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, 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, steady execution, and the ability to operate like a chamber professional in a complex higher education ecosystem.

The role combines relationship management, program execution, and institutional coordination, with a strong focus on delivering tangible outcomes over time.

Key Responsibilities

- Develop and manage 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-led initiatives such as roundtables, conferences, delegations, MoUs, and policy dialogues




- Serve as the primary institutional interface for partners, ensuring continuity, credibility, and long-term engagement
- Work closely with senior leadership to translate CIPU’s strategic priorities into executable partnership programs
- Track commitments, follow-ups, and partner deliverables to ensure consistency and institutional memory

- Represent CIPU in meetings, consultations, and sector forums as required

Candidate Profile

- 6–8 years of experience in a chamber of commerce, industry association, think tank, or higher education administrative role
- Proven experience in organising and managing conferences, roundtables, and multi-stakeholder events
- Robust understanding of the Indian higher education ecosystem, including universities, regulators, and policy processes
- Demonstrated ability to manage senior stakeholders with professionalism and discretion
- Strong written and verbal communication skills
- High ownership mindset with the ability to think long-term and execute independently

What This Role Is Not

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

This role is ideal for someone who wants to build institutions, not just execute tasks, and grow into a long-term leadership position within India’s higher education ecosystem.

📌 Manager-Strategic Partnerships (Pune)
🏢 MIT WPU
📍 Pune