Higher Education Development Lead (evolving into Founding Business School Campus Director)

Permanent employee, Full-time · Großer Grasbrook 17, 20457 Hamburg

We are seeking for

Higher Education Development Lead
(evolving into Founding Business School Campus Director)
Location: Johannesburg, South Africa

Key Areas: Business, Higher Education, Logistics & Supply Chain Management, KLU Africa
Are you passionate about higher education and international learning environments, with strong knowledge of South African’s higher education landscape? Kühne Logistics University (KLU), a leading research-based not-for-profit business schools (AACSB-accredited) headquartered in Hamburg, Germany, is seeking a Higher Education Development Lead to support its global expansion. In this role, you will lead market assessment and entry for KLU’s planned branch campus in South Africa (short-term) and support its local operations and business development (mid- to long-term) positioning KLU as one of Africa’s leading management educators in logistics and supply chain management.

Who We Are
Founded in 2010, Kühne Logistics University (KLU) is a private, internationally accredited, and highly ranked business school in Hamburg, Germany, specializing in logistics and supply chain management. Following the successful launch of our Asia campus in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, we are now looking into expanding our global footprint to Southern Africa by possibly establishing a second international branch campus in - as things currently stand and based on our current level of knowledge - Johannesburg, South Africa’s business and logistics hub. To support this endeavor, KLU became the first German institution to affiliate with the Association of African Business Schools (AABS), the continent’s leading network for quality business education with a focus on relevance, impact, and sustainability.
Through this international expansion goal, we pursue our mission to foster global skill development and knowledge transfer in logistics, operations, and supply chain management. We embed KLU’s distinctive “operations mindset” in all our programs, emphasizing resilience, data-driven analysis, and action-oriented decision-making. As a boutique university, KLU provides its students and doctoral candidates with a unique combination of academic excellence, strong business network, and outstanding study conditions. Our programs are designed to prepare leaders for the supply chain challenges of a global business landscape.

About the Role
In this position, you will drive KLU’s new business development in Southern Africa, laying the foundation for a potential branch campus in South Africa from the ground up. You’ll bring strong understanding, knowledge and passion for higher education in South Africa, strong relationship-building skills in intercultural contexts, proven coordination, project, and process management expertise, an innovative mindset and commitment to creating meaningful educational experiences for students and corporate partners in South Africa and beyond.
In this role, you will directly report to KLU’s President, and work closely with KLU’s Extended Executive Board, including the Managing Directors, Deans, Directors, and the International Development Team at KLU’s Hamburg headquarters, to establish local operations in South Africa.
Should the new campus be successfully established, this position may evolve into KLU’s first South Africa Campus Director role.

Your Responsibilities

Short-Term Responsibilities (Feasibility Phase)

Design and Implementation of Collaborative Degree Program (Germany–South Africa)
- Collaborate with KLU and a designated South African partner university to explore and align regulatory, academic, and operational frameworks between German and South African higher education systems, with the aim of establishing a jointly run degree program in South Africa
- Coordinate the curriculum and program design of a degree program in Logistics and Supply Chain Management (focusing on the field’s business dimension) tailored to the needs of the Southern African supply chain market
- Develop a roadmap for accreditation, licensing, and implementation processes between KLU and the South African partner university
Stakeholder Relations & Brand Development
- Strengthen and cultivate the strategic partnership between KLU and the designated South African partner university, ensuring collaboration on equal footing and building the foundation for long-term sustainable collaboration
- Position and introduce KLU’s brand within the Southern African higher education landscape through joint initiatives such as targeted outreach, academic events, short courses, and collaborative marketing activities
- Identify, establish, and nurture partnerships with universities, business schools, government agencies, industry associations, corporates, and NGOs to create a dynamic, co-owned ecosystem at the intersection of academia, industry, and policy

Future Responsibilities (Post-Feasibility Phase; as potential KLU South Africa Campus Director)

