The present research uses Self-Determination Theory (SDT) as a theoretical framework to examine the influence of work-life balance flexibility and authentic leadership on engagement at work among higher education academicians in Malaysia. According to SDT, meeting the needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness is expected to increase intrinsic motivation and engagement. Also, authentic leadership that encompasses self-awareness, relational transparency, internalized moral perspective, and balanced processing was more likely to lead to higher perceptions of autonomy and supports all three needs through ethical and open leadership practices. A quantitative approach was employed, collecting data from 120 academicians across Malaysian universities, university colleges, and colleges. Data analysis using SmartPLS revealed that relational transparency, internalized moral perspective, and balanced processing significantly influenced work engagement, whereas self-awareness and work-life flexibility showed no notable impact. These results indicate that ethical and transparent leadership outweighs flexible work arrangements in driving engagement in this setting. This study fills a gap in the literature by introducing SDT in the academic environment of Malaysia and has relevant managerial implications in terms of institutional policy and leadership development. Recommendations for future research include exploring psychological mediators and cross-cultural analyses.