Job Summary

Role: Client Partnership Director (India)

Location: Bangalore, India

Job type: Full time, permanent

Working arrangement: Hybrid

As Client Partnership Director (India), the successful candidate will be responsible for leading QSs integrated commercial effort across India, with a clear mandate to drive sustainable revenue growth across the full portfolio of QS services. This new role has been created to provide dedicated commercial leadership for one of QSs most strategically important markets, ensuring disciplined sales execution and strong client engagement. The Head of Client Partnerships will own the India revenue target end-to-end, lead the in-country sales team day-to-day, and drive operational rigour across pipeline management, CRM adoption, and commercial performance. Working closely with the Chair for India, and other key senior stakeholders, the role will translate the India sales strategy into measurable outcomes, build long-term institutional relationships with universities and higher education bodies, and represent QSs full portfolio including ratings, data subscriptions, sponsorships, digital services, and student recruitment events; in a coordinated and credible manner. The role will also play a central part in strengthening sales discipline within the integrated team, embedding a unified CRM, transparent pipeline reporting, and a structured framework aligned with QS commercial standards.

Responsibilities

- Develop and deliver a 5-year QS growth plan for India, grounded in market insight, segmentation analysis, and long-term portfolio priorities, providing a clear roadmap for revenue growth, market share expansion, and product penetration across the full QS portfolio.
- Deliver on the integrated India revenue target across QS services, with full accountability for pipeline, forecasting, new business conversion, and renewals.
- Lead, coach, and develop the India sales team, ensuring focus across the full integrated portfolio and balanced effort across all QS services and products.
- Drive go-to-market execution across QSs India business, working in close partnership with commercial leadership, and Business Unit leads.
- Develop and execute account plans for key institutional clients, including target universities for ratings, sponsorships, data subscriptions, and value-added services.
- Lead engagement with state and central government bodies, regulatory authorities, and public-sector higher education institutions, positioning QS as a trusted partner across policy, ratings, and capacity-building agendas.
- Identify, qualify,



and lead QSs response to government and institutional tenders, RFPs, and large-scale public-sector opportunities, ensuring timely, competitive, and compliant submissions.
- Represent QS publicly across India, including speaking engagements at higher education conferences, industry forums, university convenings, and government-led platforms, building QSs profile and thought leadership presence in the market.
- Build and maintain a robust pipeline, ensuring full adoption of a unified CRM and accurate, transparent reporting to QS leadership.
- Operate a clear commission and incentive framework for the sales team, in alignment with QS commercial standards and the approved India sales strategy.
- Strengthen long-term relationships with Vice-Chancellors, senior institutional leaders, and decision-makers across the Indian higher education sector.
- Partner with the Chair for India on strategic accounts and high-level government and institutional engagements, while maintaining independent ownership of the broader sales team and target.
- Provide structured market intelligence and competitive insight to inform QS product positioning, pricing, and go-to-market strategy in India, including identification of new product or service opportunities tailored to the Indian market.
- Any other duties that fall within the purpose and scope of the role.

Key skills and experience

- Extensive experience in B2B, institutional, or enterprise sales leadership roles, with several years in a senior leadership capacity managing quota-carrying teams and owning multi-million revenue targets.
- Demonstrated track record of driving revenue growth and market expansion in long-cycle, consultative B2B environments, with consistent achievement of annual targets.
- Experience in higher education, education services, ratings/accreditation, or EdTech is strongly preferred. Familiarity with the Indian higher education landscape is a significant advantage.
- Proven ability to engage and influence at the most senior institutional level Vice-Chancellors, Pro-VCs, Registrars, Deans, Boards of Governors, and Trustees,



or equivalent C-suite and board-level decision-makers in adjacent sectors with the credibility and gravitas to be taken seriously as a peer.
- Established credibility and active network with state and central government stakeholders, regulatory bodies (UGC, AICTE, NAAC, NBA), and public-sector institutions.
- Working knowledge of, or demonstrable interest in, national higher education policy and initiatives, including NEP 2020, internationalisation frameworks, and the broader regulatory and reform agenda shaping the Indian higher education sector.
- Proven experience identifying, bidding for, and winning government and institutional tenders, RFPs, and large-scale public-sector opportunities, including familiarity with public procurement processes, consortium bids, and compliance documentation.
- Demonstrated experience building, leading, and scaling commercial teams, including hiring, target setting, performance management, coaching, and developing future sales leaders.
- Track record of developing and executing multi-year growth strategies, including market segmentation, account planning, portfolio prioritisation, and revenue forecasting.
- Strong commercial judgment in structuring deals, pricing frameworks, MoUs, and renewals, with the ability to balance long-term relationship value against short-term commercial pressure.
- Solid CRM and operating discipline, with hands-on experience embedding pipeline transparency, forecast accuracy, and structured sales reviews across a team.
- Outstanding executive presence and platform skills, with a track record of representing organisations on stage at industry conferences, government forums, and high-profile events. Comfortable as a public face of the brand in India.
- Strong commercial and financial acumen, including comfort with P&L; thinking, commission plan design, and investment cases for sales infrastructure.
- Postgraduate qualification preferred (MBA from a recognised institution, or equivalent).
- Fluent in English (written and spoken); working knowledge of Hindi and/or one or more regional Indian languages is highly advantageous given the geographic spread of the client base.
- Strong interpersonal, leadership, and communication skills, with the credibility and presence to lead from the front, build internal champions across QS globally, and serve as the public face

Disclaimer : This job posting has been aggregated from external source. Role details, content, and availability are subject to change. Applicants are advised to confirm the latest information directly on the company website before applying.

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