Job Title Director Academic Affairs Location Delhi India About Springer Nature Springer Nature opens the doors to discovery for researchers educators clinicians and other professionals Every day around the globe our imprints books journals platforms and technology solutions reach millions of people For over 180 years our brands and imprints have been a trusted source of knowledge to these communities and today more than ever we see it as our responsibility to ensure that fundamental knowledge can be found verified understood and used by our communities - enabling them to improve outcomes make progress and benefit the generations that follow About the Role Government and Academic Affairs is a key function in India which is the third largest producer of scientific and academic research The role of Director Academic Affairs reports into the India Country Manager and is created to lead engagement with government funders universities and researchers all crucial to the company s success including at the senior leadership level The role exists not just to create early awareness of policy trends but to actively influence them through partnerships and jointly conducted research The director should be accepted as a thought leader both by government officials and key opinion leaders and by the broader research community and have high visibility at events and in relevant media The public policy manager will report into the director the director will be part of the global Academic Affairs team having a dotted reporting line to the VP Academic Affairs and work closely with Springer Nature leaders across the business in India and their teams to harness everyone s capabilities and relationships to maximise impact for the company At the same time the director will gather information and provide analysis intelligence and publishing recommendations back to colleagues To achieve this the director will need the ability to lead complex projects across divisions with senior decision makers An essential partner to the VP Academic Affairs and the India Country Manager the director will lead SN academic activities in India establish new relationships tracking as well as influencing policies and ensuring information collated from academic touchpoints is used in decision making across SN The Director Academic Affairs will be part of Springer Nature s Senior Leadership Team in India Key tasks include Work with the whole of the India research community researchers universities research institutes academic societies academies government and funding bodies partners and others on issues of common interest including Open Access incl India policies and funding Transformative Agreements research integrity research researcher assessment achieving improved DEI in academia international collaborative research research security SDGs and other initiatives that contribute to improving the research environment Create a community-wide understanding of SN commitment to its role in delivering reliable and well on the above and leading on improvements Lead in making Springer Nature into a recognized contributor to an improved research environment by working with others across Springer Nature journals books solutions editorial marketing comms with a special focus on proprietary OA journals bringing together different relevant threads policy processes etc to develop a joined-up understanding of essential needs and trends across the group and outside in the community Connect the internal and external pictures to weave a clear narrative and identify areas of future development to ensure what we do is driven by market needs Responsibilities Outreach and Strategic Partnership Own relations with target organizations in India including at senior leadership level and ensure interactions and relationship status are tracked in global AA database and CRM Identify key stakeholders and initiatives where Springer Nature should engage with further improvements of the research environment Work closely with editorial teams to build relationships and co-operative arrangements with government and funding bodies universities research institutes and other key stakeholders Actively represent Springer Nature externally as the face of our commitment to improving the research environment through keynote speeches conferences seminars thought pieces cross-collaboration working groups and other initiatives Represent Springer Nature s view and influence policy makers positively and conversely represent Indian viewpoints to internal stakeholders Orchestrate inclusive multi-divisions solution approach to optimal interactions with academic partners in the region along with internal stakeholders Initiate and own strategic analyses of policy trends and make recommendations based on these for academic affairs priorities and broader company strategies Lead dissemination of key findings from academic and government interactions to stakeholders across SN potentially including but not limited to meeting summary distribution to senior stakeholder email circ Hive group newsletter and ad hoc webinars blogposts Internal Contributions Be a key contributor to strategies for systematically establishing and sharing connections between research institutions and relevant parts of the SN organization including Institutional Sales Publishing Editorial Research Solutions and Platform teams Identify and facilitate initiatives that leverage SN expertise and capabilities Bring community insights needs and opportunities back to Springer Nature colleagues and champion proposed collaborations particularly with the Journals Books and commercial area especially incl OA team and Research Solutions Map the external market align Springer Nature s engagement and address gaps Work with different teams as the advisor to screen qualify and manage potential academic partnerships and potential deeper collaborations Run the Team s Hive postings and blog contributions Experience Skills Qualifications Experience Must have a large and powerful network in the academic community Experience working with government bodies and agencies Experience working in journals publishing and or academic communication Respected as a thought leader in the community Extensive knowledge of and experience with the research landscape Experience and understanding of the strategic imperatives in scholarly publishing Experience and understanding of the challenges of the Open Research Open Science landscape in India and beyond Proven experience in successfully managing and influencing people Experience in developing leading and implementing strategy Skills Knowledge A strong passion for the role of science and research in wider society Ability to bridge international and Indian perspectives Strong leadership skills Cross department outreach within India and internationally Ability to actively influence policy perceptions Cooperative team player non-territorial A thorough understanding of the scientific and research process Ability to work with others to influence define develop policy and initiatives related to improving the research environment internally and externally esp relating to Open Science Good listening advocacy analysis and relationship management skills Proven experience of working in a complex global matrix Strong analytical and problem-solving skills Strong presentation skills Highly self-motivated resourceful and achievement oriented Qualifications Highly Desired A higher degree and research experience Highly Desired journals publishing experience At Springer Nature our mission is to be part of progress - and that begins with inclusion of people perspectives and ideas We believe that diverse perspectives drive progress and we are committed to creating an environment where people and ideas can flourish If you have any access needs related to disability neurodivergence or a chronic condition please contact us so we can make all necessary accommodation Find out more about our DEI work here For more information about career opportunities in Springer Nature please visit LI-CG1 Job Posting End Date 6-02-2026

📌 Director Academic Affairs (New Delhi)
🏢 Springer Nature
📍 New Delhi