Growth Architect - Institutional Business

Location: Gurugram (HYBRID) Experience: 5–10 years Reports to: Co-Founder & COO, Founder's Office Type: Full-time About SARAS AI Institute: SARAS AI Institute is the world's first AI-exclusive, US-licensed, online degree-granting institution. We don't teach AI as an elective — we are the institution built for the AI era. Our programs run from foundation certificates through MS degrees, serving learners across 20 countries, with a mission to change 1 million lives through AI education by 2030. The Role: This role owns SARAS's institutional business in India end-to-end. Our biggest growth lever isn't reaching one learner at a time — it's embedding SARAS's AI curriculum inside universities and colleges, at scale. We are looking for someone to own that entire engine: sourcing the right institutions, pitching, negotiating, closing, and running the partnership after the signature. This is a Founder's Office role with A-to-Z accountability. You will not assist on partnerships — you will be the partnership function, working directly with the founding team. What You'll Own: The institutional business in India universities, colleges, and education groups — as a full P&L and accountability area. The complete deal cycle: identifying and sourcing the right institutions, building the pitch, negotiating terms, and closing MOUs. Curriculum-integration partnerships that embed SARAS's AI programs inside partner institutions' degrees and courses. Proposal and MOU development, structuring commercially sound, deliverable agreements alongside the founding team. The post-signature relationship ensuring every partnership actually delivers, because a signed MOU that doesn't perform is not a win. Building a repeatable playbook and pipeline for institutional growth that can scale beyond your first deals. Who You Are: You can walk into a Chancellor's or Dean's office and hold the room credible with senior academic and institutional leadership. You close. Proposals, negotiations, and signatures don't intimidate you; you're accountable for outcomes, not activity. You've built something 0→1 and treat ambiguity as the job, not the obstacle. High energy, relentless follow-through, and allergic to busywork. Strong written and verbal communication your proposals and decks land, and your emails get replies. Requirements: 5–10 years of experience in institutional sales, partnerships, business development, or a comparable ownership role ideally within education, edtech, or a partnership-led business. A demonstrable track record of sourcing and closing partnerships or deals with institutional counterparts. Any UG/PG background. A B-School background is a plus, not a requirement. Willingness to be based in or relocate to Gurugram. Why This Role: You'll own how an AI-first institution embeds itself into Indian higher education with the mandate, the founder access, and the accountability to build it. This is a build-from-the-ground-up seat for someone who wants to own a business line, not hold a title. How to Apply Apply through this posting or reach out directly via LinkedIn. Referrals welcome if you know someone who'd be a fit, tag them.