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The Association of Commonwealth Universities | ACU
Membership Engagement Lead - Africa

Job description

  • 1-year fixed-term consultancy contract, starting June 2026 
  • Part-time, 0.6FTE / 3 days a week (132 working days per year) 
  • Based in a Commonwealth country in Africa
  • Day rate range between £150-£250, depending on location (the appointed candidate will need to complete and comply with local tax regulations) 

Summary 

The Membership Engagement Lead - Africa will be based in a Commonwealth country in Africa and will be responsible for representing the ACU across the Africa region.  

The role involves building relationships and strengthening engagement with the ACU’s member universities and key stakeholders in the region, supporting the organisation of events, and providing country insights to support reports and briefings for ACU staff and its Secretary General and Chief Executive.   

This is a part-time, fixed-term consultancy agreement for an initial 12 months, starting June 2026 and will carry a consultancy fee day rate in the range of £150-£250 (depending on location) per year. Invoicing will be in monthly instalments and according to timesheets completed.

Requirements 

  • The consultant will ideally have experience of formulating global and/or regional-specific stakeholder and/or membership engagement programmes which develop, retain and recruit members, with a focus on the Higher Education sector.
  • The consultant will have insight on how member-led organisations can maximise services and benefits at a regional level, with experience of working within different cultural contexts.
  • The consultancy role will suit someone who has the vision to evaluate, implement and test different ways to engage and connect our members in the region and has previous experience within the Higher Education or International Development sectors.  

Key Deliverables 

  • Work as part of the ‘Regional Engagement team’ (part of the Communications & Public Affairs team within the External Affairs directorate) as ‘Membership Engagement Lead - Africa’.
  • Act as the Account Manager for appointed member universities and potential market opportunities in Commonwealth countries in Africa, to support achievement of agreed membership KPIs and financial targets for the region. 
  • Working with the Head of Membership & Events and Senior Membership Engagement Manager, use data and insights to identify risks and opportunities and manage a pipeline of prospects and maintain retention of existing members.  
  • Follow excellent account management principles and design a regular drumbeat of targeted communications to assigned members, e.g deploying frequent and targeted outreach to ACU Ambassadors or other key staff to assist them with making the most out of ACU membership, working to key moments in the ACU membership cycle e.g. renewals campaigns each July/August, maintaining records and updating colleagues as appropriate.
  • Develop an annual engagement plan for Commonwealth countries in Africa. Plan and deliver engagement activities targeting the key touchpoints in ACU member universities including Vice-Chancellors/Presidents, Ambassadors, DVCs/PVCs International and Research as advised by the Senior Membership Engagement Manager. 
  • Identify and attend where necessary key opportunities for engagement with ACU members in the region, e.g. attending sector events, as agreed with the Senior Membership Engagement Manager and in line with the central travel planning process, or support the attendance of senior ACU staff.  
  • Plan and deliver regular in-person and online member gatherings, e.g. roundtables on topics related to ACU policy work, conferences, training programmes, student-centred events, incoming & outgoing delegations. 
  • Provide briefings and engagement reports to support meetings the ACU Secretary General or senior staff have with members in country/region. 
  • Support the ACU Membership and Finance teams in chasing late membership payments with members in the region, and all other aspects of the membership renewal process, through creative and personalised approaches.   
  • Regularly share intelligence on their region with ACU staff by way of a quarterly newsletter and ad-hoc upon request for briefings, reports, funding bids, etc.  
  • In consultation with the Head of Communications & Public Affairs, and respective Ambassadors establish a close working relationship with ACU member universities’ Marketing and Communications teams to share news and opportunities for their internal audiences.  
  • Familiarise themselves with the ACU’s organisational strategy 2025-30 ‘The Road to 2030’, the ACU membership strategy 2025-30 and underpinning operational KPIs as set out in the organisation’s operational plan. The Senior Membership Engagement Manager will set out key KPIs for the consultant’s deliverables as part of an informal regular performance review process.   
  • Update the ACU’s CRM, CIVI, with up-to-date contact details and other relevant updates from members on a regular basis. This will include keeping mailing lists up to date and supplying relevant up-to-date engagement reports when requested by ACU teams or members.   
  • Support the regional engagement work with the creation of visual assets via the ACU’s Canva account, such as PowerPoint presentations, certificates, reports, social media posts – following and safeguarding the ACU’s visual identity. 

Applied Knowledge, Skills and Expertise 

  • Degree educated or equivalent experience.
  • Experienced relationship manager who can develop long lasting relationships across varying levels of seniority.  
  • Excellent interpersonal and presentation skills including written communication.
  • Strategic thinker with the ability to adapt to changing priorities.
  • Commitment to teamwork, with the ability to work independently and show initiative as well as exercise sound judgement.  
  • A proactive approach to work, an ability to manage own workload.
  • Respectful of pre-agreed deadlines.  
  • Experience of planning and delivering events.
  • Understanding of basic budgeting and reporting mechanisms.
  • Strong attention to detail.
  • An appreciation of different cultural contexts and the ability to adapt to different communication styles.  
  • Understanding of, and affinity with, issues in international higher education in African Commonwealth countries. Ideally, able to demonstrate existing or past relationship with national and international bodies.  

How to apply

At the ACU, we welcome and encourage applications enquiries from everyone regardless of gender, race, religion, marital status, disability, age, and sexual orientation. 

Closing date: Thursday 30th April 2026 at 17.00 GMT 

Please send an email to juliana.bertazzo@acu.ac.uk with your CV (maximum 2 pages) and a Cover Letter (maximum 2 pages) attached as pdf files outlining your motivation for working as a consultant for the ACU and how your skills, knowledge and experience meet the criteria listed above.  

About the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) 

The ACU is a global network of more than 400 universities in over 40 countries with a shared commitment to working  together to build a more equitable and sustainable world. Accredited by the Commonwealth and incorporated by Royal Charter, the ACU has been fostering international collaboration in higher education since 1913. As the voice for higher education in the Commonwealth, the ACU supports its members, individuals, and partners to collaborate and advance their contribution to sustainable development. www.acu.ac.uk