Director of Brand, Communications & Marketing

ABOUT ALU

African Leadership University (ALU) is a higher education institution developing the next generation of ethical and entrepreneurial leaders on the continent. Our students declare missions, not majors. They develop the real-world skills to take on the world's most pressing challenges — and they take ownership of their learning from day one.

We are not just an academic institution. We are a launchpad for Africa's next generation of leaders and a movement redefining what education on the continent can be. Together with a world-class faculty and staff, our students are igniting a ripple of positive impact across Africa and the world — building from scratch, thriving in ambiguity, and leading Africa into a prosperous 21st century.

We believe that ours is one of the most compelling stories in global education. We're looking for the leader who can tell it, build a brand worthy of it, and grow the community that carries it forward.

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.

ABOUT THE TEAM

The ALU Brand, Communications & Marketing team is the steward for everything ALU stands for. They shape how the world experiences the ALU brand, and build the digital engine that turns awareness into belonging, and belonging into action.

This is a team of diverse personalities, nationalities, and backgrounds, working together across roughly seven locations. They thrive on aligned autonomy: where every person takes full ownership of their work and the results they deliver, while staying tightly connected to each other and to a shared set of objectives. 

The African Leadership University team is committed to ensuring the safety and Well-being of all students under our care. As part of this commitment, we have a comprehensive safeguarding policy in place, which outlines our Zero-tolerance approach to any violation of safeguarding.

ABOUT THE ROLE

As Director of Brand, Communications & Marketing, you are the chief architect and steward of the ALU brand.

The ALU brand does not live in a logo or a campaign. It lives in every interaction we have with the people who connect with us, from prospective students and parents, to alumni, partners, donors and funders, employers, faculty, staff and the wider public.

Every stakeholder we engage is an important part of our journey. We want people to understand not only the impact ALU has on them, but also the impact they have on ALU and the wider community we are building. Your role is to bring all of these relationships together through a clear, coherent and compelling brand, so that each stakeholder understands where they fit and why their relationship with ALU matters.

This is a role for a builder and a storyteller in equal measure. You will define ALU’s positioning and narrative, lead our external communications, and build a community across our ecosystem of prospective students and parents, alumni, partners, donors and funders, and employers. Your goal is to build a brand that people do not simply recognise, but believe in, identify with and actively carry forward.

At the same time, you will lead a data driven marketing and digital strategy that turns brand resonance into meaningful outcomes, from student recruitment and community engagement to stronger relationships and a clearer understanding of our impact.

Working closely with the Executive Leadership Team, you will help ensure that everyone who encounters ALU, whether they are deciding where to study, who to hire, or who to build with, understands what makes ALU different and feels confident in being part of what we are building.

WHAT YOU'LL OWN

Brand Building & Positioning

• Define and steward the ALU brand — its positioning, narrative, tone of voice, and visual identity — and ensure it shows up consistently and powerfully across every market, channel, and touchpoint.
• Develop and evolve the ALU brand strategy, building distinctive brand equity and driving measurable brand resonance and affinity in our priority markets and countries.
• Create a living brand playbook (messaging architecture, tone, and visual standards) that keeps ALU unmistakably on-brand everywhere — and update it as audiences, priorities, and the market shift.
• Own how ALU is positioned relative to the competitive landscape, translating an understanding of key trends into a brand that stands apart.

Storytelling & Impact Communications

• Lead all external communications for the ALU brand, owning the narrative across earned, owned, and paid channels.
• Build ALU's impact storytelling engine — surfacing and shaping the stories of students, alumni, and communities into compelling, credible content that moves people to act.
• Design and lead ALU's thought leadership and signature brand assets, including flagship events (e.g. RIE, BOLD) and proprietary content that elevates ALU's voice, visibility, and reputation.
• Manage key messages, media relations, and executive/brand communications, protecting and amplifying ALU's reputation across diverse stakeholders.
• Translate a bold, complex mission into clear, accessible, emotionally resonant narratives — tailored to every audience, from prospective students and parents to donors, funders, partners, employers, and the media.

Community, Partners & Stakeholder Engagement 

• Build and nurture community across ALU's full stakeholder ecosystem — prospective students and parents, alumni, partners, donors and funders, and employers — turning audiences into advocates and advocates into a movement.
• Make every stakeholder relationship reciprocal by design: help each audience see the impact they have on ALU and the impact ALU has on them.
• Design and lead a seamless, on-brand experience across every stakeholder journey in partnership with relevant internal teams so the brand feels coherent at every touchpoint.
• Partner with fundraising, partnerships, and leadership colleagues to ensure ALU shows up powerfully and consistently for donors, funders, and institutional partners.
• Lead marketing and communications initiatives with schools and entities within ALU (e.g. School of Wildlife Conservation, School of Business, Centres for a Re-Imagined Africa).

Marketing, Digital & Growth

• Design and own the ALU digital and marketing communications strategy, supporting both recruitment targets and brand growth and positioning goals.
• Lead the teams responsible for digital lead generation, conversion rate optimisation, application pipeline management, content, and brand experience.
• Own ALU's digital ecosystem: social platforms, websites, email and CRM, ad accounts, and other digital assets— as brand-building and growth channels.
• Partner with Recruitment, Admissions, and Technology to build scalable models that deliver a seamless, high-converting student journey.
• Manage external partners on behalf of ALU, including creative and advertising agencies, media partners, and PR agencies.

Team Leadership & Performance

• Lead, coach, and grow a high-performing, fully remote, pan-African brand and marketing team.
• Define KPIs and OKRs aligned to ALU's strategic plan, and use the data to drive decision-making.
• Run continuous audience research, content testing, and brand listening to ensure the ALU brand and message land accurately and powerfully with the audiences who matter most.

WHO YOU ARE

• A brand builder. You've built a brand, led a rebrand, or driven a measurable step-change in brand resonance and affinity — and you can point to the difference it made.
• A storyteller at your core. You know how to turn purpose and impact into narrative that connects, and you can translate a complex mission into stories people remember and repeat.
• A community and ecosystem builder. You understand how brands become movements, and you've grown engaged, reciprocal relationships across many stakeholder groups — not just customers or one core audience, but partners, supporters, and advocates who both shape a brand and carry it.
• A commercially minded marketer. You connect brand-building to hard outcomes such as leads, conversion, pipeline, enrolment, etc., and you let data guide the work.
• A builder who thrives in ambiguity. You're energised by building from scratch, working from first principles, and moving fast in a high-growth environment.
• A leader others want to walk beside. You bring executive presence, sharp judgement, and the ability to inspire a remote, multicultural team toward a shared standard of excellence.

WHAT YOU BRING

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Communications, or a related field required; Master's degree a plus.
• At least 10+ years of marketing, brand, and/or communications leadership, ideally in ed-tech, higher education, or a mission-driven, high-growth organisation.
• Demonstrated success building a brand, leading a rebrand, or driving brand resonance — with results you can evidence.
• Strong track record in brand storytelling and impact communications across earned, owned, and paid channels.
• Agency experience (brand, creative, or communications) preferred.
• Expert-level marketing and brand strategy and execution skills.
• Exceptional writing, storytelling, and presentation skills, and the ability to influence senior stakeholders.
• Proven experience leading and inspiring a fully remote team.