Centre Head of Excellence

ABOUT MSET SMART ACADEMY

MSET SMART Academy is the digital skills and professional training division of MSET. We make freshers and working professionals job-ready with the tools and technologies employers are hiring for today not what was taught in college two years ago.

Our training programs covers AI/ML, Full-Stack Development, Cybersecurity, Cloud & DevOps, and Data Analytics. We teach both free and paid tools in a structured way from Python and open-source frameworks to Claude, GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Tableau, AWS, and production deployment workflows. Every course is reviewed quarterly against live job postings, tool releases, and industry demand.

We serve fresh graduates, working professionals, corporate teams, and institutional partners. Our beachhead is the ChandigarhMohali region an education hub producing 25,00030,000+ IT graduates annually, home to Mohali IT Park (200+ companies), 50+ bank branches, and IAF Station Chandigarh yet dramatically underserved by modern, outcome-focused training providers.

WHY THIS ROLE EXISTS

MSET SMART Academy is preparing for launch in the ChandigarhMohali region. The founding team is distributed, with strategic direction, curriculum design, and domain expertise managed centrally. We need a commercially driven, on-ground leader to build, run, and scale the Chandigarh centre from Day 1.

This is not a traditional academic role. It is a sales-led, results-oriented leadership position. You will own enrolment targets, build a pipeline of qualified candidates for our courses, manage on-ground relationships with universities, corporates, and institutional partners, and ultimately take full ownership of the Chandigarh office as our regional hub.

ROLE OVERVIEW

As Centre Head of Excellence, you will be the founding on-ground leader for MSET SMART Academy in ChandigarhMohali. You will combine the skills of a Business Development Manager, Sales Lead, Relationship Manager, and Operations Head in a single role. Initially, you may operate as an individual contributor with full accountability for commercial results. As the centre proves demand and scales, you will recruit, lead, and manage a local team starting with a Business Development Manager (BDM), an Academic Associate, and freelance content and instructor resources.

You will report directly to the founding director(s) with a weekly operating rhythm: daily operational autonomy, Friday metrics review, and a end of week evening video call with leadership for strategic alignment.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Business Development & Sales

Own and deliver monthly, quarterly, and annual enrolment and revenue targets for all MSET SMART Academy programmes in the Chandigarh tricity region

Develop and execute a go-to-market strategy across Chandigarh, Mohali, and Panchkula leveraging campus outreach, corporate pitches, digital channels, events, and referral networks

Build and manage a robust sales pipeline from enquiry through to enrolment confirmation using CRM tools, with clear tracking of conversion rates, pipeline velocity, and revenue forecasts

Negotiate and close partnerships with colleges (co-branded Career Accelerator Programmes, revenue-share models), corporate clients (customised training modules, per-head pricing), and individual learners

Identify and pursue the corporate training opportunity in Mohali IT Park (200+ companies), banking sector (50+ branches with RBI-mandated upskilling needs), and IAF Station Chandigarh

Drive B2C enrolments from fresh graduates and working professionals through campus workshops, free taster sessions, LinkedIn outreach, WhatsApp communities, and student ambassador programmes

2. Candidate Acquisition & Enrolment

Design and implement candidate sourcing strategies to meet target enrolment numbers for each programme cohort across AI/ML, Full-Stack, Cybersecurity, Cloud, and Data Analytics tracks

Engage directly with prospective students, career changers, and working professionals to understand their learning goals and match them with the appropriate programme and batch format (weekday flagship, weekend intensive, or corporate module)

Manage the full candidate journey: initial enquiry, counselling, demo session attendance, fee payment, and onboarding into the correct batch

Expand campus outreach to various Uni and colleges e.g. PEC Chandigarh, CGC Landran, CEC Chandigarh, Chitkara University, and other regional colleges.

