Director - Program Management | HigherEducation

upGrad Private Limited - www.upgrad.com

About Us -

upGrad is an online education platform building the careers of tomorrow by offering the most industry-relevant programs in an immersive learning experience. Our mission is to create a new digital-first learning experience to deliver tangible career impact to individuals at scale. upGrad currently offers programs in Data Science, Machine Learning, Product Management, Digital Marketing, and Entrepreneurship, etc. upGrad is looking for people passionate about management and education to help design learning programs for working professionals to stay sharp and stay relevant and help build the careers of tomorrow.

Designation – Director - Program Management (Content)

Business Unit – HigherEducation

Work Location – Bangalore

Work Mode – In-Office

About the Role -

We are looking for a Director of Program Management to lead how upGrad's Content team builds and launches programs with its university partners. You will own program planning, launch readiness, SME and faculty management, budgets and partner coordination across the Content portfolio of India's largest EdTech platform. You will lead the team of Program Managers and Associate Program Managers and report to the Vice President, Learning Experience.

Program Portfolio -

You will lead program management for a range of programs, including:

• Online degrees and doctorates (MBA, MSc, DBA, Doctor of Technology) with Indian and international universities
• Executive certificate programs with IITs, IIITs, IIMs and other leading institutes
• Large-scale AI programs built with industry partners such as Microsoft and OpenAI

Key Responsibilities -

1. Program Planning and Launch -

• Own the annual launch calendar and plan team capacity against it
• Take each new program from signed agreement to first cohort, with a program master, project plan, academic calendar and risk register
• Turn university agreements into clear decisions on calendar, faculty, assessment and grading
• Hold the pre-launch checklist: no program goes live until every gate is cleared

2. Portfolio Management -

• Run one view of every program in build, with owners, dates, budgets and risks
• Set the weekly and monthly review rhythm with Program Managers, curriculum and production teams
• Own how the program management function works: templates, trackers, standards and the playbook for new partners
• Be the escalation point for delays and risks, and take decisions that need senior leadership to them early

3. SME and Faculty Management -

• Own SME sourcing, onboarding and quality for content builds across the portfolio
• Share SME personas early, so sourcing for live sessions can start without waiting for final agendas
• Set SME rates and quality standards, and act on SME ratings from learners and the Content team
• Bring university faculty into the content process, especially partners new to online programs

4. University Partnership and Compliance -

• Hold the Senior Content relationship with each university partner, while your Program Managers run day-to-day contact
• Run regular review meetings and keep partner stakeholders updated
• Make sure every program meets regulatory requirements (UGC, DEB, AICTE) and data protection rules (DPDP Act)
• Turn partner feedback into clear decisions on what changes and what does not

5. Budget and New Program Proposals -

• Own the content budget across the portfolio, including SME fees and production vendors, and explain any variance before you are asked
• Bring cost and build time down by reusing existing content and the team's in-house AI tools
• Build the content scope, timeline and cost for new program proposals with the curriculum and business teams

6. Working with Delivery -

• Agree a clear split of ownership with the Delivery and Learner Success teams,so every task has one owner
• Give Delivery what it needs on time: SME personas, agendas, calendars and learning materials
• Track module ratings and content tickets, and get content issues fixed within the agreed time

7. Team Leadership -

• Lead, hire and develop the team of Program Managers and Associate Program Managers
• Plan headcount against the launch calendar
• Build bench strength so no program or partner depends on one person

Required Qualifications -

Education -

• Bachelor's degree (Required); a Master's degree or MBA is preferred
• A project management certification (PMP or PRINCE2) is a plus

Experience -

• 12 or more years of experience, with at least 5 years leading program or project management teams, including managers of managers
• Has launched online degree or executive programs with university partners, from signed agreement to first cohort
• Has run many programs in parallel, each with its own partner, budget and launch date
• Has built or fixed the processes a program team runs on, not only followed them