Gates Cambridge is seeking an Academic Director of Community Programmes to provide academic leadership and direction for its community programming.
An exciting opportunity has arisen to help deliver our vision for the future of the Gates Cambridge Trust and Scholarship.
The Trust and Scholarship turned 25 in 2025 and we have used this important milestone to look forward. Our vision is for Gates Cambridge to be a beacon not only for academic excellence but also for leadership development and exploration of what it means to improve the lives of others. With this aim in mind, we are seeking to appoint our first Director of Community Programmes to provide academic leadership and direction for, and to participate in the delivery of, consistent Gates Cambridge programming anchored by our new Leading with Purpose programme. This post is offered as a 2 year fixed term post or secondment opportunity.
Reporting directly to the Provost, the Academic Director of Community Programmes will work with the Provost and the staff of the Gates Cambridge Trust to maintain Gates Cambridge as one of the world’s leading postgraduate scholarship programmes and to enrich the scholar experience.
About Us
The Gates Cambridge mission is to build a global network of future leaders committed to improving the lives of others. We achieve this mission by selecting outstanding scholars from countries outside the UK and providing them with full-cost scholarships to pursue postgraduate degrees in any subject available at the University of Cambridge.
Gates Cambridge Scholars become part of a lifelong global community defined by its core value of commitment to improving the lives of others through leadership. Alongside the 250 or so Scholars who are studying in Cambridge at any point in time, there are over 2000 Scholars in the alumni section of the community, and this number grows every year.
The Gates Cambridge Trust, which was established in 2000 with a generous gift from the Gates Foundation, manages the Gates Cambridge Scholarship and a programme of events and activities for Scholars. The endowment has grown to almost £350 million (2024).
At the Trust, we are a small, friendly and diverse group of colleagues who are dedicated to delivering the Gates Cambridge mission while creating a welcoming and enjoyable working environment.
The Role
Specific responsibilities
We will look to you to:
- Provide academic leadership and direction for the Leading with Purpose programme.
- Design and, with others, deliver the Leading with Purpose programme.
- Coordinate the delivery of the Leading with Purpose programme.
- Contribute to the general development and delivery of Gates Cambridge’s portfolio of programmes and the enhancement of the scholar experience.
General Responsibilities
We will look to you to:
- Be a source of guidance for our Programme, Communications and Global Engagement Teams. In particular on academic matters and scholar experience.
- Contribute to the Trust’s work with scholars in residence and alumni scholars, the smooth functioning of the Trust office, and to developing/maintaining good relations with the University, the Gates Foundation and other external organisations.
- Contribute to the preparation of papers for Trustee board meetings.
About You:
We are hoping to appoint someone who combines relevant academic research interests and professional leadership skills who will enjoy working within an internationally diverse community that is dedicated to academic excellence and positive social impact.
The ideal candidate for this role will join us with:
- Demonstrable engagement with the fields of systems changes and/or leadership, and the ability to connect theoretical knowledge with practical experience.
- Experience and expertise in designing and delivering leadership programmes.
- Experience of working with people from a range of ethnicities, socio-economic groups and nationalities.
- Experience of leading the development and delivery of projects in a range of areas, convening and co-ordinating across different activities.
- Experience of bringing the best out of a team.
- The ability to hold space for diverse views, ensuring that everyone feels safe expressing their views, supported to participate, and able to contribute.
- A flexible approach to delivery, with the ability to manage and deliver a broad range of activities simultaneously.
- Strong communication skills, able to present information in a way that engages a variety of audiences across multiple seniority levels.
- A collaborative and diplomatic approach.
- A willingness to ‘do’ as much as to manage and lead.
- The ability to take the initiative and work largely without detailed instruction.
- The motivation to contribute meaningfully toward the organisation’s goals.
The Trust actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.
Apply
To apply for this role, you must submit a cover letter, CV, and names of two references. The deadline for applications is midday on 18 December 2025.
For full details about the role, including how to apply, please see the candidate pack.
Interviews
Interviews are scheduled for Monday 19 January 2026 and will take place at the Trust’s office at Bill Gates Sr. House, 17 Mill Lane, Cambridge.
Questions
If, after reading the candidate pack, you have any questions, please email jobs@gatescambridge.org.
