Director, Centre for Ethical Leadership and Professor of Practice

ABOUT ALU

ALU provides higher education for a higher purpose. 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 through our peer and student-led approach – because ALU believes in the power and agency of young people to start shaping the future right now. Together with a world-class faculty and staff, our students are igniting a ripple of positive impact across Africa and the world.

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.

HOW WE WORK

At ALU, we approach education from first principles, empower individuals to design, test, and implement creative new ideas, and work closely together to craft transformative learning experiences. We are deeply passionate about our students and excited by the challenge of building something entirely new.

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 Centres for a Reimagined Africa (CRA) is ALU’s engine for Africa-centric innovation. These are our Centres of Excellence (COE). Unlike some academic models in Africa that replicate global-north practices, the CRA mandate is to approach every domain with an innovation mindset that rejects unthoughtful replication in favor of "reimagining." We develop intellectual property and educational frameworks designed specifically for the African context, ensuring our graduates are not just globally competent, but locally transformative leaders who can confront prior orthodoxies and establish new approaches that work.

To achieve our vision, we are evolving into a matrixed organization that differentiates Market Execution (Business Units) from this Innovation Engine (CRA). The Centres for a Reimagined Africa empower our BUs to focus on student acquisition and delivery excellence, while the CRA ensures that our core academic product is world-class, rigorous, and uniquely fit-for-purpose for Africa’s future. The CRA Centres themselves will drive reputational impact by delivering a range of programs themselves, particularly professional development and custom programs for corporate and non-profit customers.

Centre for Ethical Leadership (CEL) focuses on developing and promoting integrity-based leadership models and case studies rooted in African contexts, across commercial, non-profit, and public sectors.

The Founding Director will establish and lead the CEL. This is a practical leadership and teaching role that will be responsible for ensuring that ethics is not taught as a standalone theory, but as the foundation of sound business, trade, management, and services delivery across commercial and public sectors. You will hold a senior academic post, teaching in the EMBA and Undergraduate programs, while building the Centre’s reputation across the continent.

ROLE RESPONSIBILITIES

• Academic Instruction & Curriculum Integration
  • Core Teaching: Deliver accredited courses in your primary field (e.g., Business Management, Accounting, Economics, Finance, Commerce, etc.) while integrating the principles of integrity and accountability into the technical syllabus.
  • Program Design: Develop practical teaching modules for the EMBA and Undergraduate levels that challenge students to identify and resist systemic corruption in real-world commercial scenarios.
  • Regulatory Compliance: Serve as a qualifying terminal-degree holder for the University’s accreditation and regional regulatory requirements.
• Institutional Leadership
  • Centre Operations: Manage the initial growth of the CEL, including the supervision of the Sr. Manager, Public Sector.
  • External Engagement: Establish working relationships with businesses and industry bodies to promote transparent and accountable commercial practices.
  • Applied Research: Produce clear, evidence-based guides or case studies that demonstrate how ethical behavior improves long-term business stability in African markets.
• The "Ethical Leadership in Practice" Mandate
  • Evidence-Based Leadership: Demonstrate, through previous professional experience or research, a track record of applying ethical principles to solve complex commercial challenges.
  • Applied Research: Produce thought leadership that bridges the gap between your technical domain (e.g., Trade Policy or Accounting Standards) and ethical governance in the African context.
• Strategic Operations
  • Unit Growth: Manage the Sr. Manager and oversee the Centre’s lean operations.
  • Industry Bridge-Building: Serve as a translator between the academic world and the private sector, helping corporations adopt ethical frameworks that improve their commercial sustainability.

REQUIRED EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

• Terminal Degree (Required): A PhD or equivalent terminal degree in Business Management, Commerce, Economics, Accounting, Leadership, or a related field.
• Domain Credibility: Significant experience (10+ years) in senior leadership, consulting, or high-level academia within your specific discipline.
• Tangible Ethical Track Record: Clear evidence of leadership in ethical initiatives, such as serving on ethics committees, leading corporate governance reforms, or publishing work on integrity in commerce.
• Multi-Level Pedagogy: Ability to pivot from teaching foundational commercial principles to undergraduates to facilitating high-stakes ethical strategy sessions for EMBA executives.

Note on location:

• We have a strong preference for the person occupying this position to be based in Rwanda or Mauritius or be willing to relocate to either location after 3 months in the role.
• We will consider especially strong candidates located in other parts of Africa.