Recruit and manage campus ambassadors at each partner college to generate referrals and maintain a steady enrolment pipeline

3. Relationship Management & Partnerships

Serve as the primary on-ground relationship manager for all university partners, corporate clients, government agencies, and institutional stakeholders in the ChandigarhMohali region

Build long-term partnerships with college placement cells, department heads, and academic leadership positioning MSET SMART Academy as their preferred industry training partner

Develop and maintain corporate relationships with CTOs, Engineering Managers, HR Training Heads, and L&D departments across Mohali IT Park, regional banks, and defence establishments

Represent MSET SMART Academy at career fairs, industry conferences, university events, NASSCOM chapter meetings, and local business forums

Act as the brand ambassador for the Academy on the ground, ensuring consistent messaging: outcome-focused, always-current curriculum, free + paid tools, job-ready graduates

4. Centre Operations & Team Leadership

Take full ownership of the Chandigarh centre's P&L, operational setup, infrastructure, compliance, and day-to-day management

Set up and manage the office including workspace, remote meetings, and a meeting room for corporate presentations and student sessions

Operate initially as an individual contributor; recruit and build a local team as the centre scales (BDM, Academic Associate, freelance content creator, contract instructors)

Set team targets, coach team members, and drive a culture of accountability, commercial rigour, and student-first service

Coordinate with central Academy leadership on programme scheduling, curriculum updates, instructor allocation, marketing support, and pricing decisions

Provide structured weekly reporting: enrolments, revenue, pipeline status, corporate leads, campus partnerships, team performance, and market intelligence

Ensure compliance from Day 1: GST registration, MSME, trade licence, shop & establishment act, data protection, and corporate vendor onboarding documentation

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE

Essential

5+ years of experience in business development, sales, or commercial management ideally within EdTech, professional training, higher education, upskilling, or technology services

Demonstrated, verifiable track record of meeting or exceeding sales targets and revenue goals in a B2C and/or B2B environment

Strong domain knowledge of the digital training and upskilling landscape: understanding of market demand for AI/ML, Full-Stack, Cybersecurity, Cloud, and Data Analytics skills

Experience selling training programmes, courses, certifications, or educational products to individuals, institutions, or corporate clients

Proven ability to build and manage relationships with senior stakeholders: college deans, placement officers, HR heads, CTOs, and training managers

Hands-on experience with CRM tools, pipeline management, lead tracking, and data-driven sales reporting

Ability to operate independently with minimal supervision in a startup or early-stage environment, while maintaining structured communication with remote leadership

Excellent communication and presentation skills in English and Hindi; Punjabi is a strong advantage for the Chandigarh market

Willingness to travel regularly across Chandigarh tricity and occasionally across North India

Desirable

Previous experience as a Centre Head, Branch Manager, Regional Manager, or in a similar P&L-owning role

Existing network within the ChandigarhMohali educational ecosystem (universities, colleges, placement agencies) and/or IT company ecosystem (Mohali IT Park, NASSCOM)

Experience with corporate training sales cycles: RFQ/RFP processes, vendor empanelment, procurement approvals, multi-stakeholder negotiations

Understanding of Indian EdTech market dynamics post-2023 correction: lean operations, outcome-focused delivery, free-channel-first acquisition

Familiarity with modern tech tools and trends (AI coding assistants, cloud platforms, DevOps) enough to credibly discuss programme value with technical buyers

Experience managing small teams (35 people) and hiring in a startup or scaling environment

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

Base salary that commensurate with experience

Performance incentives: Commission/bonus linked to enrolment targets, revenue milestones, and corporate deal closures

Operational authority: Day-to-day decision-making autonomy with a clear governance framework

Growth path: As the centre scales, this role evolves into Regional Head with full P&L ownership, team leadership, and potential equity participation

Professional development: Access to the Academy's own courses, tools, industry events, and leadership development

HOW TO APPLY

If you are a commercially driven professional who thrives on building something from scratch, loves the education and skills development space, and wants to lead the on-ground launch of a modern, outcome-focused training academy in one of India's most promising education markets we want to hear from you.

Send your CV and a short note (200 words or less) explaining why you are the right person to build MSET SMART Academy in Chandigarh to: [Confidential Information]

• Please include: your most recent sales/BD results (targets vs. actuals), your network in the Chandigarh education/corporate ecosystem, and your earliest available start date.