Strategic Project Planning + Campus Operations
- Recruit, onboard, and manage a small local administrative team (approx. 5 staff) and foster effective collaboration with academic and administrative units at both, KLU Headquarters as well as the local partner university
- Develop and manage project budgets including multi-year financial planning and cash flow management; prepare regular financial reports and analyses to ensure transparency, accountability, and alignment with KLU Headquarters
- Develop KLU’s brand awareness in South Africa and the African continent, design effective communication and marketing activities to support student recruitment, as well as the acquisition of executive education participants
- Define organizational structures, reporting lines, and governance models in close collaboration with KLU Headquarters to ensure efficient and compliant local operations
- Oversee and manage infrastructure planning for KLU activities in Southern Africa, including site selection for offices and campus facilities, potential renovation needs, and procurement of equipment and services
- Design and implement a strategic roadmap for the development of KLU’s operations in Southern Africa, covering academic program portfolio, research collaborations, executive education initiatives, and outreach activities
Legal, Licensing & Compliance
- Oversee the legal setup of a KLU subsidiary company in South Africa
- Ensure compliance with South African corporate, labor, and tax regulations, in close coordination with local legal advisors and KLU Headquarters

Your qualifications

An Operations Mindset: You’re driven to initiate and own projects and processes, with a proactive, pragmatic approach to solving challenges and feel comfortable navigating ambiguity
Experience and Passion for Learning & Higher Education: You bring a strong personal affinity for learning and development and significant work experience in higher education in South Africa. Experience in establishing (joint) degree programs, program registration and accreditation is a plus
University Degree & Work Experience: You have 10+ years of work experience and hold a master’s degree in the following fields: business administration, management, logistics & supply chain management, finance, analytics, accounting, law, (higher) education studies, or a related field
Excellent People & Intercultural Communication Skills: You are persuasive and skilled at navigating diverse international stakeholders, from academic partners, students, and faculty to industry, NGO, and government representatives
Openness: You are open to regular international travel within Africa and to Germany to build networks and strengthen cooperation
Strong Project & Process Management Skills: You have proven experience in project management; you excel at prioritizing tasks in changing environments; experience in start-up environments is a plus
Excellent English Language Skills, both written and spoken
A Valid South African Work Permit

We offer

Flexible Work Culture: Enjoy a mix of on-site work at yet to be established office, travel and remote options.
Professional Development: Access continuous learning opportunities to grow your skills and advance your career.
International Environment: Be part of a diverse, multicultural team in a vibrant international ecosystem.

We value diversity
We value diversity and therefore welcome all applications regardless of gender, nationality, ethnic and social origin, religion and ideology, disability, age, sexual orientation and identity.

Contact

Please submit your cover letter, CV, references, annual gross annual salary expectations, and earliest start date to klu-jobs@m.personio.de or click the “Apply” button. For questions, contact Ina Litterst, Head of International Development via ina.litterst@klu.org.
Applications are open until November 15. Shortlisted candidates will be invited to a first round of online interviews in November and December 2025, followed by a second round of in-person interviews in Johannesburg in January 2026.

Apply for this job

About us

Kühne Logistics University–Wissenschaftliche Hochschule für Logistik und Unternehmensführung is a private university founded in 2010 and located in Hamburg's HafenCity. KLU is a state-recognized university with the right to grant PhDs. With its AACSB accreditation, it ranks among the top 5% of business schools and management universities worldwide, with a dedicated focus on logistics, operations, and supply chain management. Following an internationalization strategy, we are now opening a campus in Vietnam and plan for two further campuses in Africa and the Americas.

We instill KLU's signature operations mindset in all our students, drawing on the strengths and key characteristics of logistics, including resilience, data-driven and action-oriented decision-making. As a boutique university, KLU offers its students and doctoral candidates a high degree of specialization and excellent study conditions. Further education programs for specialists and managers are offered in the form of seminars and summer schools by KLU Executive Education.

Apply for this job

Your Application at Kühne Logistics University

Thank you for considering a career at Kühne Logistics University gGmbH. Please fill out the following form. In case you are experiencing problems with the document upload, mail your documents to .