Manager - Partnerships (College Advisory Program)

Role Snapshot

Role Purpose

Key Responsibilities

• Find, approach and sign schools, junior colleges, universities and higher-education institutions across India.
• Build a ranked target list by region, institution tier and student fit.
• Lead pitches, presentations and negotiations with principals, directors, deans and management.
• Draft and close MoUs and partnership agreements, working with legal and finance.

• Own each signed partnership: onboarding, rollout of the advisory programme, and ongoing engagement.
• Plan and run on-campus sessions, workshops, counselling drives and events with partners.
• Hold regular reviews with partners and fix issues fast to keep renewal rates high.

• Help design the partnership models, pricing and value proposition for the programme.
• Track competitor programmes and market trends in college admissions advisory.
• Spot new segments and regions and propose expansion plans.

• Work with academics, counselling, marketing and Toprankers' 64-centre network to deliver on partner commitments.
• Keep the CRM current and share weekly pipeline and performance reports with leadership.

• Travel across India often to meet partners, attend education fairs and run on-ground activities.

Qualifications and Experience

• Graduate or postgraduate degree from a National Law University (NLU) or an Indian Institute of Management (IIM). Candidates from other top-tier institutes with strong relevant experience will be considered.
• 2–4 years in partnerships, institutional sales, business development, alliances or education consulting.
• Experience working with schools, colleges or universities is a strong advantage.
• Good understanding of India's higher-education and admissions landscape.
• Willing and able to travel extensively across India.

Skills and Competencies

• Strong spoken and written communication in English and Hindi; other regional languages are a plus.
• Confident presenting to, and negotiating with, senior institutional leaders.
• Can build relationships with many stakeholders and keep them over time.
• Self-driven and target-oriented; comfortable working independently while travelling.
• Structured thinker with sound planning, reporting and data skills.
• Working knowledge of a CRM, MS Excel or Google Sheets, and presentation tools.

Key Performance Indicators

• Number of new school and college partnerships signed per quarter
• Revenue and student enrolments generated through partner institutions
• Partner activation rate: share of signed partners running at least one programme activity
• Partner retention and renewal rate
• Pipeline health: qualified leads, meetings held and conversion rate

What We Offer

• A founding role in a new programme, with a direct say in how it scales
• Exposure to senior leadership and to Toprankers' pan-India centre network
• Competitive compensation with performance-linked incentives
• Travel expenses covered as per company policy