Associate Director - Digital Content

Function: Product & Content Strategy

Experience: 12 to 18 years

Location: Hyderabad, India

Reports to: Senior Associate Director – Product & Content Strategy

Role Summary

We are seeking an Associate Director, Content Strategy to lead the content engine behind ISB

Executive Education's programme portfolio. This is a senior leadership role accountable for how

content gets built, revamped, and brought to market — at the right volume, speed, quality, and cost. You will own the instructional design and content production function across both new builds and revamps, set the standards and processes the team works to, and partner with senior faculty and cross-functional leaders to translate programme concepts into market-ready learning experiences.

The Associate Director is responsible for building and developing the content team — instructional designers, graphic designers, and content associates — while protecting quality and throughput as the portfolio scales. The quality, speed, and unit economics of everything the function ships are a direct reflection of how well this role builds the team, designs the process, and enforces the standard.

Key Responsibilities:

Content Strategy and Portfolio Planning

• Own the content roadmap across the portfolio — sequencing new builds and revamps against

the approved launch calendar and available capacity.

• Translate programme concepts and faculty intent into clear content architectures, learning

outcomes, and production plans by format (digital, blended, cohort-based).

• Make build-versus-reuse decisions that protect both quality and unit economics across the

pipeline.

• Set and maintain the standards, templates, and instructional design frameworks the function

builds to.

Content Production and Delivery

• Run the content production function end to end and ensure milestones are delivered on time

against the launch calendar.

• Drive concept-to-launch cycle time down across formats through better process design,

resourcing, AI augmented processes/workflows, and parallelisation.

• Establish a revamp playbook that keeps refresh cycles materially faster and cheaper than

equivalent new builds.

• Manage capacity, sequencing, and vendor or freelance resourcing to meet quarterly buildvolume

targets without compromising quality.

Quality and Learner Experience

• Own the content quality framework for content function end to end— build, pre-launch

checklists, review gates, and defect-prevention standards applied consistently across every

programme.

• Hold the line on quality at launch: high checklist compliance and minimal post-launch content

defects.

• Raise content-attributed learner satisfaction and completion through deliberate instructional

design choices on pacing, engagement, and structure.

• Separate content-quality signals from instructor and operations feedback so the function

improves on what it actually controls.

Faculty Collaboration and Stakeholder Engagement

• Build trusted working relationships with senior faculty across academic areas and lead the

content collaboration model end-to-end.

• Improve faculty approval velocity — raising the share of courses approved at version 3 or

earlier and reducing iterations to final sign-off through disciplined review and clear briefs.

• Partner with Product Strategy, Marketing, Admissions, Technology, Finance, and Operations to

align content plans with launch, positioning, and commercial goals.

• Represent the content function credibly in cross-functional and leadership forums.

Cost, Reuse, and Tooling

• Own the fully-loaded cost of finished content per hour delivered, by format, and drive it down

through resourcing mix and efficiency.

• Build and govern a modular asset library, raising the share of new-build and revamp assets

sourced from reuse rather than created from scratch.

• Evaluate and adopt content authoring and AI-assisted production tools that improve turnaround

and cost, and embed them in the team's workflow.

Team Building and Development

• Build, structure, and develop the content team — instructional designers, graphic designers,

and content associates.

• Set role clarity, performance standards, and development paths; coach the team and raise the

overall capability bar.

• Establish the processes, and documentation that let the function scale output predictably as the

portfolio grows.

Required Experience:

• 12 to 18 years of total experience in content strategy, instructional design, learning design,

programme or curriculum development, or content production leadership.

• At least 4 to 5 years leading and developing content or instructional design teams, with direct

people-management responsibility.

• Demonstrated ownership of content production end-to-end — from concept and faculty

collaboration through to launch — at scale and across multiple formats.

• Track record of improving delivery speed, quality, and unit cost of content while scaling output.

• Prior experience in executive education, higher education, edtech, professional learning, or

content-led services is preferred.

• Working familiarity with content authoring tools and AI-assisted production workflows.

Required Skills and Competencies:

• Strong instructional design judgement and a high bar for content quality and learner experience.

• Proven people leadership — builds, develops, and retains high-performing content and design

teams.

• Process and operations discipline; designs production systems that deliver predictably on time,

cost, and quality.

• Commercial awareness — understands unit economics, cost per hour of output, and reusedriven

efficiency.

• Strong stakeholder management with senior faculty and cross-functional leadership.

• Practical orientation to AI and tooling for content production, with the ability to embed new tools

in team workflows.

• Structured communicator who can move between hands-on design judgement and portfoliolevel

planning.

Education:

• Postgraduate degree from a top-tier institution preferred.

• Degrees in education, instructional design, communication, design, business, or relevant

disciplines are welcome.

About ISB Executive Education

The Indian School of Business is one of Asia's leading providers of executive learning. ISB

Executive Education partners with global organisations and working professionals across India and

global markets, delivering high-impact programmes across digital, blended, and cohort-based

formats. Our programmes are designed alongside world-class faculty and industry leaders to

address real-world business challenges and prepare professionals for the next stage of their

careers.