Director - School of Inclusive Entrepreneurship

School: School of Inclusive Entrepreneurship

Reporting To: Director - Centre for Innovation & Entrepreneurship (CIE)

Location: Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh

Employment Type: Full-Time

Role Level: Senior Academic Leadership

1. Position Overview:

The Director - School of Inclusive Entrepreneurship will provide strategic, academic, and operational leadership for building the School as a distinctive centre of excellence in entrepreneurship education, venture creation, innovation, and inclusive economic development.

Reporting to the Director - Centre for Innovation & Entrepreneurship (CIE), the Director will be responsible for translating the University's entrepreneurship and innovation vision into a differentiated academic strategy, programme portfolio, curriculum framework, faculty model, student experience, industry engagement, and sustainable growth roadmap for the School.

The role will lead the development of entrepreneurial graduates equipped with the knowledge, skills, mindset, confidence, and ethical orientation required to identify opportunities, solve real-world problems, develop innovative solutions, and create scalable, sustainable, and socially relevant ventures.

As the academic leader of the School, the Director will build and lead the founding academic team, establish academic governance and quality systems, drive programme development and delivery, strengthen industry and academic partnerships, and create an experiential learning environment that connects classroom learning with the real-world entrepreneurial ecosystem.

The Director will work closely with the Director - CIE to create a strong integration between academic entrepreneurship education and the University's wider innovation, incubation, acceleration, mentoring, and startup ecosystem.

2. Key Responsibilities:

A. Strategic & Academic Leadership:

- Provide overall academic and strategic leadership for the School of Inclusive Entrepreneurship.

- Translate the University's entrepreneurship vision and CIE's strategic direction into the School's academic strategy and operating roadmap.

- Develop the School's vision, mission, academic identity, positioning, and long-term growth strategy.

- Develop a multi-year roadmap covering programmes, curriculum, faculty, research, student outcomes, industry engagement, executive education, partnerships, reputation, and financial sustainability.

- Establish a differentiated academic proposition focused on entrepreneurship, innovation, venture creation, inclusive entrepreneurship, and real-world problem solving.

- Develop annual academic and operational plans in consultation with the Director - CIE and University leadership.

- Establish appropriate governance, review, and performance mechanisms for the School.

- Ensure alignment of the School's activities with the University's overall strategy and CIE's entrepreneurship and innovation agenda.

B. Programme Development & Portfolio Management:

- Lead the conceptualisation, design, development, and launch of undergraduate, postgraduate, doctoral, diploma, certificate, executive, and other entrepreneurship-focused programmes, as applicable.

- Identify emerging market, industry, and learner requirements to develop future-ready programmes.

- Define programme structures, curriculum architecture, learning outcomes, specialisations, electives, experiential components, and assessment frameworks.

- Ensure programmes are academically rigorous, industry-relevant, differentiated, and aligned with national and international best practices.

- Develop programmes incorporating entrepreneurship, innovation, design thinking, business modelling, venture creation, startup finance, marketing, technology, operations, leadership, sustainability, social entrepreneurship, family business, and venture scaling.

- Introduce venture-based learning, live projects, startup challenges, internships, field immersion, simulations, case studies, hackathons, pitch events, and founder-led learning.

- Lead periodic programme reviews and curriculum revisions based on student feedback, industry requirements, entrepreneurial outcomes, and emerging trends.

- Coordinate with relevant University stakeholders for programme approvals and implementation.

C. Curriculum & Learning Experience:

- Establish an experiential and outcome-oriented pedagogy for entrepreneurship education.

- Integrate academic theory with practical venture-building and real-world problem solving.

- Promote interdisciplinary learning across management, technology, engineering, design, liberal arts, finance, law, sustainability, and other disciplines.

- Develop mechanisms for students to progress from opportunity identification and ideation through validation, prototyping, market testing, venture creation, and scaling.

- Establish robust academic assessment and student learning-outcome frameworks.

- Incorporate founders, entrepreneurs, investors, corporate leaders, and practitioners into the academic learning experience.

- Ensure continuous improvement in teaching and learning quality.

D. Faculty & Academic Team Leadership:

- Build and lead the School's founding academic team comprising Professors of Practice, Professors, Associate Professors, Assistant Professors, adjunct faculty, visiting faculty, entrepreneurs, industry experts, and programme staff.

- Develop faculty manpower plans aligned with programme requirements and student growth.

- Participate in faculty recruitment, selection, onboarding, development, and performance evaluation.

- Attract accomplished entrepreneurs, founders, investors, CXOs, consultants, and industry practitioners as Professors of Practice and adjunct faculty.

- Develop faculty competencies in entrepreneurship pedagogy, experiential learning, venture mentoring, research, consulting, and industry engagement.

- Establish faculty KPIs covering teaching, research, student mentoring, industry engagement, executive education, consulting, and institutional contribution.

- Build a culture of academic excellence, collaboration, experimentation, innovation, and entrepreneurial action.

