Director – Strategic Academia Partnerships

Job Title: Director – Strategic Academia Partnerships

Location: Bangalore - In Office
Function: People & Culture Team (Human Resources)
Reports To: CHRO
Level: Director

About InMobi Group

InMobi Group has been a pioneer in mobile-first, AI-powered technology for over 18 years, shaping the future of advertising and consumer experiences. With businesses spanning AdTech, Consumer Tech (Glance), and Data Platforms, we're driving intelligent experiences at scale, powering over 500 million devices across markets like the US, Japan, India, and Brazil. As a profitable and high-growth company, we're on a bold path towards IPO and redefining global digital engagement through innovation in advertising, AI commerce, connected TV, and more.

Role Overview

We are building one of India's most ambitious industry–academia bridges across top engineering and business schools (IITs, IIMs, ISB, and other Top Tier Colleges). As we scale into a world-class GenAI-led consumer internet and ad-tech powerhouse, academic partnerships will be central to our innovation engine, leadership pipeline, research footprint, and talent brand.

We are looking for a smart, energetic, highly enterprising individual to own and lead our Academia Partnerships Charter end-to-end. This is a strategic, high-visibility role reporting into the CHRO, with deep exposure to senior leadership, founders, and academic leaders across the country.

Key Responsibilities

• Create a multi-year roadmap for industry–academia collaboration aligned to our AI-first business strategy.

• Identify high-impact partnership models with top institutes (IITs, IIMs, ISB, etc.).

• Evaluate emerging trends in academia and leverage them for org advantage.

• Set up and manage incubation centre partnerships within IIT/IIM ecosystems.

• Drive joint research projects, applied AI initiatives, and product-led innovation with faculty and labs.

• Create frameworks for IP, research adoption, learning programs and evaluation of impact.

• Build and scale an adjunct faculty initiative: identify internal leaders who can teach, guest lecture, or co-develop academic content.

• Develop deep, trust-based relationships with senior faculty, deans, centre heads, and program directors.

• Facilitate faculty sabbaticals, visiting roles, and joint knowledge creation.

• Partner with institutes to shape emerging talent programs: internships, live projects, hackathons, leadership tracks, and fellowships.

• Strengthen our employer brand as a deep-tech + GenAI innovation powerhouse.

• Structure MOUs, partnership governance models, evaluation frameworks, and renewal mechanisms.

• Ensure rigour, cadence, and visibility across all partnerships.

• Set up dashboards and metrics to measure partnership ROI.

• Work closely with Product, Tech, AI/ML, Marketing, CEO/CTO Office, and Leadership Development teams to embed academia insights into real business outcomes.

• Drive internal excitement and participation across the org.

• Represent the company in academia forums, panel discussions, conclaves, and national innovation events.

• Evangelize our vision of a GenAI-led future in academic circles.

What Success Looks Like

• 3–5 deep, strategic partnerships with IITs/IIMs/ISB/top tier 1 colleges delivering measurable business value.

• Incubation centre(s) established with clear innovation outputs.

• 4–6 joint research initiatives or AI product co-creation tracks running annually.

• A scaled adjunct faculty and faculty-in-residence model.

• Visible improvement in talent pipeline and campus talent brand.

Qualifications & Skills

• 10+ years of experience in academia relations, corporate partnerships, consulting, CEO/CHRO office roles, or innovation ecosystems.

• Strong understanding of Indian higher education (especially IIT/IIM research & incubation ecosystems).

• Exceptional stakeholder management—able to navigate CXO conversations and academic leadership with equal ease.

• Entrepreneurial, high-ownership, and bias for action.

• Strong communication, presence, and ability to represent the company with credibility.

• Curiosity for tech, AI, research, and innovation models.

• Experience working in a tech company, startup ecosystem, or higher-education initiatives. (Good to have)

• Exposure to incubators, research labs, or government innovation bodies. (Good to have)

• Prior experience with collaborative research or academic program design. (Good to have)

Why Join Us?

• Join a global tech company at the forefront of mobile advertising and AI-powered consumer experiences.

• Shape the future of commerce by working on innovations that integrate aspiration, AI, and advertising.

• Be part of a high-growth, profitable organization preparing for IPO and global expansion.

• Collaborate with visionary leaders and passionate builders in an entrepreneurial, fast-paced culture.

• Thrive in a culture that values ownership, speed, and meaningful impact.