Location: Pune

About Dheya

Dheya is India's leading career mentoring and career development organization, helping students discover meaningful career pathways through scientifically validated assessments, structured mentoring, and career development programs.

For nearly two decades, Dheya has partnered with schools, educational institutions, educators, and communities to improve career awareness, decision-making, and long-term career outcomes for students.

As we expand our institutional footprint, we are looking for a strategic leader to build and strengthen partnerships with schools, school networks, education organizations, and ecosystem stakeholders across India.

About the Role

The Head of School Partnerships will lead Dheya's efforts to build, grow, and strengthen relationships with schools and educational institutions across India.

This role goes beyond traditional sales. We are seeking a well-connected education-sector professional who understands the school ecosystem, has an established network of decision-makers.

The ideal candidate may come from:

• School solution providers
• Education consulting firms
• EdTech companies
• Government and education projects
• CSR and foundation-led education programs
• Education-focused NGOs
• Academic advisory organizations
• School supply chain and procurement ecosystems

This person will be responsible for driving institutional growth, establishing strategic relationships and partnering with relevant stakeholders to increase the impact that Dheya's programs bring.

Key Responsibilities

Institutional Partnerships

• Develop and execute a national strategy for acquiring and growing school partnerships.
• Build relationships with school owners, principals, trustees, academic directors, and management committees.
• Identify opportunities within private schools, school groups, trusts, educational societies, and networks.
• Develop long-term institutional relationships rather than transactional sales engagements.

Business Development & Growth

• Own the complete partnership lifecycle from identification to closure.
• Generate new business opportunities through existing networks, referrals, strategic alliances, and ecosystem engagement.
• Build and maintain a healthy pipeline of schools and institutional opportunities.

Ecosystem Development

• Leverage relationships across education ecosystems including:
  • School networks
  • School associations
  • Government education bodies
  • CSR programs
  • NGOs
  • Education consultants
  • Academic alliances
• Identify partnership opportunities with organizations that influence school decision-making.

Strategic Market Intelligence

• Track trends in career guidance, NEP implementation, student development, and school priorities.
• Provide market feedback to leadership on institutional needs and emerging opportunities.
• Recommend new partnership models and go-to-market strategies.

Internal Collaboration

• Work closely with leadership, operations, product, and delivery teams to ensure successful implementation.
• Support customer success and retention efforts for key accounts.
• Help shape scalable institutional engagement frameworks.

Who We're Looking For

Required Experience

• 8–15 years of experience in education, institutional partnerships, business development, consulting, or strategic growth roles.
• Demonstrated experience working directly with schools and educational institutions.
• Strong understanding of the K-12 education ecosystem.
• Proven track record of building and managing high-value institutional relationships.
• Experience driving revenue growth through partnerships and strategic accounts.

Preferred Background

Candidates with experience in one or more of the following will be strongly preferred:

• Education consulting firms
• EdTech organizations
• Government education initiatives
• CSR-funded education programs
• Foundations and civil society organizations
• Academic consulting organizations
• School procurement or supply-chain ecosystems

Network Requirements

The ideal candidate should already possess:

• A strong network of school principals and school management teams.
• Relationships with educational trusts, chains, and institutions.
• Access to decision-makers within K-12 education.
• Credibility within education leadership circles.