President (m/f/d)

About the Role

CODE University of Applied Sciences is a state-accredited university of applied sciences in Berlin built for a new generation of digital pioneers. We educate people who want to shape the future—not by absorbing knowledge in lecture halls, but by building, experimenting, and learning through real-world projects. We pride ourselves in our learning approach and in our focus on entrepreneurship. We embraced AI long before it became a hype — convinced that in an age where AI reshapes what and how we learn, education itself must be fundamentally different.

Our academic model is project-based, curiosity-driven, and interdisciplinary . There are no conventional lectures. Students primarily work on project teams, supported by faculty who act as coaches and sparring partner. We do not look at grades when inviting students, but rather mindset and character - initiative, responsibility, and the willingness to take ownership are what count.

CODE is more than a university. It is a community of learners, makers, and entrepreneurs embedded in Berlin’s tech and startup ecosystem. Our purpose is clear: To empower digital pioneers.

The Role
As President, you are the academic head of CODE University of Applied Sciences. You have overall responsibility for the university’s academic approach, its legal integrity, academic governance, and long-term development.

You are not a caretaker of the status quo. You are a steward of CODE’s mission, culture, and academic model—entrusted with preserving its DNA while guiding the institution through its next phase of growth, maturation, and impact.

You are the public face of CODE — equally at ease representing the university externally and present within its community day to day.

As a leading member of the Presidium, you shape CODE’s future in close cooperation with its stakeholders: students, alumni, faculty, academic senate, chancellor and boards, while safeguarding academic independence.

Your Responsibilities
Academic Leadership & Strategy

• Act as steward of CODE’s vision on learning and entrepreneurship.
• Further develop CODE’s academic approach and ensure its positioning as a leading entrepreneurship-focused university for digital innovation – with a distinctive learning model, culture, and values (“To empower digital pioneers”). Champion entrepreneurial thinking and acting as drivers for change and development in the world — positioning CODE's graduates and community as agents of positive societal impact

University Governance & Legal Responsibility

• Represent CODE in all matters of university law and ensure compliance with statutes and higher-education regulations.
• Prepare, chair, and implement resolutions of the relevant academic bodies, in particular the academic senate.

Academic Quality, Accreditation & Research

• Oversee and drive academic standards, quality assurance, and continuous improvement.
• Lead and oversee (re-)accreditation processes and ensure regulatory readiness as the university scales.
• Promote research activities and oversee the development and management of academic institutes and international cooperations.

Faculty & Academic Operations

• Inspire and enable faculty to fully live CODE's project-based, inquiry-driven, entrepreneurship-focused pedagogy.
• Provide leadership for academic colleagues, including responsibility for academic personnel matters within the statutory framework.
• Ensure that teaching and examination obligations are fulfilled, with the right to supervise and issue instructions where required.

Community, Culture & Representation

• Act as a credible ambassador for CODE’s model, values, and societal relevance.
• Cultivate close, visible relationships with students, alumni and faculty and strengthen a culture of trust, inclusion, and innovation.
• Represent CODE vis-à-vis the Berlin Senate, political stakeholders, the academic community, accreditation bodies, and partners from industry and the startup ecosystem.

Institutional Development & Growth

• As a leading member of the Presidium, co-shape the university strategy and contribute to the implementation of the business plan.
• Work closely with the chancellor and the academic senate to align academic strategy with sustainable institutional growth.
• Support the development of new educational formats consistent with CODE’s mission and quality standards.

Your Profile
Formal Eligibility

• You meet the statutory requirements for appointment as President under CODE’s Basic Regulations, i.e. a university degree and leadership experience.
• A doctoral degree and/or eligibility for appointment to a professorship under the Berliner Hochschulgesetz are highly welcome and strengthen your candidacy.

Leadership Experience

• Proven experience in leading an academic institution, a substantial academic unit, or a mission-driven organization in a complex governance environment.
• Demonstrated ability to balance academic freedom, legal compliance, and strategic development.

Stewardship Mindset

• You see the role of President not as an administrative position, but as institutional stewardship.
• You are passionate about reinventing learning and teaching for the age of AI, and bring a clear drive to further CODE's pedagogic approach.
• You are deeply committed to preserving and evolving CODE’s entrepreneurial DNA while professionalizing structures, processes, and governance.
• You are comfortable leading through influence, culture, and shared purpose rather than hierarchy.

Academic Track-Record & Entrepreneurial Affinity

• Teaching experience in modern higher-education pedagogy, such as project-based learning, inquiry-based learning, and constructive alignment.
• Genuine affinity with technology, design, entrepreneurship, and startup ecosystems—and the ability to engage founders, investors, and tech leaders as peers.
• Solid research experience proven with peer-reviewed publications in the field relevant to CODE.

Network & Communication

• Well connected within academia and capable of representing CODE credibly in regulatory and political contexts, or a strong embeddedness in the entrepreneurial ecosystem.
• An inspiring communicator, equally comfortable in external representation and internal community building, who can connect students, faculty, partners, and political stakeholders around a shared mission.

Languages

• Fluency in English and German is required.

Why CODE
CODE offers a rare opportunity:
To lead a university that was designed from scratch for the digital age—and to shape its future at a moment where impact, scale, and institutional maturity converge.
If you believe universities should empower people to build, not just to know—and if you are motivated to steward a bold educational vision into its next chapter—we look forward to your application.

Start Date
01 March 2027

Application Process
Please submit your application (motivation letter + CV in one PDF) by May 31, 2026 through our portal:

Contact Information

For inquiries, you are welcome to contact:

Prof. Dr. Stephan Stubner

Chairman of the Selection Committee

[email protected]

About us

CODE is a private state-recognized and accredited university of applied sciences that is embedded into the vibrant network of Berlin’s digital economy. At the core of our study programs is a self-directed project-based learning concept. Together with a network of partner organizations, our goal is to provide students with practical, real-world, and digitally-oriented education and the ability to face the technological and social changes and challenges of tomorrow.

About Working At CODE:

CODE’s atmosphere is creative and dynamic, with an international team in the heart of Berlin. We value your strengths and will support you in your professional development as well as provide fair compensation and some fun additions. Most importantly, joining CODE means being a part of a passionate team that is shaping the future of higher education. CODE aims to be a place where everyone feels able to be themselves and do their best in an inclusive and respectful working environment, and where all team members can thrive and reach their full potential. We want to attract, develop, and retain individuals with different experiences, backgrounds and perspectives – particularly people of color, LGBTQIA+ and those with disabilities. We value diverse backgrounds and believe they are integral to our growth and development as an institution.