E. Student Entrepreneurship & Engagement:

- Create an immersive entrepreneurial environment across the School.

- Develop structured student entrepreneurship journeys from ideation to venture creation.

- Establish mentoring and coaching mechanisms involving founders, entrepreneurs, investors, industry leaders, and alumni.

- Facilitate student participation in startup competitions, innovation challenges, hackathons, pitch events, accelerator programmes, and national/international entrepreneurship platforms.

- Identify promising student ventures and facilitate their progression into the University's incubation and entrepreneurship ecosystem through CIE.

- Collaborate with CIE to connect students with incubators, mentors, investors, accelerators, corporates, and startup networks.

- Track entrepreneurial outcomes including ventures launched, prototypes developed, funding raised, competitions won, internships, IP, and social-impact initiatives.

F. Collaboration with the Centre for Innovation & Entrepreneurship:

- Work closely with the Director - CIE to ensure strategic alignment between the School and the University's broader entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystem.

- Create an integrated pathway between academic entrepreneurship education and CIE's incubation, acceleration, innovation, mentoring, and venture-support initiatives.

- Refer and facilitate high-potential student and faculty ventures for appropriate CIE programmes and support mechanisms.

- Collaborate with CIE on startup competitions, hackathons, innovation challenges, founder programmes, investor connects, entrepreneurship events, and ecosystem initiatives.

- Leverage CIE's network of founders, investors, mentors, incubators, accelerators, corporates, and ecosystem institutions for student and faculty development.

- Provide academic and programme-level inputs to CIE for entrepreneurship ecosystem initiatives.

- Ensure that School activities complement, rather than duplicate, the functions and initiatives of CIE.

- Support the Director - CIE in developing the University's overall entrepreneurship and innovation positioning.

G. Industry & Ecosystem Partnerships:

- Develop strategic relationships with entrepreneurs, startups, corporates, family businesses, venture capital funds, angel investors, incubators, accelerators, government bodies, and industry associations.

- Establish partnerships that create meaningful opportunities for teaching, mentoring, internships, live projects, research, consulting, venture creation, and executive education.

- Build national and international academic partnerships with universities and entrepreneurship institutions.

- Develop structured founder and industry engagement programmes.

- Bring accomplished entrepreneurs, investors, CXOs, policymakers, and practitioners into the School through masterclasses, guest lectures, fireside chats, mentoring, and advisory engagements.

- Support the Director - CIE in strengthening the University's wider entrepreneurship ecosystem.

H. Industry Advisory Board:

- In consultation with the Director - CIE, constitute and manage an Industry Advisory Board comprising leading entrepreneurs, investors, business leaders, academics, policymakers, and ecosystem experts.

- Establish a structured engagement calendar for the Advisory Board.

- Seek Advisory Board inputs on curriculum, programme relevance, industry trends, student capabilities, emerging entrepreneurial opportunities, and School strategy.

- Translate Advisory Board recommendations into actionable academic and industry initiatives.

I. Research & Thought Leadership:

- Develop the School's research agenda in entrepreneurship, innovation, inclusive entrepreneurship, social enterprise, venture creation, family business, sustainability, technology entrepreneurship, and related areas.

- Promote high-quality research publications and funded research projects.

- Encourage interdisciplinary research across University schools and centres.

- Develop industry research, case studies, white papers, entrepreneurship reports, policy papers, and knowledge products.

- Encourage faculty to undertake consulting and applied research projects.

- Build the School's thought-leadership profile through conferences, roundtables, publications, media engagement, podcasts, webinars, and public forums.

- Organise national and international conferences, entrepreneurship summits, research forums, and knowledge events.

J. Executive Education & Consulting:

- Develop executive education programmes for entrepreneurs, founders, corporate executives, family businesses, and aspiring business leaders.

- Identify opportunities for customised entrepreneurship and innovation programmes for corporates and institutions.

- Develop entrepreneurship bootcamps, certification programmes, leadership programmes, masterclasses, and short-duration programmes.

- Explore consulting and advisory opportunities in entrepreneurship, innovation, startup strategy, family business, and business transformation.

- Collaborate with CIE and relevant University schools to develop interdisciplinary executive education and consulting offerings.

K. Admissions, Positioning & Growth:

- Work with Admissions, Marketing, Communications, and CIE to establish the School's differentiated market positioning.

- Define the academic value proposition and programme differentiators.

- Provide inputs for programme pricing, scholarships, student recruitment, and revenue strategy.

- Support high-value applicant engagement through webinars, open houses, founder interactions, presentations, and counselling.

- Participate in strategic admissions activities and interactions with prospective students and parents.

- Develop strategies for attracting high-quality domestic and international students.

- Monitor admissions performance, student profile, programme demand, conversion, and market feedback.

L. Internationalisation:

- Develop partnerships with leading international universities, entrepreneurship schools, innovation centres, incubators, and ecosystem organisations.

- Explore student and faculty exchange, international immersion, joint programmes, visiting faculty, collaborative research, and international entrepreneurship initiatives.

