Associate Director – Academics

JOB DESCRIPTION

Position Title: Associate Director – Academics (Education Programs)

Location: Mumbai

Employment Type: Full-time

About the Role

We are looking for an Associate Director – Academics to support the design, delivery, and academic governance of Doctorate in Business Administration (Education) programs.

This role sits at the intersection of doctoral research, executive education, and large-scale program delivery, ensuring that Education programs meet university standards while remaining practically relevant for senior professionals.

The role requires a strong grounding in research design, doctoral supervision, and academic operations, along with the ability to translate complex research frameworks into structured, scalable learning experiences.

Program Portfolio

You will work across a portfolio of doctoral and research-driven programs, including:

• Education programs across specializations (AI, Strategy, Leadership, etc.)
• Executive doctoral tracks and research certifications
• Research methodology and dissertation pathways
• Capstone and thesis-driven programs in collaboration with global universities

Key Responsibilities

1. Academic Strategy and Program Design

• Support the design and structuring of Education programs aligned to university standards
• Translate doctoral-level learning outcomes into clear research journeys and deliverables
• Work with university partners to design research-focused curricula (quant, qual, mixed methods)
• Ensure strong alignment between coursework, thesis progression, and final dissertation outcomes

2. Research Quality and Academic Governance

• Operationalize academic rigor across topic selection, proposal development, and dissertation stages
• Build and implement frameworks for:
• Research feasibility
• Methodological rigor
• Data alignment and validity
• Standardize rubrics for:
• Topic approval
• Proposal defense
• Final dissertation evaluation
• Drive grader and supervisor calibration for consistent academic quality

3. University Partnership and Compliance

• Act as a key academic SPOC for Education-related coordination with university partners
• Ensure all research processes comply with university policies and doctoral standards
• Support dissertation reviews, audits, and academic reporting
• Track learner progression across key milestones (proposal, defense, submission)

4. Thesis Supervision and SME Management

• Manage onboarding and training of thesis supervisors, research mentors, and graders
• Create structured guidelines for:
• Dissertation supervision
• Feedback frameworks
• Evaluation standards
• Conduct periodic calibration sessions to ensure consistency across supervisors
• Define hiring criteria for research-focused SMEs

5. Teaching and Research Enablement

• Facilitate sessions on:
• Research design and methodology
• Literature reviews and academic writing
• Data collection and analysis strategies
• Guide learners in converting research into boardroom-relevant insights and applied outcomes
• Support thesis supervision touchpoints and research clinics
• Encourage publication and conference participation (where applicable)

6. Content and Delivery Improvement

• Review and enhance all research-related content (methodology, writing, analysis)
• Improve learner experience across the doctoral journey through:
• Structured templates
• Research playbooks
• Milestone-based guidance
• Work with product and content teams to integrate AI-enabled research tools and workflows
• Build scalable systems for research tracking and evaluation

7. Learner Success and Experience

• Monitor learner progress across key research milestones
• Identify risks in thesis completion (topic feasibility, data challenges, scope issues)
• Conduct cohort check-ins and research guidance sessions
• Improve completion rates through structured interventions and support systems

Required Qualifications

Education

• PhD in Management, Business, or a related field (Required)
• Strong exposure to research methodology (quantitative and qualitative)
• Prior academic teaching or doctoral supervision experience preferred

Experience

• 6–10 years of experience in academia, research, or EdTech
• Experience in:
• Doctoral program delivery
• Thesis supervision or research mentoring
• Academic operations or program management
• Familiarity with university partnerships and academic compliance

Core Competencies

Research and Academic Expertise

• Research design (quantitative, qualitative, mixed methods)
• Literature review and academic writing frameworks
• Data collection strategies and feasibility assessment
• Dissertation structuring and evaluation

Program and Operational Skills

• Academic program design and structuring
• Rubric creation and evaluation frameworks
• Stakeholder management (universities, faculty, internal teams)
• Process design for scalable delivery

Tools and Exposure (Preferred)

• Statistical tools (SPSS, R, Python – working familiarity)
• Academic databases and referencing tools
• Exposure to AI tools for research and writing augmentation

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working with doctoral programs
• Prior role as Assistant/Associate Professor or equivalent
• Experience in EdTech or online executive education
• Exposure to global academic standards and accreditation frameworks