Introduction <p>The rapid expansion of Vietnam’s higher education sector has accentuated the pivotal role of human resource management in ensuring institutional effectiveness. Leadership style is widely recognised as a critical determinant of employee outcomes, particularly employee’s job satisfaction and engagement.</p> Purpose <p>Drawing on the theoretical integration between Social Exchange Theory (SET) and the Job Demands–Resources (JD–R) model, this study examines the effect of transformational leadership (TFL) on employee engagement (EE) in private universities in Ho Chi Minh City, with job satisfaction with supervisors (JSF) as a mediating variable.</p> Methodology <p>A quantitative research design was employed using survey data from 200 academic and administrative staff. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) was applied to assess measurement reliability, validity, and structural relationships.</p> Findings <p>The results demonstrate that transformational leadership positively influences employee engagement and that job satisfaction with supervisors significantly mediates this relationship.</p> Originality <p>This study extends existing leadership–engagement research by examining the relationship between transformational leadership and employee engagement in the underexplored context of private universities in Vietnam, with job satisfaction with supervisors acting as a mediating variable. While most prior studies focus on corporate or public-sector organisations, empirical evidence from private higher education institutions remains limited.</p>