Senior Manager- Programmes

SPJIMR SP Jain Institute of Management & Research; Mumbai; On-site; INR 2,400,000 - 4,200,000; Full time

Job summary

SPJIMR SP Jain Institute of Management & Research in Mumbai seeks a Senior Manager – Program Management to act as the operational backbone for the program, translating academic decisions into working processes and ensuring alignment across faculty, students, examinations, and external bodies.

The role requires expertise in governance, accreditation, and end-to-end program administration, with the ability to lead a team and resolve conflicts for optimal productivity.

Qualifications

• 12+ years of overall experience in academic program management or a senior academic administrator role.
• Experience handling accreditations and ranking submissions.
• Experience servicing academic councils or governance bodies.
• Working knowledge of examination processes and academic policy frameworks in education.

Responsibilities

• Own overall program delivery for the program– academic calendar, resource planning, and day-to-day coordination across teams.
• Build and enforce operating standards to keep the program running smoothly with minimal escalation.
• Identify process gaps and drive fixes across the student lifecycle, cross-functionally.
• Serve as the primary link between academic council and operations (admissions, exams, IT, facilities, finance).
• Lead the program operations team and ensure seamless operations.

Education

MBA or equivalent

Job description

*Please go through the JD in detail before applying*

Senior Manager – Program Management is the operational and administrative backbone of the program, holding end-to-end responsibility for how the program runs day-to-day. This role is the bridge between academics and operations: translating academic council decisions into working processes, keeping faculty, students, examinations, and external bodies (accreditors, rankers, alumni) moving in sync. The ideal candidate is a senior academic administrator who can draft a policy as comfortably as they can calm a batch of anxious final-term students, and who treats accreditation visits and ranking submissions as routine rather than a one-time job. They should also be able to lead and manage the team toward a shared goal by delegating and resolving conflicts for optimal productivity.

Key Responsibilities:

Program Management, Team Management & Operational Excellence

• Own overall program delivery for the program– academic calendar, resource planning, and day-to-day coordination across teams working for the program duration.
• Work with faculty, administrative, and support teams to build and enforce operating standards that keep the program running smoothly, with minimal escalation to leadership.
• Identify process gaps and inefficiencies across the student lifecycle and drive fixes, working cross-functionally rather than in silos.
• Serve as the primary link between the academic side (faculty, curriculum, council) and the operations side (admissions, exams, IT, facilities, finance).
• Managing the program operations team. Work with them and help them ensure seamless operations.

Student Experience

• Own the end-to-end student experience for the batch – onboarding, ongoing support, grievance resolution, and exit processes.
• Set up and monitor feedback mechanisms (surveys, batch representatives, town halls) and close the loop with visible action.
• Coordinate with faculty and support functions to resolve student issues quickly, escalating only where genuinely needed.

Academic Council & Governance

• Plan, coordinate, and service all Academic Council meetings – agenda-setting, documentation, minutes, and follow-through on action items.
• Track decisions through to implementation and report status back to the council and program leadership.
• Act as secretariat for other program-related committees as required.

Program Policy

• Works with Program leadership to maintain and administer all program policies – academic regulations, attendance, evaluation, grievance, and conduct – ensuring consistent application.
• Draft new policies and revise existing ones in response to changing regulatory requirements, accreditation feedback, or operational gaps, and steer them through approval.
• Ensure the program stays compliant with university/institute regulations and applicable regulatory body norms (e.g., AICTE, UGC, AACSB, EQUIS, AMBA).

Examinations Coordination

• Ensure academic evaluation processes for the program run on time and in line with institutional policy.
• Assist in ensuring the process is implemented with integrity.

Accreditation & Rankings

• Lead program-level preparation for accreditations (e.g., AACSB, EQUIS, AMBA, NAAC, or equivalent). Will work with their team to ensure timely documentation, data compilation, and coordination of site visits.
• Ensure timely data collection, validation, and submission for national and international MBA rankings (e.g. NIRF, QS, FT, Business Today, or equivalent).
• Own content and coordination for the program brochure, website, and other collateral, working with design/marketing teams to keep materials current and accurate.
• Plan outreach activities to prospective students – information sessions, campus visits, networking meets.

Education:

Postgraduate degree (MBA or equivalent preferred)

Experience:

12+ years of overall experience, with a significant portion in academic program management, academic administration, or a similar senior role.

Demonstrated experience handling accreditations and ranking submissions.

Prior experience servicing academic councils or equivalent governance bodies.

Working knowledge of examination processes and academic policy frameworks in education.