Position:	Director of Wellness
Reports to:	Registrar
Contract Type:	Contractual
Location:	Chittagong, Bangladesh

Role Summary

The Director of Wellness provides strategic and operational leadership for a comprehensive, culturally responsive, and evidence-based mental health and wellbeing ecosystem at the university.

The university’s Wellness Program has been launched in May 2024 by the Founding Director of Wellness and is currently in the functional stage. The incoming Director is expected to continue this legacy, strengthen existing structures, fine-tune service delivery, and scale the program for long-term sustainability and impact.

The role integrates clinical services, preventive mental health programming, peer support systems, and policy development to promote student wellbeing, academic success, and resilience — particularly for students from diverse and crisis-affected backgrounds.

The Director serves as the university’s lead authority on student mental health, trauma-informed practice, and psychosocial wellbeing.

Core Responsibilities

1) Program Leadership & Growth

• Act as the Leader of the Wellness Program and take it to the next level of sustainability and vision.
• Build upon the vision and established systems of the Wellness Program and work towards solidifying them.
• Fine-tune workflows, protocols and referral pathways, review periodically and ensure compliance thereof.
• Strengthen quality assurance and effectiveness of all services provided by the Program.
• Develop long-term strategy for sustainability and scalability.
• Advise university leadership on any matters related to student wellbeing and safeguarding.
• The Director will lead and supervise a multidisciplinary team consisting of:

Clinical Psychologist(s)
Counselling Psychologist(s)
Psychiatrist
Peer Mediators / Peer Supporters
Wellness Ambassadors

2) Preventive Mental Health & Promotion

• Lead and expand preventive mental health initiatives
• Develop programs on resilience, emotional regulation, coping skills, and life skills
• Integrate wellbeing promotion into campus life and student experience
• Promote a proactive culture of mental wellbeing across campus and support transition, adjustment and retention of students

3) Clinical & Psychosocial Services Oversight

• Oversee delivery of confidential student mental health services
• Ensure trauma-informed and culturally sensitive care
• Strengthen crisis response and suicide prevention systems
• Maintain clear referral and escalation pathways
• Responsibilities include
• Clinical and administrative supervision
• Capacity building and training
• Ensuring ethical and professional standard
• Fostering strong team collaboration

5) Peer Support & Student Engagement

• Strengthen and oversee the peer mediation and peer support model
• Ensure proper training, supervision, and safeguarding
• Encourage student leadership in wellbeing initiatives

6) Monitoring, Learning & Improvement

• Conduct needs assessments and wellbeing surveys
• Use data to refine services and programs
• Document outcomes and program impact
• Support innovation where relevant

7) Collaboration & Capacity Building

• Work closely with faculty, residential life, and student affairs
• Train staff and faculty in student-sensitive and trauma-informed approaches
• Build partnerships with relevant mental health organizations
• Represent the university in wellbeing-related forums

Qualifications Required

• Degree in Psychiatry or Clinical Psychology or Public Health with a mental health focus
• Experience delivering mental health services to young adults
• Leadership or program management experience with a minimum duration of five years
• Knowledge of trauma-informed care
• Experience with refugee or conflict-affected populations
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills
• Fluency in English

Preferred

• Experience in university mental health systems
• Research or evaluation experience
• Multilingual abilities relevant to student populations (English, Bangla, Farsi, Dari, Hindi, Urdu)
• Experience in preventive and community mental health programming

To Apply:

Interested applicants should send their resume along with a cover letter detailing how their qualifications, skills, abilities and experience meet the specific requirements of the role, as outlined in the job description. Attach copy of educational certificates and name of at least 3 references.

Applicant must enclose his/her Photograph with CV. (Name & Contact Information) addressing to hrd@auw.edu.bd. Please mention the position applied on the subject line. The review of applications will begin immediately. Only short-listed candidates will be contact.