- Create opportunities for students to engage with global startup ecosystems.

- Strengthen the international profile and academic visibility of the School.

M. Quality Assurance, Governance & Compliance:

- Establish and maintain robust academic governance and quality assurance systems.

- Ensure compliance with applicable University policies, regulatory requirements, academic standards, and accreditation frameworks.

- Lead documentation and academic processes required for programme approvals and reviews.

- Establish mechanisms for curriculum review, faculty evaluation, student feedback, learning outcomes, and continuous improvement.

- Support University-level accreditation, ranking, statutory, and quality-assurance initiatives.

- Ensure academic integrity and adherence to institutional policies.

N. Budget & Operational Management:

- Develop the School's annual academic and operating budget in consultation with the Director - CIE and University leadership.

- Monitor programme economics, enrolment, revenue, expenditure, and resource utilisation.

- Ensure optimal utilisation of faculty, infrastructure, technology, and academic resources.

- Identify opportunities for sustainable revenue generation through academic programmes, executive education, consulting, research, certifications, and industry partnerships.

- Ensure financial discipline and effective utilisation of University resources.

O. Brand Building & External Representation:

- Build the School's identity and reputation as a leading destination for entrepreneurship and inclusive innovation education.

- Represent the School and University at academic conferences, entrepreneurship forums, industry events, policy platforms, and national/international forums.

- Develop flagship entrepreneurship events, summits, competitions, and thought-leadership initiatives.

- Promote student ventures, faculty achievements, industry partnerships, research, and institutional impact.

- Develop relationships with professional associations, media, industry bodies, startup networks, and academic institutions.

- Contribute to strengthening the University's overall brand and positioning in entrepreneurship and innovation.

3. Key Performance Indicators:

The Director's performance will be evaluated against measurable academic, student, entrepreneurial, ecosystem, institutional, and financial outcomes, including:

Academic:

- Successful launch and growth of programmes.

- Curriculum quality and relevance.

- Student learning outcomes.

- Faculty quality and development.

- Student satisfaction and engagement.

- Academic quality and compliance.

Entrepreneurship:

- Student ventures developed and launched.

- Ventures progressing to CIE incubation/acceleration.

- Funding raised by student/faculty ventures.

- Student participation in entrepreneurship programmes.

- Startup competitions, innovation challenges, and ecosystem achievements.

Industry & Ecosystem:

- Strategic partnerships established.

- Founder, investor, mentor, and industry engagement.

- Industry Advisory Board effectiveness.

- Live projects, internships, mentoring, and industry exposure.

- National and international collaborations.

Admissions & Growth:

- Student enrolment and quality of intake.

- Programme demand and conversion.

- Revenue performance.

- Executive education and certification growth.

- Financial sustainability.

Research & Thought Leadership:

- Publications and research projects.

- Research grants and external funding.

- Industry reports and case studies.

- Consulting engagements.

- Conferences, summits, and thought-leadership initiatives.

Institution Building:

- Successful development of the School's academic ecosystem.

- Faculty and programme team development.

- Academic governance and quality systems.

- National and international visibility.

- Recognition, awards, rankings, and external reputation.

4. Qualification & Experience:

Essential:

- Ph.D. in Entrepreneurship, Management, Business Administration, Innovation, Economics, Finance, or a relevant discipline from a reputed institution.

- Strong academic credentials and demonstrated experience in teaching, research, entrepreneurship education, or academic leadership.

- Significant experience in entrepreneurship, innovation, venture creation, startup ecosystem, business education, or a closely related domain.

- Demonstrated experience in academic/institutional leadership and stakeholder management.

- Strong understanding of higher education systems, academic governance, curriculum development, and quality assurance.

Preferred:

- Experience in establishing or leading a School, Centre, Institute, entrepreneurship programme, incubator, accelerator, or innovation initiative.

- Founder/co-founder or senior leadership experience in a startup or entrepreneurial venture.

- Experience working with incubators, accelerators, VC/angel networks, startups, corporates, or innovation ecosystems.

- Experience in executive education, consulting, or industry programmes.

- Experience in developing and launching new academic programmes.

- Strong national and international academic/industry network.

- International academic or professional exposure.

5. Overall Role Mandate:

The Director - School of Inclusive Entrepreneurship will be responsible for building a world-class academic platform for entrepreneurship education, creating a strong pipeline of entrepreneurial talent, and establishing a seamless bridge between academic learning and the entrepreneurial ecosystem.

The Director will ensure that the School does not remain limited to conventional classroom-based entrepreneurship education, but becomes a venture-oriented, industry-connected, research-driven and outcome-focused academic institution, closely integrated with the University's Centre for Innovation & Entrepreneurship.

The ultimate objective will be to establish the School as a nationally recognised centre of excellence in entrepreneurship, inclusive innovation, venture creation, and entrepreneurial leadership, while contributing significantly to the University's academic reputation, student outcomes, industry engagement, innovation ecosystem, and long-term growth.