The Academic Director leads all academic functions of the Ndili Academies — curriculum design and quality, instructor leadership and development, student outcomes and welfare, and the employer partnerships that make graduate placements real. The role is full-time, on-site in Asaba, and reports directly to the CEO.
Core Objectives
- Build and maintain a world-class applied curriculum across seven programme tracks that is genuinely different from anything available in the region
- Lead, develop, and hold accountable a team of nine instructors and support staff — creating the teaching culture the institution’s brand demands
- Achieve a minimum 75% graduate employment or enterprise rate within six months of graduation — the number that proves the programme’s value
- Design and implement the academic systems — timetabling, assessment, quality assurance, student tracking — that make the institution professionally credible
- Build the employer relationships in Asaba, Onitsha, and across Nigeria that turn TNA’s training into industry-recognised credentials
Core Responsibilities
- Design, commission, and approve the semester curriculum for all seven programme tracks before each semester begins
- Ensure every curriculum integrates the 50/25/15/10 programme architecture: practical skills, business education, entrepreneurship, and civic formation
- Review and update all curriculum documents annually — incorporating employer feedback, graduate outcome data, and industry developments
- Develop executive education and short-course offerings that generate non-tuition revenue for the institution
Instructor Leadership & Development
- Manage, develop, and performance-manage all seven track instructors, the Business Education Facilitator, and the Student Services Coordinator
- Conduct monthly one-to-one meetings with every direct report — 100% completion rate, no exceptions
- Formally observe and appraise every instructor’s classroom and studio delivery each semester
- Design and deliver the instructor induction programme for all new faculty — ensuring every staff member understands the institution’s standards before teaching a single class
- Address underperformance directly, constructively, and without delay — no performance issue remains unaddressed beyond 30 days
Student Outcomes
- Ensure a minimum 85% attendance rate across all programme tracks through active monitoring and early intervention
- Monitor student progress and identify those at risk of falling behind — escalating welfare concerns to the Student Services Coordinator
- Build and maintain employer partnerships that generate internship placements for a minimum 60% of students before the end of their first year
- Design and implement the graduate tracking system — documenting employment status, enterprise activity, and earnings at 6-month and 12-month intervals post-graduation
- Lead the end-of-semester student satisfaction survey and produce a documented response to its findings within two weeks
Governance & Reporting
- Produce the Academic Director’s Report for every board meeting — honest, specific, data-driven, and submitted minimum five days before the meeting
- Provide monthly academic performance data to the CEO by the 5th of each month
- Ensure all academic regulatory compliance requirements are met — no compliance failures
- Represent the academic dimension of the Ndili Academies in external conversations with employers, donors, and partner institutions
Required Qualifications
Education
Master’s degree (minimum requirement) in:
1. Education
2. Curriculum Design
3. Educational Leadership
4. Learning & Development
5. Training & Development
6. OR a relevant applied field such as business, hospitality, fashion, film, media, creative arts, or entrepreneurship
Preferred
- Doctorate or professional doctorate in education, educational leadership, curriculum design, or a field relevant to Ndili Academies’ programme areas.
- Additional certifications in pedagogy, instructional design, vocational training, or educational leadership
Required Professional Experience
- Minimum of 8+ years of progressively responsible professional experience
- Demonstrated progression from practitioner → trainer/educator → leader
- Experience designing and managing programmes, teams, or institutions
- Experience balancing academic quality with operational sustainability
Strongly Preferred Experience
- Curriculum design from scratch (blank-page curriculum development)
- Faculty or instructor management
- Vocational, professional, executive, or skills-based education
- Learning and development leadership in hospitality, fashion, media, film, music, business, entrepreneurship, or creative industries
- Graduate outcomes tracking and data-informed programme improvement
- Employer or industry partnership management
- Private college, training institution, executive education, or academy leadership experience
- International or diaspora educational leadership experience