Job Description

Roles & Responsibilities

Key Responsibilities:

Rankings Strategy and Data Submission

• Develop and maintain AIU's annual Rankings Action Plan, a structured, data-driven roadmap for improving position across all active and target ranking systems, updated each October for Board review
• Manage all data submissions to QS World University Rankings, QS Stars, Times Higher Education (THE) World and Impact Rankings, Webometrics Ranking of World Universities, and UI GreenMetric, ensuring submissions are complete, accurate, and filed before agency deadlines
• Maintain detailed, up-to-date knowledge of the methodology, data definitions, indicators, and weighting of every active ranking system in AIU's portfolio; monitor changes to methodology and adjust data strategy accordingly
• Build and maintain the AIU Rankings Data Repository, the single authoritative source of record for all data submitted to external ranking agencies, maintained in a format that enables year-on-year comparison and audit
• Coordinate with the Institutional Research Office, Registrar, Library, HR, and VP Academic Affairs to collect, verify, and validate all data elements required for ranking submissions
• Ensure that all data submitted to ranking agencies is accurate, reproducible, and consistent with data published on AIU's public website, no figure may be submitted to a ranking body that cannot be independently verified

Institutional Benchmarking and Competitive Intelligence

• Design and implement an annual benchmarking programme comparing AIU's performance against defined peer groups across Kuwait, the GCC, and internationally, covering student outcomes, faculty productivity, research output, employability, and student-to-faculty ratios
• Produce the Annual Benchmarking Report for the President, a structured, visual, decision-ready analysis showing AIU's relative position, trajectory, and priority improvement areas
• Monitor peer institution rankings, accreditation status, programme offerings, and strategic developments, providing the President with quarterly competitive intelligence briefs
• Identify the specific ranking indicators where AIU has the highest potential for near-term improvement and develop targeted action plans in coordination with the relevant VP or Dean
• Represent AIU's position accurately in all external comparisons and marketing materials, ensuring no benchmarking claim is made without verified, methodologically sound data

Academic Reputation and Visibility

• Lead AIU's response to the QS and THE academic reputation surveys, coordinating with the President, VPAA, and Deans to identify and engage Kuwaiti, GCC, and international academics who are familiar with AIU's work
• Lead AIU's response to the QS employer reputation survey, working with VP Engagement & External Relations and Career Services to engage Kuwait and GCC employers who hire AIU graduates
• Manage and continuously improve AIU's Webometrics profile, overseeing institutional web presence, digital publication of research outputs, and online visibility of faculty and research activity
• Work with the AVP Research & Innovation to ensure all AIU research publications are indexed in Scopus and Web of Science under the correct institutional affiliation, preventing data loss that would otherwise cost AIU citation metrics
• Manage AIU's institutional profiles on all ranking agency platforms, QS Top Universities, THE World University Rankings, Scopus Institutions, Google Scholar, keeping information current and complete
  

Strategy Alignment and Internal Reporting

• Serve as the primary point of contact between AIU and all ranking agencies, maintaining professional relationships with QS, THE, and Webometrics account managers
• Present the Annual Rankings Progress Report to the Board of Trustees alongside the RISE Strategy KPI review, demonstrating measurable movement on ranking indicators
• Advise the President, VPAA, and Deans on the ranking implications of institutional decisions, including faculty hiring, research investment, program development, and student recruitment strategy
• Coordinate with the Accreditation Liaison Officer to ensure that ranking data submissions are consistent with WSCUC self-study data, no gap or contradiction between accreditation and ranking evidence
• Contribute to the Annual Institutional Effectiveness Report the rankings and benchmarking.
• Train and brief faculty, administrators, and Deans on ranking methodologies, what each indicator measures, and what faculty behavior, particularly in research and publication directly affects AIU's ranking position

Reporting Departments (If Applicable)

Minimum Qualifications:

Education

• Terminal degree (PhD or equivalent doctorate) from an accredited institution, preferably in higher education management, educational measurement, data science, institutional research, information science, or a related field
• Master's degree holders with exceptional and directly relevant ranking agency experience may be considered at the discretion of the President