President (m/f/d) CODE Education GmbH

About CODE 

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 tasks

• Further develop CODE's academic vision and champion entrepreneurial thinking and acting as a driver for change and development in the world – based on a CODE´s unique approach.
• Represent CODE vis-à-vis the Berlin Senate, political stakeholders, accreditation bodies, and partners from industry and the startup ecosystem.
• Bear responsibility for academic quality, accreditation, and regulatory readiness as the university scales.
• Co-shape the university strategy and business plan together with the chancellor and the stakeholders.

Your profile

• University education, eligibility for appointment to a professorship under the Berliner Hochschulgesetz highly welcome. Leadership experience is a must.
• Passionate about reinventing learning and teaching for the age of AI; experience with modern pedagogy (e.g. project-based, inquiry-based, constructive alignment).
• Genuine affinity with technology, design, entrepreneurship, and startup ecosystems — able to
  engage founders, investors, and tech leaders as peers.
• 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.
• Fluency in English and German.

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.

What you can expect:

• Fixed-Term contract (4 years).
• Full-time position (40 hours per week)

Your application

Please submit your application (motivation letter + CV in one PDF) by May 31, 2026 through our portal: https://code.jobs.personio.de/.

For inquiries, you are welcome to contact:

Prof. Dr. Stephan Stubner
Chairman of the Selection Committee
stephan.stubner@code.berlin