Adjunct Software Engineering Specialisation Coach (Machine Learning)

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.

Duration: 1 year Enrollment Type: Part-Time [~30 hours/week]

ABOUT THE PROGRAMME The BSc Software Engineering programme is a three-year degree programme with the aim of developing Software Engineering graduates at scale who are well prepared to leverage technology as the first hand solution to solve relevant problems in the continent and beyond and also who are ready to meet the needs of employers globally. This innovative and scalable programme prepares graduates not only with relevant technical skills but also problem solving and leadership skills missing in our tech graduates and promotes learning with a purpose.

The role of the SE Specialisation Coach entails the responsibility to successfully deliver the learning components of the programme primarily in the Machine Learning specialisation track adhering to the principles of our ALU’s Learning Model.

We are looking for an individual who can meet the requirements as mentioned in the profile below:

Job Description:

• Manage the in-person experience for the programme including the academic orientation, induction for the specialisation modules for each intake, including responsibility for its development, evolution and its delivery adhering to the internal and external quality assurance standards
• Design, evolve and deliver the specialisation modules, induction and re-induction of new and existing coaches, respectively.
• Review, validate and refine the current learning curriculum and revise the operational plans per trimester for an effective learning delivery based on continuous feedbacks.
• Audit and refine the experiential learning components for each trimester additional to the support in self-directed student learning.
• Organize academic activities including Live coding sessions, Peer Learning Days, Mock Interview sessions, Hackathons and any other events that encourages student engagement in both online and in-person learning environments
• Administration and coordination of the internship modules along with supporting teams (Coaches, Professional Development teams and other internal and external stakeholders)
• Evaluate the possibilities of improving student learning experiences by leveraging partnerships with industries, draft concept notes and finalize relevant plans to include the identified learning activities as part of the learning content.
• Contribute to updated definitive documentation for the Software Engineering modules in the programme handbooks, policies and accreditation documents
• Participate in regular student-staff consultative group meetings and other feedback instruments to capture student feedback and to implement recommendations to enhance the quality of programme delivery.
• Assist the SE Programme Manager in the review and approval of course modifications made by external learning content partners, either independently or following ALU inputs.
• Engage with all developmental and performance management processes for academic teams.
• Contribute to the annual programme review to ensure content is up-to-date, valid, relevant and reflects current and future trends in Software Engineering, whilst giving consideration to pedagogical approaches suited for blended learning.
• Implement modifications to learning materials, assessments and other relevant components to meet internal and external quality assurance requirements.
• Implement modifications to the academic components following the findings of the annual programme review, periodic review, student-staff consultative groups, student evaluations and other quality assurance & enhancement instruments.
• Other relevant activities to ensure successful design and delivery of the programme.
• Engage in institutional service through active participation in the Senate and its sub-committees as per their composition.
• Any other reasonable duties that may be allocated from time to time by the managers.
• 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

Person Specification:

Essential

• Master’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering or a relevant field where Software Engineering and/or Programming is a significant component
• Background of demonstrated excellence in Machine Learning and at least 5 years of experience in industry/university mentoring/facilitating Machine Learning courses and developing ML models.
• Experience guiding student/interns in undergraduate Projects or external projects
• Excellent coaching and adequate computing skills with the ability to support learners in both remote and in-person learning environments
• Expertise in mathematical domains of Machine Learning such as Advanced Linear Algebra, Calculus, Multivariate and Bayesian Probability, Convolutions etc
• Experience with machine learning APIs like Keras and ML libraries like Scikit-learn, TensorFlow etc
• Experience implementing ML models using variety of datasets
• Familiarity using Transformer Models and Chatbots
• Experience using version control systems [preferably git]
• Experience in Python scripting and Linux based shell scripting
• Experience using version control systems [preferably git] for software development
• Strong debugging skills in the respective domain expertise.
• Experience designing experiential learning activities that promotes peer learning
• Excellent communications (oral and written), interpersonal and presentation skills.
• Excellent problem-solving skills with attention to detail.
• Excellent time management skills with the ability to multitask, prioritise own work, and work independently.
• The ability to quickly analyze data and determine the appropriate academic support intervention required by the student or to redirect to other teams.
• A startup mindset to help us scale the programme to the order of thousands of students in the next 12 months.
• A strong, customer-service ethos
• An ability to work flexibly with remote team members if needed

Desirable

• Experience in Linux programming / Mobile Development / Web Development is a plus
• Strong regional or international network - Startup Incubators and accelerators, etc.
• Experience of programme management and leadership at a higher education institution.
• Experience in people management - managing a fast-growing team
• Experience of online teaching and learning delivery at challenger universities.
• Experience of teaching at higher education level.