Academic Support Senior Specialist (UAE National)

Role overview

The Academic Support Senior Specialist is responsible for overseeing and enhancing the operational, administrative, and analytical functions of Graduate Studies to ensure efficient program delivery, regulatory compliance, and data-informed decision-making. The role supports leadership by supervising graduate academic operations, scholarship progression, digital and knowledge systems, and cross-functional coordination, while delivering high-quality service to faculty, students, sponsors, and internal stakeholders.

What you will do

• Administer and oversee operational processes related to graduate programs to ensure efficiency, compliance with university policies, and service excellence.
• Coordinate Teaching Assistant (TA) assignments, workload distribution, contracts, and stipends in collaboration with academic departments and the Registration Office.
• Liaise with academic departments and the Registration Office to ensure accurate student status updates, registration compliance, graduation clearance, and monitoring of academic progression.
• Support and continuously enhance thesis and dissertation processes from proposal stage through final submission and archiving.
• Coordinate graduate student petitions and financial appeal cases submitted to the Graduate Financial Appeal Committee (GFAC) and Graduate Studies Council (GSC), including documentation, case preparation, communication of decisions, and follow-up actions.
• Develop, maintain, and manage comprehensive graduate studies data, including enrollment trends, progression rates, thesis milestones, TA allocations, and other key records related to graduate students.
• Design and produce dashboards, analytical reports, and data visualizations to support evidence-based decision-making and prepare periodic and ad-hoc reports for management and accreditation purposes.
• Support accreditation activities and ensure the availability and accuracy of required graduate program documentation and data.
• Monitor student performance and academic risk indicators and provide insights to support timely interventions.
• Maintain records of graduate student participation in conferences, professional activities, and research leave.
• Coordinate the preparation and update of Graduate Studies communication materials, including the GSO webpage, brochures, and promotional content in collaboration with the Communications Department.
• Manage and maintain a centralized digital repository for graduate studies documentation, including academic program records and updates to the University Catalogue.
• Support graduate recruitment and program awareness initiatives through accurate information, content preparation, and data provision.
• Serve as a key point of contact for graduate student and faculty inquiries, ensuring timely and professional support.
• Monitor and manage the academic progression of scholarship students to ensure compliance with university policies and regulations, while maintaining accurate records of scholarship status, duration, and progression outcomes.
• Facilitate communication between sponsored students and their sponsors to ensure alignment with program requirements, and coordinate with internal departments and sponsors regarding student performance, reporting requirements, and academic updates.
• Contribute to process improvement initiatives and identify opportunities for automation to enhance operational efficiency and student experience.
• Perform any other duties as assigned by the line manager.