Curriculum Development Director of Hospitality Program

Vin University Project, Hanoi, Vietnam

About Vin University:

Vin University is a new, private, non-profit university established by Vingroup, with the mission to be the first world-class, internationally accredited and ranked university in Vietnam. Vin University has two overarching goals: excellence in teaching, and producing research that contributes to the key economic sectors of Vietnam.

The formation of Vin University Project has resulted from the collaboration of Vingroup with Cornell University. Cornell, an Ivy League institution based in Ithaca, NY, is involved in every aspect of development from infrastructure and campus reviews, to curriculum development and faculty hiring. Cornell’s SC Johnson College of Business is providing extensive academic advisement in a variety of areas, drawing from a wealth of faculty expertise at multiple colleges and units at Cornell. Vin University aims to meet the QS 5-star rating standards and include the following schools: a School of Business, Hospitality, and Real Estate; a School of Engineering and Technology; a School of General Education; a School of Public Health and Health Services; a School of Nursing; and a School of Medicine. The University will be an English Medium Instruction (EMI) institution and plans to open for the inaugural class of students in Fall 2020.

About Vingroup:

Vingroup was established in Ukraine in 1993. It subsequently relocated to Vietnam and officially became Vingroup Joint Stock Company in 2012.   Its mission is “to create a better life for the Vietnamese people.” In 2016, Vingroup was recognized among the “Top 50 Most Valuable Brands in Vietnam” (by Brand Finance magazine). Today, Vingroup is one of the leading private enterprises in Vietnam, operating in six core business areas: real estate, retail, hospitality, education, agriculture, and healthcare. In 2016, education and healthcare became not for profit value based systems.

Pham Nhat Vuong is the founder and chairman of Vingroup, which has $ 3.9 billion USD in sales (2017) and a net worth of $5.5 billion USD (2018). Chairman Vuong is a visionary and true patriot of Vietnam and firmly believes that education is the single biggest catalyst that can transform the destiny of an individual, society, and the nation. His aspiration is to create a breakthrough in the Vietnamese education sector and to groom the next generation of leaders for Vietnam in the 21 century and beyond.

The Opportunity:

Vin University seeks a dynamic and collaborative individual who has an established record of engagement and accomplishments in curriculum development at the university level to be the Curriculum Development Director (CDD) of the Hospitality Program.

The Curriculum Development Director will play a key role in developing a curriculum for the Hospitality Program and building a framework for academic practice and curriculum delivery. The CDD will also play a strategic role in promoting best practices in teaching, learning and assessment; the development of academic staff; and study skills support for students.

This position will collaborate with Program Directors from Cornell University, report directly to the Vin University Project Director, and take on special projects as requested by the Project Director.

This position represents a rare opportunity to be part of building a world-class higher education program in Vietnam from the ground up. It will be a full-time, 1-3 year (negotiable) assignment, with potential following opportunities for Dean, Program Director, or Faculty positions.
 

Key responsibilities:

• Collaborate with the Program Directors from Cornell University, Content Experts, and Program Coordinators to create a coherent undergraduate Hospitality Program, scheduled to be implemented in the second half of 2020. This includes a high-level program curriculum as well as a general syllabus for each core course, specialization courses, and free electives initially offered within the curriculum, co-opt and capstone projects. The curriculum will need to conform to Vin University’s standards for excellence and the requirements for accreditation by the AACSB.

• Establish standard operating procedures for the development, evaluation, and revision of the Program’s courses. Identify the assessment instruments, rubrics and outcome measures consistent with international accreditation standards.

• Communicate with program’s stakeholders to take inputs from them before and during the curriculum development.

• Make staffing recommendations to ensure adequate coverage courses for inaugural teaching plan.

• Lead activities in hiring faculty staff for the Program.

• Interact with core faculty to ensure compliance with specific accreditation and licensing requirements through course content.

• Assist with creation of the Vin University Catalog related to curriculum and marketing materials for the Program.

• Define the quality and characteristics of the student and staff profile within the Program.

• Assist in selecting the first incoming class.

• Help to identify companies willing to hire the graduates from the Program and assist in the establishment of relationships with these companies.

Qualifications:

Required:

• Ph.D. degree in a relevant field, which could include Hospitality, Tourism, Retails or Operations Management.

• Requisite specialty expertise and documented educational experience: at least three years of participation as an active faculty member in a relevant university program.

• Strong record of accomplishment in higher education curriculum development and implementation with international standard and accreditation (preferably with the U.S. accreditation standards).

• English proficiency in reading, speaking, writing, and teaching.

Preferred:

• Experience in accreditation.

• Experience in hiring university faculty and in coaching/mentoring university faculty.

• Experience of working in multidisciplinary and collaborative educational teams.

• Strong knowledge/experiences in educational technology/T&L pedagogy.

• Verbal communication skill in Vietnamese is a plus, but not required.

The successful candidate will also demonstrate

Culture-fit characteristics:

• Self-motivated

• Result oriented

• Able to work under high pressure

• Efficient in multitasking

• Flexible for change

Professional competencies:

• Professional and ethical behavior

• Strong organizational skills

• Strong communication skills

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills

Application deadline: Open until filled.

Position start date: Available immediately.