Senior Manager, Business Performance & Analysis

ABOUT ALU

ALU provides higher education for a higher purpose. Our students declare missions, not majors.They develop the real-world skills to take on the world’s most pressing challenges. And they take ownership of their learning from day one through our peer and student-led approach – because ALU believes in the power and agency of young people to start shaping the future right now. Together with a world-class faculty and staff, our students are igniting a ripple of positive impact across Africa and the world.

We are dedicated to fostering an open yet secure environment, balancing the safety of students, staff, and visitors with respect for individual rights, and safeguarding responsibilities.

HOW WE WORK

The ALU Team works in starkly different ways to traditional academic bureaucracies. We approach education from first principles, empower individuals to design, test, and implement creative new ideas, and work closely together to craft transformative learning experiences. We are deeply passionate about our students and excited by the challenge of building something entirely new.

The African Leadership University is committed to ensuring the safety and Well-being of all students under our care. As part of this commitment , we have a comprehensive safeguarding policy in place , which outlines our Zero-tolerance approach to any violation of safeguarding. 

ABOUT THE TEAM

The Business Performance & Analysis team is one of ALU’s core performance intelligence functions, providing the insight, analysis and challenge required to help leaders understand performance, make informed decisions and improve institutional outcomes.

Working across academic and professional functions, the team goes beyond reporting what has happened to understand why it happened, what it means, what is likely to happen next, and what action is required. It brings together performance data, analysis and external benchmarks to identify trends, risks, opportunities and areas for improvement.

The team connects strategy, performance and execution by strengthening performance measurement, supporting decision-making and helping leaders translate insight into action. Its impact is measured not by the volume of reports produced, but by the quality of decisions informed and the improvements in institutional performance that follow.

ABOUT THE ROLE

The Senior Manager, Business Performance & Analysis will lead the analysis, interpretation and management of institutional performance information to support evidence-based decision-making across ALU.

The role will translate complex business, financial, operational, academic and student data into clear insights, identify performance trends and gaps, assess their underlying drivers, and provide actionable recommendations to improve institutional outcomes. The role will also strengthen ALU's performance management and business intelligence capabilities, ensuring that leadership has timely, reliable and forward-looking information to guide strategic and operational decisions.

Working across functions and with senior leaders, the role will connect institutional strategy, performance targets and operational results, providing the analysis and challenge required to improve execution and organisational performance.

ROLE RESPONSIBILITIES

Institutional Performance Management 

• Lead the development, implementation and continuous improvement of ALU's institutional performance framework, including KPIs, targets, scorecards and performance measures.
• Monitor performance against strategic and operational objectives, identify material variances, emerging risks and areas of underperformance, and recommend appropriate interventions.
• Lead periodic performance reviews and provide analysis that enables leadership to understand not only what is happening, but why it is happening and what action is required.
• Analyse performance across key institutional areas including enrolment, recruitment, retention, student progression, programme performance, revenue, costs, resource utilisation and other strategic priorities.
• Establish appropriate performance benchmarks and support leadership in setting meaningful, measurable and outcome-focused objectives and targets.

Business and Strategic Analysis

• Identify trends, patterns, performance drivers and root causes across multiple sources of institutional data.
• Develop business cases, investment analyses and decision papers, including assessment of financial, operational and strategic implications.
• Undertake scenario analysis and modelling to assess the potential impact of strategic and operational decisions.
• Conduct complex business and institutional analysis to support strategic planning, operational decisions and strategic initiatives and prioritization.
• Provide objective analysis and constructive challenge where data, assumptions or proposed interventions require further scrutiny.
• Conduct internal and external benchmarking to assess institutional performance against relevant peer institutions, competitors, sector standards and market trends.
• Translate analytical findings into clear recommendations, implications and actions for senior leadership.

Performance Intelligence and Reporting

• Lead the development of high-quality management information, executive performance reports, dashboards and analytical products for senior leadership and governance forums.
• Establish standards for performance reporting, data interpretation, and analytical storytelling.
• Ensure management reports focus on material performance issues, drivers, trends and decisions rather than simply presenting data.
• Develop forward-looking analysis and forecasts to support proactive management of institutional performance.
• Work with data and technology teams to improve access to, integration of and confidence in institutional data.
• Ensure the accuracy, consistency and appropriate interpretation of performance information used for management decision-making.

