Director, University Partnership

Interview Kickstart is a premier career transformation platform turbocharging tech careers through AI upskilling.

Founded in 2014 in Santa Clara by Soham Mehta, ex-Box Engineering Leader, and Ryan Valles, a transformative P&L leader and former CEO with a track record of scaling ventures, Interview Kickstart’s vision is to help every tech professional thrive in today’s fast-evolving tech industry.

With 40+ domain-specific courses—from foundational Machine Learning and Generative AI to Agentic AI, System Design, and DSA—Interview Kickstart equips engineers, PMs, data professionals, and tech leaders to accelerate their careers. Its 600+ instructors—industry practitioners, hiring managers, and senior engineers from FAANG+ companies—bring real-world insight and cutting-edge expertise into every classroom.

Beyond upskilling, Interview Kickstart offers end-to-end career support. Personalized mock interviews, resume and LinkedIn branding, career coaching, salary negotiation guidance, and performance-based job referrals ensure that your AI upskilling translates into real career breakthroughs. Over 25,000 professionals have already advanced their careers through Interview Kickstart.

Recognized by TIME x Statista and GSV 150 as a top EdTech company, Interview Kickstart is the go-to platform for tech professionals looking to future-proof their careers in the age of AI.

As we continue to expand our reach, we're looking for a passionate leader to join us in the role of Head - University Partnerships.

The Head of University Partnerships will be responsible for establishing and nurturing relationships with universities and educational institutions in the US to co-create and promote innovative programs for the learners in the US.

Key Responsibilities:

• Identify new partnership opportunities and develop collaborative programs.

• Own the end-to-end strategy and execution of university partnerships aligned with the IK core business

• Responsible end to end from outreach to onboarding of universities and education institutional partners.

• Drive partnership lock-in by closing university agreements, finalising curriculum alignment, and securing branding and credential approvals.

• Act as the primary liaison between Interview Kickstart and partner institutions.

• Oversee the build and launch of co-branded programs, including conversion of existing IK programs into university-backed offerings.

• Coordinate go-to-market efforts, including enrollment launches, alumni outreach, and marketing alignment.

• Collaborate with internal teams to create program offerings and to ensure smooth execution and delivery.

• Validate revenue impact through pilot cohorts by tracking conversion metrics, and incremental margins.

• Lead replication and scale by expanding credential scope, launching additional specialisations, and enabling multi-university rollouts.

• Own key checkpoints and decision milestones, including partnership go/no-go, cohort launches, and scale decisions based on ROI and performance.

Requirements:

• Strong communication and negotiation skills, with an ability to build rapport at all levels.

• Prior experience driving partnership development or business development, particularly in educational settings.

• Master’s degree preferred; Bachelor's degree with significant experience

• Proven track record of successful relationship management and strategic partnerships.

• Ability to work independently and manage multiple projects concurrently.