The advent of 21st-century global transformations and technological advancement has prompted a shift in modern universities, leading to the emergence of a demanding work environment, where academicians are required to perform their tasks effectively. Engaging and retaining the talented early career academicians (ECA) is a critical challenge for organization today. One of the contributing factors to the high turnover rate is the growth of private institutions which is exacerbated the demand for academicians in Private Higher Education Institutions (PHEIS). The main objective of the study is to examine the relationship of intrinsic motivation on turnover intention. This paper further investigates the mediating effect of work engagement on the relationship between the dependent and independent variable. Data were collected from early career academicians (ECA) employed in Private Higher Education Institutions (PHEIs), yielding a total of 175 valid questionnaires for analysis using path analysis. The findings indicate a direct relationship between intrinsic motivation and turnover intention, while work engagement was found to partially mediate the relationship between these two variables. Based on the analysis, organization can conclude that focusing on improving work engagement would positively affect the intrinsic motivation of newly hired academicians. The tendency to leave would subside due to a strong emotional connection with the leaders and coworkers. This result highlight that further study on the work engagement and its relation to intrinsic motivation is necessary to reduce the tendency to leave. The potential research direction and implication is presented.