Head – International Relations & University Partnerships

Location: ChennaiOrganisation: Meenakshi Sundararajan Group of Institutions (MSGI)The OpportunityMSGI is looking for a senior, highly driven and outcome-oriented leader to build and lead its International Relations & University Partnerships function.This is not a role about collecting MoUs, conducting university visits or maintaining a database of institutional relationships.It is about creating access, opportunity and impact for our students.The mandate is to build strong relationships with leading universities and international institutions, continuously deepen those relationships and translate them into meaningful opportunities that enhance the academic, professional and global experiences of MSGI students.Every partnership must have a purpose.Every relationship must create value.Every initiative must ultimately answer one question:What did this create for the student?Strategic Mandates1. Build MSGI's International NetworkBuild meaningful relationships with leading universities, educational institutions, international organisations and other global stakeholders.The objective is not simply to expand MSGI's international footprint, but to open doors for our students—to new countries, institutions, ideas, people, experiences and opportunities.2. Build Strategic University PartnershipsIdentify, establish and develop relationships with high-quality Indian and international universities aligned with MSGI's academic ambitions and student aspirations.Build relationships at senior levels with university leadership, Deans, faculty and international offices.Move partnerships beyond: Introduction → MoU → Activityand towards: Relationship → Engagement → Opportunity → Impact → Strategic Alliance3. Make Every Partnership ProductiveOwn the success of key university partnerships.Continuously identify what more can be created through each relationship—student exchanges, summer and immersion programmes, joint academic initiatives, research, internships, visiting faculty, competitions, mentoring, progression pathways and other meaningful opportunities.A partnership that is not creating increasing value for students must be questioned, redesigned or strengthened.4. Create New Opportunities for StudentsConstantly scan the global higher-education ecosystem for opportunities that can enrich the MSGI student experience.The person in this role should continually ask:Who should our students meet?Where should they go?What should they experience?What can they learn?What doors can we open for them?The expectation is to proactively create these opportunities—not wait for them to come to us.5. Build Across the MSGI EcosystemWork closely with the leadership of the School, Engineering, Arts & Science, Management and other institutions to understand their student needs and aspirations.Translate those needs into relevant university and international opportunities.The role should create value across the MSGI ecosystem, while ensuring that the right opportunities reach the right students.What Success Looks LikeSuccess will not be measured by the number of MoUs signed, university visits conducted, meetings held or events organised.Success will be measured by the depth of opportunity and impact created for students.This could mean:More students accessing high-quality international experiences.Students gaining exposure to leading universities and global thought leaders.New pathways for academic progression and higher education.Students participating in exchanges, summer programmes, research and collaborative projects.Greater access to internships, mentoring and global networks.Faculty and students engaging meaningfully with international academic communities.Existing partnerships producing increasingly significant opportunities year after year.New relationships opening doors that were previously inaccessible to MSGI students.The PhilosophyWe are not looking for someone to manage partnerships.We are looking for someone who can build them, activate them, deepen them and extract their full value for our students.Someone who sees every relationship as a potential doorway.Someone who doesn't stop at “We have established a partnership.”But asks:“What can this partnership do for our students?”And then makes it happen.Who We Are Looking For10+ years of relevant experience in university partnerships, international relations, higher education, international education, strategic alliances or a related field.Strong understanding of the Indian and international higher-education landscape.Demonstrated ability to build relationships with senior university and institutional stakeholders.Exceptional networking, communication, negotiation and stakeholder-management skills.Strategic and commercially minded, with the ability to identify mutual value and build compelling partnerships.Highly proactive, persistent and execution-focused, with a strong bias towards action.Ability to manage multiple strategic relationships while maintaining momentum and accountability.Willingness to travel nationally and internationally.The Person We Are Looking ForYou are someone who opens doors, builds trust, sees possibilities and makes things happen.You don't measure your success by the number of relationships you manage.You measure it by the number and quality of opportunities those relationships create for students.If your instinct is to ask “What more can we create from this relationship?” rather than “What have we already done?”, this role could be for you.This is a role for someone who wants to build an international ecosystem—not simply manage one.