Senior Manager - Academics

Darwinbox Digital Solutions Pvt. Ltd.; Gurugram District; On-site; INR 2,400,000 - 4,200,000; Full time

Job summary

Masters’ Union in Gurgaon is seeking a Senior Manager - Academic Operations to own the end-to-end execution of academic programmes and lead a high-performing team of assistant program managers and academic coordinators to deliver operations at scale. This role blends execution excellence, process rigour, and people leadership at the intersection of academic quality and student experience.

The position requires steering LMS readiness, course structure accuracy, risk mitigation, and compliant,

Qualifications

• 6-12 years of experience in Program Management, Academic Operations, or high-growth start-ups.
• Demonstrated track record of managing teams with high ownership and accountability.
• Stakeholder management with faculty, leadership, and cross-functional teams.
• Meticulous attention to detail with structured, first-principles problem-solving ability.
• Proven ability to design processes, author SOPs, and drive execution discipline.
• Thrives in fast-paced, high-ownership environments with evolving priorities.

Responsibilities

• Owning end-to-end academic program management, including scheduling, calendar planning, and term closures.
• Ensuring LMS readiness, course structure accuracy, and seamless session execution across programs.
• Proactively identifying risks and driving resolution before they impact students or faculty.
• Overseeing assessment operations, including exams, vivas, grading workflows, and result consolidation.
• Ensuring compliance with academic policies and codes of conduct.
• Leading student NPS cycles and translating insights into improvements.
• Managing a team of Assistant Program Managers and Academic Coordinators with clear ownership.

Skills

Program management

Academic operations

Team leadership

Stakeholder management

Process design

SOP development

Project management

Attention to detail

Job description

Founded in 2020, Masters’ Union is a new-age, industry-led university focused on business, technology, engineering, and entrepreneurship. Built around learning by doing, the institution combines academics with real-world projects, startup building, and global exposure, with the ambition of becoming one of the world’s top business schools and multidisciplinary universities over the next two decades.

Today, Masters’ Union has nearly 3,500 students across undergraduate, postgraduate, and executive programs, with almost half being experienced professionals. Spread across nearly 5 lakh square feet in Gurgaon and Manesar, the institution houses the PwC Center for Generative AI, a Bloomberg Lab, Gurgaon’s premier maker space, AI and robotics infrastructure, advanced bioengineering workshops, and startup incubation spaces, while also expanding into areas such as bioengineering and genetic engineering.

The institution is chaired by Manoj Kohli, former CEO of Bharti Airtel and former Country Head of SoftBank India. Its leadership ecosystem includes Vivek Gambhir, Pankaj Bansal, Sanjiv Bikhchandani, Amitabh Kant, and 30+ other founders, CEOs, investors, and policymakers who contribute to teaching and institution building.

Masters’ Union’s flagship postgraduate program has recorded the highest average salary among MBA-equivalent programs in India, with graduates placed at firms such as Bain & Company, Boston Consulting Group, Google, and Microsoft. The institution has also built one of the country’s strongest student startup ecosystems, with 10+ students pitching on Shark Tank India and 20+ students raising external funding for their ventures, alongside several successful creators and internet entrepreneurs.

About the Role

As Senior Manager - Academic Operations, you will own the end-to-end execution of academic programmes while leading a high-performing team of assistant program managers and academic coordinators to deliver operations at scale. This role demands a rare blend of execution excellence, process rigour, and people leadership, sitting at the intersection of academic quality, student experience, and operational efficiency.

Specifically, this role will involve

• Owning end-to-end academic program management, including but not limited to scheduling, calendar planning, and term closures.
• Ensuring LMS readiness, course structure accuracy, and seamless session execution across all active programs.
• Proactively identifying risks and driving resolution before they impact students or faculty.
• Overseeing mid-term and end-term assessment operations, including but not limited to exams, vivas, grading workflows, and result consolidation.
• Ensuring full compliance with academic policies and codes of conduct, which is fundamental to student discipline and accountability.
• Leading student NPS cycles, translating insights into concrete, trackable improvements.
• Leading a team of Assistant Program Managers and Academic Coordinators, setting clear ownership, priorities, and accountability frameworks.
• Driving team productivity, output quality, and adherence to turnaround times (TATs).
• Mentoring and developing team members through regular feedback cycles and structured capability-building initiatives.
• Embedding SOP discipline and a culture of process excellence across all team functions.
• Collaborating cross-functionally with other teams and Leadership for seamless program delivery.
• Supporting in resolving the faculty scheduling and planning related queries.
• Overseeing all student-facing communications and escalation handling with clarity, consistency, and timeliness.
• Championing academic policies and communication standards to deliver a high-trust student experience.
• Building, refining, and scaling SOPs, trackers, and workflows to support growing program complexity.
• Championing standardization and automation initiatives that improve team efficiency and scalability.
• Defining rubrics, assessments, and feedback mechanisms.
• Working with the academic office to track AoL across cohorts and refine instruction accordingly.
• Acting as the bridge between curriculum intent and classroom delivery.
• Providing briefing notes, teaching aides, and session facilitation templates.
• Coordinating guest lectures, external tool integrations, or capstone reviews.
• Auditing and updating the curriculum every term to ensure relevance.
• Mapping each course to industry skill needs and graduate employability.
• Piloting innovations such as GenAI-infused assignments, simulations, or bootcamps.

Ideal candidate will have

• 6-12 years of experience in Program Management, Academic Operations, or high-growth Startups.
• Demonstrated track record of managing teams with high ownership and accountability. Team management is mandatory.
• Stakeholder Management Strong stakeholder management skills comfortable with faculty, leadership, and cross-functional teams.
• Meticulous attention to detail with structured, first-principles problem-solving ability.
• Proven ability to design processes, author SOPs, and drive team-level execution discipline.
• Thrives in fast-paced, high-ownership environments with evolving priorities.