Vice President of Engagement

ABOUT ALU

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 don’t just teach; we nurture adaptable, globally minded problem-solvers ready to thrive in ambiguity, build from scratch, and lead Africa into a prosperous 21st century.

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 Engagement team is the university’s front door to the world, bringing together expertise in fundraising, stewardship, partnerships, alumni and community engagement, marketing and brand, impact storytelling, events, and impactful experiences.

As a unified function, the team builds and nurtures a powerful ecosystem of supporters, collaborators, and advocates across Africa and globally. It connects relationships to purpose; mobilizing resources, amplifying the university’s voice, and creating meaningful experiences that deepen engagement and extend impact.

Working closely with the CEO, Senior Leadership Team, and Board, the team plays a central role in showcasing our impact & potential of young leaders, while positioning the university as a trusted partner and influential platform for leadership and transformation on the continent.

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

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.

ROLE RESPONSIBILITIES

Fundraising & Business Development

• Designing 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

Strategic Partnerships & Ecosystem Development

• Building long-term relationships with companies, foundations, governments, NGOs, and global institutions.
• Structuring partnerships that create value across student opportunities, program development, funding, and thought leadership.
• Identifying opportunities for collaboration that advance African leadership development, entrepreneurship and innovation.
• Representing the university in key external forums and strategic alliances.

Alumni & Community Engagement

• Leading the strategy for alumni engagement across the continent and globally.
• Developing programs that strengthen relationships between the university and its alumni: students, parents, and staff community.
• Creating meaningful engagement opportunities including mentorship, career support, investment networks, and community impact initiatives.
• Building systems that ensure alumni and parents remain lifelong ambassadors and contributors to the university’s mission.

Stewardship & Relationship Management

• Developing structured stewardship programs for donors, partners, and strategic supporters.
• Designing relationship management systems to track and strengthen institutional relationships.
• Strategically positioning senior leadership as credible thought leaders within key stakeholder relationships, expanding ALU's reach and influence across priority networks and sectors.
• Overseeing communications and reporting that demonstrate the impact of stakeholder contributions.

Marketing, Brand, PR & Impact

• Developing and executing an integrated marketing and brand strategy aligned with the university’s mission and growth priorities.
• Overseeing public relations and media engagement, ensuring consistent, high-quality external communications and reputation management.
• Shaping and safeguarding the university’s brand identity, voice, and positioning across all channels, assets and markets.
• Leading impact reporting and storytelling, translating data and outcomes into compelling narratives for donors, partners, and the broader community.
• Ensuring alignment between fundraising, partnerships, and communications, so that messaging effectively supports resource mobilization and stakeholder engagement.
• Building systems and content that elevate the university’s profile as a thought leader and impact-driven institution in Africa and globally.

Events, Hosting and Org-Wide Hospitality

• Leading the strategy for high-impact institutional events, summits, convenings, and leadership gatherings.
• Ensuring the university hosts partners, donors, and dignitaries with exceptional hospitality and professionalism.
• Designing events that strengthen relationships and elevate the university’s reputation.
• Supporting flagship events including graduations, donor gatherings, signature ALU events and leadership forums.

External Relations 

• Representing the university with philanthropic, corporate, and civic leaders.
• Strengthening the university’s presence across Africa and internationally.
• Supporting the CEO’s office and Board in managing high-level stakeholder relationships.
• Ensuring alignment between institutional messaging, partnerships, and mission.

Senior Leadership

• Build and lead a high-performing Stakeholder Engagement department.
• Establish clear strategies, goals, and metrics for fundraising, partnerships, and engagement.
• Foster a culture of relationship stewardship, professionalism, and mission alignment.
• Work closely with other executives to ensure stakeholder engagement supports institutional priorities.

REQUIRED EXPERIENCE

• 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.

REQUIRED COMPETENCIES

• 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.

Core Competencies

• Proven ability to design and execute fundraising strategies, including major gifts, institutional funding, and partnership-linked revenue generation.
• Expertise in shaping institutional narrative across marketing, PR, and impact reporting, translating outcomes into compelling stories that attract funding, partnerships, and influence.
• Ability to originate, negotiate, and structure strategic partnerships that deliver mutual value across corporate, foundation, government, and ecosystem players.
• Experience building and activating networks (alumni, communities, supporters) into engaged ecosystems that contribute to institutional growth, reputation, and impact.