ASSOCIATION OF AFRICAN UNIVERSITIES (AAU)
VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT
SECRETARY-GENERAL
AN OPPORTUNITY TO LEAD THE AAU
The
position of the Secretary-General of the Association of African Universities
(AAU) will become vacant in June 2010 and the AAU is seeking to fill that post.
Established in 1967, the AAU is a pan-African,
multi-lingual, higher education association with a membership of over 220
institutions in the five major regions of Africa. The Association plays a major
role in giving content and direction to the current and historic continental
initiative to revitalize African higher education. It draws upon its membership
and collaborates with major organizations and donor partners in Africa and
across the world in the design and implementation of its programmes. The
Secretary-General is the Chief Executive Officer of the Association, and is a
key factor in enabling the association play this role fully.
The Secretary-General is responsible to the Governing Board
and the General Conference and should be a leader able to provide strategic
direction and inspire others. He or she must identify with the aims of the
Association as set out in its Constitution and Strategic Plan, and have a
demonstrated commitment to the principles of integrity, excellence and
fairness.
Candidates
will need to demonstrate excellence in the following:
·
Strong
academic background;
·
Significant leadership experience at a senior
management level;
·
Excellent communication and interpersonal
skills;
·
Management in a transforming environment;
·
A sound appreciation of emerging trends in
higher education within Africa and globally, and the ability to represent African
universities effectively in their dealings with governments and other external
stakeholders.
The
detailed criteria are as follows:
CRITERIA
FOR THE APPOINTMENT OF THE SECRETARY-GENERAL
The Secretary-General should be a leader who is capable of
providing direction and inspiring others. S/he must identify with the aims of
the Association of African Universities as set out in its Constitution and
Strategic Plan, and have a demonstrated commitment to the principles of
integrity, excellence, fairness, diversity and social justice.
Candidates will need to demonstrate excellence in the
following key categories. While it is recognised that the best candidate may
not meet each of the individual criteria in each of the categories, the team
led by the Secretary-General, must be constructed in such manner that it meets
all of the key needs of the Association.
Ideally,
the successful candidate will meet the following key criteria:
Leadership
skills
·
Significant
leadership experience at a senior level in a complex organisation
·
Demonstrated
ability to develop, articulate and implement strategic institutional goals
·
Ability to lead an international
non-governmental organisation in a complex and demanding social, political and
fiscal environment
·
Profile as a public leader, or the willingness
and ability to develop and sustain such a profile
·
Ability to provide leadership in the African
higher education community.
The
academic mandate of the Association
·
Strong
academic background – at a minimum, be qualified for appointment as a professor
at a reputable African university
African Higher Education in the context of its environment
·
Understanding
of the social, political and economic environment in which African universities
operate
·
Ability
to represent the interest of African universities effectively in their dealings
with governments and other political agencies
·
Ability to engage effectively with other
external stakeholders
·
Sound
appreciation of emerging trends in higher education within Africa and globally,
and the ability to represent African universities effectively in the
international academic community and fora
Management
in a transforming environment
·
Experience
in the management of resources on an appropriate scale
·
Record
of successfully leading and managing change
·
Ability to understand the key financial issues
facing the Association, and to provide leadership on the policy implications
which they raise
·
Experience in high-level fund-raising and a
commitment to providing personal leadership to the fund-raising work of the
Association
Personal
skills
·
High
level communication skills in order to articulate the vision of the
Association, both internally and externally
·
Consultative
and inclusive management style
·
Ability to work well in a team, in a manner
which enables others to produce their best work
·
Be
fluent in one of the AAU languages (English, French or Arabic), with preferably
a working knowledge of one other. Good oral and communication skills in both
languages will be an advantage
Attractive remuneration and conditions of
service will be determined by the Governing Board.
To apply,
please submit:
1. A letter of motivation which addresses
the above criteria, including a statement of your vision for the Association’s
future and your potential contribution to such a future;
2. A detailed curriculum vitae, as well as a one-page
summary;
3. The names and contact details (fax, email and telephone)
of three (3) referees, at least one of whom should be resident outside the
applicant’s country of domicile.
Candidates may be also nominated by other persons, but the
permission of the designated candidate must first be sought. Such nominations
should be accompanied by a brief note explaining the motivation for the
nomination and complete contact details of the candidate.
Applications and nominations should be sent (i) by e-mail,
and (ii) in a sealed envelope clearly marked “CONFIDENTIAL - SG Application
Documents”, to:
The
Secretary-General
Association
of African Universities,
African
Universities House,
Aviation
Road Extension,
P.O. Box
AN 5744,
Accra-North,
GHANA
Tel: (233)
21 774495/761588
Fax: (233)
21 774821
Email:
secgen@aau.org
All
applications and nominations will be treated in strict confidence.
Closing
date for receipt of applications/nominations is 11 March 2010. The Association
reserves the right to extend the closing date if deemed necessary, and the
right to make no appointment.
The AAU
is committed to equity in its employment practices.