Analytics Capability and Continuous Improvement

• Develop clear standards for analytical quality, delivery and stakeholder service.
• Coach team members in analytical thinking, problem solving, business partnering and effective communication of insights.
• Develop and continuously improve analytical methodologies, tools and processes.
• Identify opportunities to automate, simplify and improve performance reporting and analysis.
• Promote a culture of evidence-based decision-making and stronger use of data across ALU.
• Partner with other functions to develop integrated views of institutional performance.

Executive Stakeholder Engagement

• Establish and maintain data supply arrangements with the functions that own the underlying data: agreed definitions, cut dates, quality standards, and named counterparts.
• Resolve definitional inconsistency across campuses, programmes and systems so that the institution reports a single number for each institutional metric.
• Build effective working relationships with senior leaders, Deans, Directors and functional teams across ALU.
• Present complex analysis clearly to non-technical audiences and translate findings into practical business implications.
• Facilitate performance discussions and support leaders in identifying appropriate responses to performance gaps.
• Influence decisions through evidence, insight and constructive challenge, including where findings may challenge established assumptions or practices.
• Provide analytical support to strategic, executive and governance forums as required.
• Maintain a strong understanding of the ALU’s operating environment, priorities and strategic objectives to ensure analysis remains relevant to institutional needs.

Ensure the safety and well-being of all young persons and vulnerable adults with whom we deal,  by adhering to ALU’s comprehensive safeguarding policy, maintaining a zero-tolerance approach to any violations of safeguarding standards

REQUIRED EXPERIENCE

• 10+ years of relevant professional experience in business performance, institutional research, strategy, business intelligence, analytics, planning, consulting, financial analysis or a related field.
• Demonstrable experience leading, developing and managing organisational or institutional performance frameworks, including KPIs, targets, scorecards and performance reporting.
• Proven experience analysing complex datasets and translating findings into actionable recommendations for senior decision-makers, forecasting, scenario modelling, business case development and quantitative analysis.
• Experience producing executive-level performance reports, dashboards and decision-support materials.
• Experience using data to identify performance drivers, diagnose problems and support measurable improvements in organisational outcomes.
• Demonstrated experience delivering analytical or performance improvement initiatives that resulted in measurable business, operational, financial or institutional impact.
• Experience benchmarking organisational or institutional performance against external peers, competitors or sector standards is desirable.

REQUIRED COMPETENCIES

Functional Competencies

• Strategic and Performance Analysis: Analyse complex institutional issues, identify performance drivers and translate findings into actionable recommendations.
• Data & Business Intelligence: Analyse complex datasets and develop clear dashboards, management information and performance insights.
• Financial & Commercial Acumen: Understand the financial, operational and institutional implications of decisions.
• Forecasting & Modelling: Develop forecasts, scenarios and business models to support planning and decision-making.
• Problem Solving: Diagnose root causes, test assumptions and develop practical, evidence-based solutions.
• Executive Reporting: Distil complex information into clear insights, implications and recommendations for senior leaders.
• Analytics Tools: Advanced Excel and strong proficiency in Power BI and uses digital and AI-enabled tools effectively to accelerate analysis, improve productivity and generate insight, while independently validating outputs and exercising sound judgement.

Behavioural & Leadership Competencies

• Strategic Thinking: Connect performance trends and analysis to broader institutional priorities.
• Critical Thinking: Question assumptions and assess evidence objectively.
• Influencing & Challenge: Build credibility with senior stakeholders and challenge constructively using evidence.
• Executive Communication: Communicate complex findings clearly and persuasively to varied audiences.
• Collaboration: Work effectively across academic and professional functions.
• Leadership & Coaching: Develop people, set high analytical standards and build team capability.
• Delivery Orientation: Focus on turning insight into action and measurable institutional improvement.
• Match the ALU Archetype: Alignment with the ALU Archetype, including ownership, courage, and stewardship.