Senior University Specialist (Job Vacancy)

The Senior University Specialist will support and execute a comprehensive revenue-focused business development and relationship management strategy for the India market that is aligned with the mission and objectives of CFA Institute. Working as a member of the Global Partnerships & Client Solutions team, the Senior Specialist will work with colleagues both in the region and globally. They will engage and work in partnership with universities, colleges, academic institutions, and other stakeholders to promote and secure support for the full suite of offerings and services from CFA Institute, including CFA Program, our suite of professional learning products, our codes, standards, and associated consulting capabilities.

The postholder will manage and deepen engagement with all types of constituents in their target market area, (including universities, colleges, professors, students, candidates, members, and commercial learning partners) to deliver the revenue, constituent growth, and influence objectives in the region. They will be responsible for channeling the ‘voice of customer’ of their target coverage area and for helping CFA Institute and partners shape the development, evolution, and delivery of offerings to meet the needs of their constituents. They will regularly communicate and collaborate with their GPCS teammates and other global divisions of CFA Institute to ensure consideration of the regional perspective while maintaining alignment with the overall global strategic objectives.

A specific responsibility will be working with Partnerships & Client Solutions team in driving revenue growth from universities and training institutions in the focused market. Another key priority will be the growth of the University Affiliation and other programs in the region by maintaining and analyzing market and CFA Institute data to identify, target and engage institutions according to the team priorities.

The position is based in Mumbai and will be eligible for flexible working. It will report to the Senior Manager of Partnerships & Client Solutions.

The requirements of this role include:

Relationship Management: (35%)

• Works with the Partnerships & Client Solutions team to support and leverage University outreach, including but not limited to the University Affiliation Program (UAP), for the benefit of developing deeper relationships with key academic partners in target areas of the region:
• Leads University Relations Officer
• Together, the Associate Manager and the Officer serve as the primary point of contact both for UAP participating universities as well as any students, professors, or other educational institutions in the local academic community.
• Conducts research on prospective university outreach participants, including speaking to the local CFA Society.
• Ensures that all relevant records related to the local UAP participants and local educational institutions are up-to-date and complete.
• Contributes to and helps maintain the collective university-focused collateral collection.
• Works closely with other departments and teams to manage university initiatives like FIN Network, Student Competitions, Info sessions and others.
• Maintains knowledge of all CFA Institute products and services, with a specific understanding of engagement programs, such as Research Challenge, Scholarships, Investment Foundations, and Sponsorship.

Business Development: (35%)

• Be the key driver to implement India strategy plan with a focus on the universities and educational institutions.
• Undertake individual and team targets for achieving specified goals and key objectives as laid down in business development plan.
• Responsible to build a prospect pipeline to sustain candidate numbers and revenue growth.
• Drive the team to develop new partnerships in the region and create opportunities to promote CFA Institute products through bulk deals and/or individual sign-ups.
• Stay up to date with competitors, products, market updates and learning platforms and/or solutions.

Team Management Support (15%)

• Responsible for supporting the recruitment of a business development team in identified locations and driving them to achieve business targets.
• Hold regular check-ins with the team to ensure that business objectives are met. Set periodic milestones and monitor their progress.
• Identify knowledge gaps within the team and develop plans for filling them through training and coaching.

Analytical and Local Support (15%)

• Think, act, and communicate as a member of the global GPCS team, tracking, sharing and keeping up-to-date all relevant activity and opportunities in the CRM system (Salesforce).
• Support university and educational institution focus work and act as a point person to coordinate and report all activities in target cities and key accounts.
• Analyses and presents internal data to improve internal efficiencies and support current and future RM projects.
• Serves as the first level response to incoming client enquiries, supports coverage of key accounts, and backs up primary account managers, as required.

The skills and experience required for this role include:

• Minimum 7 – 10 years of relevant experience in the education industry, not for profit environment or investment industry as Relationship Manager, Business to Business (B2B) and/or Business to Customer (B2C) Sales
• Bachelor’s Degree or commensurate level of education and experience
• Proven business development experience with significant experience of managing client relationships required
• Comfortable networking and actively building personal relationships with senior academicians, professors and student clubs
• Experience and/or knowledge of academic institutions and online learning platforms
• Familiarity with CRM required; previous work with Salesforce is a plus
• Fluency in English required
• Very high level of organizational and time management skills, with the flexibility to competently juggle competing priorities and changing expectations
• Excellent interpersonal skills; confidence and experience in chairing and facilitating meetings
• Excellent communication skills including written, verbal, listening, and presentation
• Experience working in different countries and/or familiarity with various cultures preferred
• Highly collaborative style with demonstrated ability in building strong relationships and effectively influencing stakeholders at multiple levels in the region, understanding local needs and opportunities
• Self-starter and highly motivated – ability to work independently and with teams

Travel and physical requirements:

• Client facing relationship management role; 3 or more days working in the CFA Institute office expected
• Ability to travel comfortably
• Travel may range from 20% to 30%

This job description is a summary of job requirements and duties and is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all areas of responsibility.