Join our team and help us build a better world through higher education.
Who we are
We offer excellent opportunities for people interested in working in an international organisation within the higher education sector.
The ACU is a unique membership organisation consisting of over 400 universities in 40 countries across the Commonwealth. This makes us one of the largest and most diverse international university networks.
We champion higher education as the cornerstone of stronger societies, supporting our members, partners, and stakeholders as they adapt to a changing world.
We believe that our staff are our greatest asset and we are committed to ensuring the ACU is a great, supportive and rewarding place to work with a high-performance culture. Our staff share our passion and vision and are key to helping us to achieve our goals.
Please visit our vacancy portal to check for current vacancies and apply online.
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If you have not heard from us six weeks after the closing date of a vacancy, please assume that your application has not been successful on this occasion. We thank you for your interest and encourage you to apply for future roles.
We understand that finding a job can be challenging and at times stressful, and we want you to succeed, so here are some tips to help you apply to the ACU and prepare for an interview.
Why work for us?
If you join us, you will benefit from the following:
- Working for an organisation with social impact, with the opportunity to make a difference
- The opportunity to build your career with extensive training and development opportunities
- Exposure to the international higher education and international development sectors
- A positive, supportive and flexible working culture
- Working within an inclusive environment where health and wellbeing is a priority
Our values
- Collaboration: We strive to build an empowered community who share ideas and catalyse change
- Creativity: We encourage curiosity, innovation and exploring new ideas, adapting to an ever-changing world
- Equity: We celebrate diversity, promote inclusion, and act with respect and integrity
- Excellence: We endeavour to be impact-focused, delivering high standards and upholding our good reputation
Our benefits
- 27 days annual leave, plus 8 bank holidays (pro rata for part time employees), plus 4 Christmas closure days
- Hybrid, flexible working practices with 20% of your time per month being office based (you must attend a minimum of one day a week working in the office)
- Generous pension scheme – 5% employee contribution, 10% employer contribution
- Volunteering days
- Enhanced maternity, adoption, paternity and shared parental leave
- Give As You Earn charitable donations scheme
- Cycle to work scheme
- Sabbatical leave
- Ability to work overseas for a limited period each year
Work/life balance
- Our offices are in central London, only ten minutes’ walk from Euston and Kings Cross stations. Staff spend 20% of their time in the office each month, although some staff come in more regularly
- We make every effort to support flexible working so that staff can have a healthy work/life balance, including compressed hours, nine-day fortnights or part-time roles. We also have long- and short-term arrangements for staff who have caring responsibilities, or other personal circumstances that need flexibility
Health and wellbeing
- Staff Wellbeing Service for professional advice and assistance. This is a free, independent 24/7 service, offering help and advice for work-related issues, as well as problems affecting your home life
- Annual flu jab vouchers for all staff and free vaccines for international travel
- Reimbursement of up to £100 for sight tests and towards glasses or lenses
- We have a network of mental health first aiders who are here for all our staff when needed
Professional development
- We have an annual programme of training and development to support skills development and promote wellbeing
- We have regular external speakers who speak about issues of diversity and equality, such as neurodiversity training, gender, and race
- We have additional opportunities to attend a range of internal and external events
- We have an ACU Educational Fund for further study and professional development
- We have an internal mentoring programme designed to support career development for staff
