Founding Dean, AZSET

international curriculum tailored to the technological needs of Azerbaijan.

The inaugural Bachelor of Science in Computer Science cohort commences in September 2026 and a Bachelor of Science in Computer Architecture is planned for Fall 2028. AZSET is targeting approximately 540 enrolled students across both programmes by 2030, supported by a purpose-built campus with two teaching floors and a dedicated laboratory floor. Graduates receive an official AzTU diploma, accompanied by a TUMint certificate confirming that the programme is delivered on the model of, and in close alignment with, TUM standards.

POSITION DETAILS

Position

Founding Dean, AZSET (AZSET Dean)

Contract Type

Full-time; initial term of 5 years, renewable

Reporting to

Rector of AzTU, or a designated Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs; strategic accountability to the AZSET Steering Committee (AzTU, TUMint, AZCON Holding)

Direct reports

Academic Program Directors; AZSET administrative functions; from 2028, two Vice Deans

Location

AZSET Campus, Azerbaijan Technical University, Baku

Starting Date

January 2027, or at the earliest possible date

Working Language

English (language of instruction and academic administration)

ABOUT THE ROLE

AZSET is seeking its Founding Dean: the single accountable academic and administrative head of the school. This is a build-from-the-ground-up leadership role. The Founding Dean sets AZSET's academic standards and institutional culture, holds the school's side of a three-way partnership between a public Azerbaijani university, a German technical university's international arm and a major national industrial funder, and is responsible for turning a launch-phase programme into an accredited, self-sustaining school.

The Founding Dean chairs AZSET's internal governance bodies, represents AZSET in AzTU's Academic Council (Elmi Şura) on matters of curriculum recognition, academic regulation and degree conferral, and is the school's principal counterpart to TUMint on curriculum fidelity and quality assurance, and to AZCON / Azercell on funding, milestones and industry engagement.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Academic leadership and quality

• Hold overall accountability for the academic integrity, delivery and further development of AZSET's degree programmes, ensuring fidelity to the TUM model as documented in the curricula, module descriptions and quality assurance framework agreed with TUMint.
• Oversee the Academic Program Directors for Computer Science and Computer Engineering, who work in twinned partnership with their TUM Fellow counterparts on the TUMint side.
• Own the school's quality assurance and accreditation agenda, including the QA/M&E manual, the course and programme review cycle, and preparation for state accreditation and licensing.
• Ensure examination formats, progression rules and credit-threshold gateways are formally approved and consistently applied, through the AZSET Examination Board.

Governance and institutional development

• Chair or convene AZSET's governance bodies — the AZSET Council, the Admissions Committee, the Faculty Recruitment & Review Committee and the Examination Board — and ensure their decisions are properly minuted and implemented.
• Establish AZSET's standing within AzTU: hold the school's reporting line to the Rectorate, secure and use AZSET's seat in the Academic Council, and draw efficiently on AzTU's central registrar, IT, legal, procurement and estate services rather than duplicating them.
• Lead the transition of AZSET from a launch-phase project into a formally constituted school operating under a written delegation of authority from AzTU — its own budget line, HR authority and defined decision rights — and advise the Steering Committee on the school's longer-term autonomy.
• Consolidate the current parallel coordination tracks into one clear line of academic and administrative authority, giving each operational function a defined institutional home.

Faculty recruitment and development

• Lead the recruitment, appointment and development of AZSET's academic body— growing from a founding cohort to roughly 15 core faculty by 2030.
• Set transparent workload, promotion and conversion policies, including the terms on which hourly lecturers move to core faculty contracts.
• Champion pedagogical development in partnership with TUMint, including capacity-building weeks in Munich, quarterly training sessions and continuous engagement with TUM faculty.

Students and admissions

• Oversee admissions: entrance examination standards, interview panels, and the selection and progression criteria that protect the programme's academic level.
• Ensure a high standard of student support, advising and academic guidance, and establish student representation within AZSET's governance as the first cohorts progress.

