The Deputy Director – External Relations will play a key leadership role in developing and executing GITAM's external relations strategy. The role will be responsible for strengthening relationships with alumni, industry leaders, corporates, institutions, and other strategic stakeholders, while driving initiatives that create measurable value for the University. The position will work closely with senior leadership and internal academic and functional teams to identify opportunities, build partnerships, facilitate engagement, and ensure effective execution of external relations initiatives across campuses and geographies.

Roles and Responsibilities:

1.External Relations Strategy

- Support the development and execution of the University's external relations strategy in alignment with institutional priorities.
- Identify and develop strategic relationships with industry leaders, corporates, institutions, alumni, and other influential stakeholders.
- Represent GITAM in relevant external forums, meetings, conferences, and networking platforms.

2.Alumni & Stakeholder Engagement

- Strengthen engagement with the GITAM alumni community across India and international geographies.
- Build and maintain relationships with senior alumni, industry professionals, corporate leaders, and institutional partners.
- Identify opportunities to leverage external networks for mentoring, student opportunities, industry engagement, knowledge sharing, internships, placements, collaborations, and institutional growth.

3.Strategic Partnerships

- Identify, develop, and manage strategic partnerships with corporates, institutions, professional bodies, and other external organizations.
- Facilitate opportunities for MoUs, collaborations, joint initiatives, knowledge partnerships, industry engagement, and other strategic programs.
- Ensure effective coordination between external partners and relevant internal stakeholders.

4.Events & Engagement Programs

- Lead and oversee high-impact external engagement initiatives, including alumni events, leadership interactions, industry meets, conferences, reunions, networking events, and institutional programs.
- Develop event strategies,



stakeholder plans, communication plans, and execution frameworks.
- Ensure that external commitments are aligned with internal approvals, priorities, and execution readiness.

5.Industry & Corporate Relations

- Build a strong network of corporate and industry leaders and identify opportunities for meaningful engagement with GITAM.
- Facilitate industry interactions, leadership sessions, student opportunities, internships, projects, mentoring, and other forms of collaboration.
- Work with academic and functional teams to convert external relationships into measurable institutional outcomes.

6.University Representation & Reputation Building

- Represent GITAM professionally in external engagements and strategic forums.
- Support initiatives that strengthen GITAM's institutional visibility, reputation, and relationships with key external stakeholders.
- Identify opportunities for GITAM leadership and faculty to engage with influential external networks.

7.Team Leadership

- Provide leadership, mentoring, and direction to the External Relations team.
- Establish clear goals, work plans, processes, and performance metrics for the team.
- Encourage collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement across the function.

8.Data, Reporting & Governance

- Develop dashboards and regular reports to track external relations performance and outcomes.
- Monitor metrics such as active alumni engagement, strategic partnerships, corporate engagement, events, student opportunities, stakeholder participation, and collaborations.
- Maintain appropriate documentation, databases, engagement records, and governance processes.

9.Cross-functional Collaboration

- Work closely with academic schools, admissions, career services, research, communications,



advancement, and other functional teams.
- Understand institutional priorities and identify external engagement opportunities that support them.
- Ensure seamless coordination and timely execution of initiatives across campuses.

10.Continuous Improvement

- Evaluate the effectiveness of external engagement initiatives and identify opportunities for improvement.
- Develop scalable processes and frameworks for stakeholder engagement.
- Stay updated on trends and best practices in alumni relations, corporate relations, higher education partnerships, and institutional engagement.

Qualification and Experience:

- Bachelor's degree with a Master's degree preferred in Business Administration, Marketing, Communications, Higher Education Administration, Public Relations, or a related field.
- 12+ years of relevant experience in external relations, alumni relations, corporate relations, stakeholder engagement, partnerships, institutional relations, program management, or a related function.
- Prior experience in higher education, corporate relations, non profit organizations, professional associations, or a similar stakeholder-driven environment is preferred.
- Demonstrated experience in building and managing relationships with senior leaders, corporate executives, alumni, institutions, and external stakeholders.
- Proven ability to develop partnerships and convert relationships into measurable institutional outcomes.
- Robust leadership and team-management skills, with the ability to manage multiple teams, stakeholders, and workstreams.
- Excellent written, verbal, presentation, negotiation, and interpersonal communication skills.
- Strong event planning and stakeholder-management capabilities.
- Ability to work independently, exercise sound judgment, and take ownership of outcomes.
- Strong analytical skills with the ability to use data, dashboards, and reports to measure engagement and impact.
- Ability to work effectively in a dynamic, multi-campus university environment with frequent interaction with senior leadership and external stakeholders.

📌 Deputy Director - External Relations (Visakhapatnam)
🏢 GITAM Deemed University
📍 Visakhapatnam