HEI Compliance Inspector

Role Overview

The HEI Compliance Inspector will support the customer in conducting compliance inspections and mid-cycle reviews of Higher Education Institutions, including universities, colleges and university colleges.

The role requires strong experience in higher education quality assurance, accreditation, institutional effectiveness, regulatory oversight, academic audit and evidence-based assessment.

Key Responsibilities

• Participate in planned and ad-hoc inspections of Higher Education Institutions.
• Conduct pre-inspection reviews of institutional information and available evidence.
• Review and validate institutional KPI and Outcomes-Based Framework (OBF) data.
• Verify compliance with applicable customer regulations and requirements.
• Review areas including admissions, governance, data protection, health and safety, work experience and other compliance areas.
• Review and sample student files and institutional records.
• Validate supporting documents and institutional evidence.
• Perform data verification, evidence tracing, sampling and triangulation.
• Assess data completeness, accuracy and reliability.
• Identify inconsistencies, anomalies, risks and potential non-compliance.
• Participate in on-site institutional inspections across the UAE.
• Conduct professional discussions with institutional representatives.
• Record inspection evidence accurately in designated customer systems and tools.
• Prepare clear and evidence-based input for assigned sections of inspection reports.
• Support the review and verification of Corrective Action Plans (CAPs), where required.
• Escalate significant findings, data anomalies or compliance concerns to the customer team.
• Participate in mandatory customer training, calibration and alignment sessions.

Minimum Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Education, Quality Assurance, Higher Education Management, Public Policy or a related discipline.
• Doctorate preferred, particularly for research-intensive higher education environments.
• Training and/or professional certification in:
• Quality Assurance
• Audit
• Risk Management
• Accreditation

Required Experience

• Minimum 5–7 years of relevant experience.
• Strong experience in one or more of:
• Higher Education Quality Assurance
• Accreditation
• Institutional Effectiveness
• Regulatory Oversight
• Academic Audit
• Performance / KPI Assessment
• Previous government or regulatory experience is highly preferred.
• UAE higher education or inspection experience is a strong advantage.

Required Competencies

• Evidence-based and risk-based inspection.
• KPI and institutional data verification.
• Evidence gathering, sampling and triangulation.
• Strong analytical and reporting skills.
• Ability to identify high-risk findings and data anomalies.
• Understanding of higher education governance and academic integrity.
• Strong communication and stakeholder-management skills.
• High level of integrity, confidentiality and impartiality.
• Strong digital literacy, including experience with LMS, SIS, admissions systems, data warehouses, research repositories and analytical tools such as Excel.
• Arabic and English proficiency preferred.
• Ability and willingness to travel across the UAE.