Lead - Career Development (Post-Graduate Programmes)

About the IIHS Academic Programmes and Schools

India s urban transition is unprecedented in scale and complexity. Within it lie both the opportunities of increased economic growth and employment as well as the challenges of persistent inequality, extreme deprivation and environmental degradation. IIHS academic programmes aim to foster a new generation of urban practitioners and change makers, to become part of shaping this transition.

The academic programmes are supported by the five interdisciplinary IIHS Schools: School of Environment and Sustainability (SES), School of Systems and Infrastructure (SSI), School of Economic Development (SED), School of Human Development (SHD) and School of Governance (SoG). Each School has a particular transformational theme and a set of teaching, research and practice projects and programmes within it. Collectively, the five schools systematically address a wide range of urban issues, from questions of livelihood and economic development, access to basic infrastructure, affordable housing and healthcare for all, to tackling climate change and land governance.

The Lead - Career Development (Post-Graduate Programmes) will be responsible for strategising, developing and implementing processes and activities to enable internships and career opportunities for students of different IIHS University Programmes, based on programme requirements and student aspirations, while meeting institutional goals of inclusiveness and interdisciplinarity, and in compliance with all relevant regulations and policies. S/he will have to collaborate with other Functions and Programmes in IIHS to ensure that career development processes are efficient and effective, and also maintain relationships with various industry partners, academic and research institutions, and other stakeholders to promote IIHS programmes and students.

The role requires excellent communication, leadership skills, market orientation, and networking and influencing skills.

This is a regular full-time position, and the offer is on an exclusive basis, which implies that other professional assignments (whether compensated or not) cannot be undertaken.

Activities and Tasks

Responsibilities would include, but not be limited to, the following:

• Defining and implementing career development strategies to enable Post-Graduate students of the IIHS University to get access to internship and job opportunities across a range of sectors, institutions, and organisations to drive urban transformation at scale;


• Ensuring that potential employers and institutions are aware of IIHS s academic programmes and students and consider them as high quality sources of talent;


• Garnering the strength of the IIHS alumni network to support and build out career development opportunities for IIHS University s students;


• Designing and implementing learning and development initiatives to prepare the students of the University for internships and careers;


• Recruiting, managing, and building the career development team over time;


• Managing and optimising the career development budget;


• Helping set up systems, processes, and technologies to gather and analyse market data on an ongoing basis to drive continuous improvement;


• Collaborating with various internal teams like the Communications and Design team and the Academic Office, and with external ecosystem partners, to promote the University and its students to prospective organisations;


• Representing the IIHS (Institution Deemed to be) University at relevant industry and academic events;


• Staying up-to-date with academic and industry trends and best practices, not just to enhance the career development process but also to provide inputs to academic and other institutional processes;


• Providing support to other IIHS initiatives and activities including admissions, academics, research, training, practice, operations, and others, as needed;


• Participating in all activities of Institution-Building at IIHS; carrying out tasks as assigned by IIHS; and travelling on IIHS work within or outside the country as and when needed.

Structure and Reporting

The Lead - Career Development (Post-Graduate Programmes) will report to the Chief - Academic Outreach and Career Development at IIHS and will be required to collaborate effectively with a diverse group of internal teams and external individuals / organisations, and students.

Person Specification

The ideal candidate should have:

• A Master s degree in Management, Human Resources, Urban Planning, Law, Humanities/ Social Sciences, Human Development, or other relevant discipline;


• Total experience of at least 15 years, out of which at least 5 years should be in career advancement (in a higher education context);


• Experience in managing teams and budgets;


• Experience in data analysis and reporting;


• The ability to work in matrix structures;


• A proven track record of developing and implementing career advancement strategies and plans;


• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills;


• The ability to develop and maintain relationships with key stakeholders, both internal and external.

This offer is on an exclusive basis, which implies that other professional assignments (whether compensated or not) that bear a potential conflict of interest with IIHS cannot be undertaken.

The search will remain open until the position is filled.

Location

This position is based in Bengaluru and may entail travel to other locations in India.

Review and Assessment

The role and performance of the incumbent shall be subject to normal review and assessment systems at IIHS.

Diversity Policy

IIHS is an equal opportunity employer that encourages women, people with disabilities and those from economically and socially excluded communities with the requisite skills and qualifications to apply for positions.