Manager, Programs, University Success at Michael & Susan Dell Foundation

• The Michael & Susan Dell Foundation is seeking a Manager, Programs, University Success to join our Africa programs team in Cape Town. Reporting to the Head of University Success, Africa, this individual will design and deliver solutions that strengthen placement prospects, early-career outcomes, and long-term career mobility for graduates of the Dell Young Leaders program.
• We are looking for a strategic thinker and hands-on operator who thrives at the intersection of vision and execution. This role will own a critical outcomes mandate: helping Dell Young Leaders become market-ready, differentiated candidates who are able to secure meaningful employment, further study, and strong long-term career pathways. The successful candidate will not only shape the program’s approach to graduate career success but will work directly with students, alumni, employers, university partners, and internal teams to drive the program’s 98% placement outcome.

About the Role

• This role balances strategic agility with direct engagement alongside students, graduates, employers, university partners, and internal teams. It requires someone who can understand what the labour market needs, translate those insights into practical student-facing solutions, engage employers credibly, and strengthen the Dell Young Leaders transition-to-work model so students are prepared to compete in the graduate labour market and the program continues to deliver measurable career outcomes.

You will be expected to:

Drive Career Success Strategy & Development

• Execute and evolve the Dell Young Leaders approach to placement, career readiness, and early-career success.
• Develop cohort-level placement plans, track progress against leading indicators, and use labour-market insight to strengthen how students prepare, compete, and stand out.
• Identify new models, tools, partners, and practices that improve readiness, placement prospects, and long-term career impact.

Deliver and Scale High-Impact Career Programs

• Design and deliver practical career-readiness support across the application process and recruitment cycle.
• Alongside an on-campus team, work directly with students and graduates through coaching, workshops, placement sprints, targeted communications, and application support.
• Build scalable approaches that serve a growing student and alumni population while maintaining focus on quality, uptake, and results.

Build and Nurture Employer and Sector Partnerships

• Cultivate strong relationships with employers, recruiters, sector experts, universities, alumni, and other stakeholders who can expand opportunity pathways.
• Engage employers beyond vacancy sharing through mentorship, work exposure, mock interviews, industry briefings, assessment preparation, and feedback loops.
• Position Dell Young Leaders graduates clearly and compellingly, helping employers understand their talent, resilience, leadership potential, and workplace readiness.

Monitor, Evaluate, and Optimize

• Use data to monitor placement performance, student engagement, candidate readiness, opportunity pipelines, employer feedback, and early-career outcomes.
• Apply evidence to identify what works, course-correct quickly, and stop activities that are not delivering results.
• Share lessons that strengthen the global University Success portfolio approaches and broader transition-to-work models.

Collaborate and Influence

• Work closely with the Head of University Success, Africa, university-based teams, the Africa programs team, and relevant foundation functional teams.
• Manage external vendors or delivery partners where needed to ensure timely, high-quality, and cost-effective outcomes.
• Represent the foundation in partner engagements and sector conversations about graduate employability and student success.

Who You Are

• Strategic Contributor & Executor: You have at least eight years of relevant experience managing complex projects with measurable results and are motivated by both planning and implementation.
• Student-First & Outcomes-Driven: You are committed to the potential of African university students from low-income backgrounds and bring urgency, optimism, and persistence to helping them succeed.
• Market-Aware & Practical: You understand what makes candidates competitive and can translate employer expectations into practical preparation.
• Analytical & Insightful: You use data to diagnose problems, guide decisions, and communicate progress clearly.
• Collaborative & Influential: You build trust quickly and work effectively across students, alumni, employers, universities, recruiters, colleagues, and external partners.
• Innovative & Agile: You are comfortable with ambiguity, adapt quickly, and look for better ways to drive outcomes at scale.

Key Skills and Traits

• Detail-oriented with a focus on delivering high-quality outcomes.
• Strong project management skills and ability to link on-the-ground execution to broader strategic objectives.
• Skilled at managing external relationships and influencing outcomes across diverse stakeholders.
• Excellent communicator, able to simplify complex ideas for students, employers, partners, and internal audiences.
• Strong analytical skills and comfort using data, technology, and digital tools to improve reach, personalization, workflows, reporting, and impact.
• Strong business acumen to understand employer needs and how to position graduate talent effectively.
• High ethical standards, sound judgment, and accountability when representing the foundation and working directly with students and partners.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, with strong Excel and PowerPoint skills.

After-hours and Travel Requirements

• Flexibility for occasional weekend or evening events.
• Occasional domestic travel.
• Potential international travel every other year.