Operations, resources and external relations

• Direct AZSET's non-academic functions — admissions and student services, HR and faculty affairs, IT/labs and facilities, finance and grants, and communications and industry liaison.
• Manage the school's budget against the AZCON funding schedule, including milestone reporting and milestone-linked invoicing, in coordination with AzTU finance. Represent AZSET to the Ministry, AzTU leadership, funders, industry partners, prospective students and the media, and protect the co-branding commitments agreed with TUMint.
• Build employer and industry relationships — beginning with AZCON Holding and Azercell — into internships, applied projects and graduate pathways.

REQUIREMENTS

Essential:

• Doctoral degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Informatics, Electrical Engineering, Mathematics or a closely related discipline. Substantial academic leadership experience at dean, vice-dean, department head, institute director or programme director level, with demonstrable accountability for academic quality and for staff.
• A track record of building or substantially reforming academic programmes, ideally in an international or cross-institutional setting.
• Demonstrated ability to manage budgets, staffing and administrative functions alongside an academic portfolio.
• Proven capability in academic recruitment, faculty development and quality assurance or accreditation processes.
• Excellent English proficiency — all instruction, assessment, governance and academic communication is conducted in English.
• The diplomatic and negotiating skill to work effectively across a public university, an international academic partner and a corporate funder, each with distinct expectations.
• Willingness to be based in Baku and to lead the school on site.

Preferred:

• Experience of German or wider European (Bologna) academic frameworks, including modularised curricula, ECTS and examination regulations.
• Experience establishing a new school, faculty, campus or joint programme from the ground up.
• Familiarity with the Azerbaijani or regional higher-education system, including state accreditation and licensing procedures.
• An established research profile and the standing to attract strong faculty and external partners.
• Experience of industry collaboration, applied research or technology transfer. Knowledge of Azerbaijani, Turkish, Russian or German alongside English.

SELECTION PROCESS

The selection follows a rigorous, multi-stage procedure conducted jointly by AzTU and TUMint, with the AZSET Steering Committee involved at the final stage:

• Document review: CV, degree certificates, leadership record, and a statement of vision for AZSET.
• Academic and leadership screening: verification of qualifications, academic standing and management track record, including reference conversations.
• Panel interview: academic strategy, quality assurance and accreditation, faculty development, governance and stakeholder management.
• Strategy presentation (mandatory): a 30–45 minute presentation in English, before a joint AzTU, TUMint and AZCON panel, setting out the candidate's vision and concrete plan for AZSET's first five years, followed by discussion.
• Final interview with the AzTU Rectorate and the AZSET Steering Committee, and confirmation of the appointment through AzTU's own approval chain.

WHAT WE OFFER

• A rare founding mandate: the opportunity to build a new, internationally benchmarked engineering and technology school and to shape its academic culture from the outset.
• Competitive salary and leadership package benchmarked against international academic standards, significantly above the local market, with relocation support.
• A secured, long-term funding commitment from AZCON Holding, a major national technology and infrastructure group.
• Access to TUM's global academic network, methodologies and quality assurance frameworks, with continuous engagement with TUM faculty and regular visits to Germany.
• Direct partnership with TUM Fellows and TUMint specialists across curriculum, quality assurance, admissions and capacity building.
• A modern, purpose-built campus environment with two fully renovated teaching floors and a dedicated laboratory floor.
• A dynamic, international and young team building one of Azerbaijan's most ambitious new academic institutions.

HOW TO APPLY

Interested candidates are invited to submit the following documents in PDF format in English:

• Curriculum Vitae, including a full record of academic leadership and administrative roles.
• Copies of academic degree certificates. A vision statement of no more than three pages, setting out how the candidate would develop AZSET over its first five years.
• A list of programmes, units or institutions led, with dates, scale and outcomes.
• Evidence of teaching and leadership quality, where available (evaluations, review outcomes, accreditation results).
• Three academic or professional references (letters or contact details).

Please send your application to: info@azsetedu.az and latifa.nasibova@mincom.gov.az

Specify the position title in the subject line: Founding Dean, AZSET

Applications received by 15 October 2026 will receive full consideration; thereafter, applications are reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

AZSET is committed to equal opportunity and welcomes applications from all qualified candidates regardless of gender, nationality, background or belief.