Senior Manager, University Partnership
Interview Kickstart
Interview Kickstart is a premier career transformation platform turbocharging tech careers through AI upskilling.
Founded in 2014 in Santa Clara by Soham Mehta, ex-Box Engineering Leader, and Ryan Valles, a transformative P&L leader and former CEO with a track record of scaling ventures, Interview Kickstart’s vision is to help every tech professional thrive in today’s fast-evolving tech industry.
With 40+ domain-specific courses—from foundational Machine Learning and Generative AI to Agentic AI, System Design, and DSA—Interview Kickstart equips engineers, PMs, data professionals, and tech leaders to accelerate their careers. Its 600+ instructors—industry practitioners, hiring managers, and senior engineers from FAANG+ companies—bring real-world insight and cutting-edge expertise into every classroom.
Beyond upskilling, Interview Kickstart offers end-to-end career support. Personalized mock interviews, resume and LinkedIn branding, career coaching, salary negotiation guidance, and performance-based job referrals ensure that your AI upskilling translates into real career breakthroughs. Over 25,000 professionals have already advanced their careers through Interview Kickstart.
Recognized by TIME x Statista and GSV 150 as a top EdTech company, Interview Kickstart is the go-to platform for tech professionals looking to future-proof their careers in the age of AI.
As we continue to expand our reach, we are seeking an experienced and driven Senior Manager to join us as part of our University Partnerships team.
The Senior Manager, University Partnership will be responsible for establishing and nurturing relationships with universities and educational institutions in the US to co-create and promote innovative programs for the learners in the US.
Key Responsibilities:
● Identify new partnership opportunities and develop collaborative programs.
● Own the end-to-end strategy and execution of university partnerships aligned with the IK core business
● Responsible end to end from outreach to onboarding of universities and education institutional partners.
● Drive partnership lock-in by closing university agreements, finalising curriculum alignment, and securing branding and credential approvals.
● Act as the primary liaison between Interview Kickstart and partner institutions.
● Oversee the build and launch of co-branded programs, including conversion of existing IK programs into university-backed offerings.
● Coordinate go-to-market efforts, including enrollment launches, alumni outreach, and marketing alignment.
● Collaborate with internal teams to create program offerings and to ensure smooth execution and delivery.
● Validate revenue impact through pilot cohorts by tracking conversion metrics, and incremental margins.
● Lead replication and scale by expanding credential scope, launching additional specialisations, and enabling multi-university rollouts.
● Own key checkpoints and decision milestones, including partnership go/no-go, cohort launches, and scale decisions based on ROI and performance.
Requirements:
● Strong communication and negotiation skills, with an ability to build rapport at all levels.
● Prior experience driving partnership development or business development, particularly in educational settings.
● Master’s degree preferred; Bachelor's degree with significant experience
● Proven track record of successful relationship management and strategic partnerships.
● Ability to work independently and manage multiple projects concurrently.