Lead - Strategic Partnerships

Lead – Strategic Partnerships

Location: Pune

Organisation: Confederation of Indian Private Universities (CIPU)

About CIPU

The Confederation of Indian Private Universities (CIPU) is India’s national association of private universities, representing over 100 institutions across the country. CIPU works closely with academic leaders, policymakers, regulators, industry bodies, and international partners to strengthen India’s higher education ecosystem through policy engagement, strategic dialogue, collaboration, and thought leadership aligned with national priorities.

Role Overview

The Lead – Strategic Partnerships will be responsible for building, managing, and scaling long-term institutional partnerships for CIPU across academia, government, industry, and international bodies.

This is a managerial, ownership-driven role requiring strategic thinking, strong execution capabilities, and the ability to operate as a chamber professional within a complex higher education ecosystem. The role integrates relationship management, program leadership, and institutional coordination, with a strong focus on delivering sustained, measurable outcomes.

Key Responsibilities

- Develop, manage, and grow strategic partnerships with universities, government bodies, regulators, embassies, chambers, industry associations, and international organisations relevant to higher education. - Lead end-to-end execution of partnership-driven initiatives, including roundtables, conferences, delegations, MoUs, and policy dialogues. - Act as the primary institutional interface for strategic partners, ensuring continuity, credibility, and long-term engagement. - Work closely with senior leadership to translate CIPU’s strategic objectives into structured and executable partnership programs. - Track commitments, follow-ups, and partner deliverables to ensure effective execution and institutional memory. - Represent CIPU in meetings, consultations, and sector forums, as required.

Candidate Profile

- 6–8 years of relevant experience in a chamber of commerce, industry association, think tank, policy institution, or higher education administration. - Proven experience in conceptualising, organising, and managing conferences, roundtables, and multi-stakeholder engagements. - Strong understanding of the Indian higher education ecosystem, including regulatory frameworks and policy processes. - Demonstrated ability to manage senior stakeholders with professionalism, discretion, and maturity. - Excellent written and verbal communication skills. - High ownership mindset, with the ability to think strategically, execute independently, and build long-term institutional value.

What This Role Is Not

- Not a sales-driven or short-term business development role. - Not a purely operational or junior coordination position.

Why This Role?

This role is ideal for professionals who aspire to build institutions, shape policy dialogue, and create long-term ecosystem impact, rather than merely executing transactional tasks. It offers a pathway to long-term leadership within India’s higher education and policy ecosystem.