership skills.
Demonstrated ability to think strategically and solve problems.
Solid knowledge in project management methodologies and tools.
Ability to plan and organize resources effectively.
Team management and interpersonal skills.
Strong risk management skills.
Languages: English is mandatory; full mastery of Arabic would be highly preferred. Knowledge of French would be an added value.
Knowledge in the defense and security sectors would be an added value.

Campus Director – Zayed Military University (ZMU)