Description:

Role Overview:

This is a leadership role focused on enabling and empowering students in their career journeys. The Head of Career Guidance and Placements will work closely with student teams who take an active role in coordinating placements, as well as with faculty, alumni, and industry partners. The role involves providing strategic guidance, bringing in career development best practices, and ensuring students are supported in making informed, confident decisions about their futures.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Career Guidance & Student Support:

- Design and oversee career readiness programs, including resume building, interviews, communication skills, and personal branding.

- Support students exploring varied pathways: campus placements, higher education, entrepreneurship, and research careers.

- Provide access to coaching and mentorship resources tailored to individual needs and aspirations.

2. Placement Coordination (Student-Led):

- Act as an advisor and facilitator to the student placement team, who lead the day-to-day placement operations.

- Help define fair and effective placement policies, schedules, and outreach strategies in collaboration with student representatives.

- Ensure smooth coordination with recruiters while enabling student teams to manage communications and logistics independently.

3. Industry & Ecosystem Engagement:

- Cultivate and maintain strong relationships with companies across sectors product, R&D, startups, deep-tech, consulting, etc.

- Represent the institute in external forums and connect with potential employers who value IIIT-Hs talent.

- Involve alumni and institutional partners to strengthen career outcomes and expand opportunity pools.

4. Team Leadership & Process Enhancement:

- Lead a small professional team and support capacity building within the student placement structure.

- Monitor outcomes, placement trends, and feedback to improve processes year on year.

- Maintain transparency, documentation, and alignment with the institutes values and academic schedule.

5. Entrepreneurship & Innovation Support:

- Work closely with the incubation and entrepreneurship cell to guide students interested in startups.

- Provide mentorship on funding opportunities, intellectual property, and technology transfer pathways.

6. Operational Excellence:

- Foster a culture of continuous improvement, student-centric service, and data-driven decision-making.

- Ensures compliance with institutional and accreditation standards and ensures detailed and accurate reports for audits and rankings.

- Benchmark against leading global universities to maintain competitiveness.

Key Competencies:

Education & Experience:

- 10+ years of experience in career services, corporate HR, education management, or related domains.

- Certifications in career counselling or psychometric assessment (preferred).

- Experience working with young, high-performing talent, preferably in technical or research environments.

- Strong communication, relationship-building, and mentoring skills.

- Ability to work collaboratively with student bodies and respect decentralized, participatory processes.

- Familiarity with industry trends, evolving career landscapes, and placement platforms/tools.

What Makes This Role Unique:

Youll be working in partnership with highly motivated and capable students who lead their own placement activities. Youll have the opportunity to shape meaningful career pathwaysnot just job offers. Youll be part of an academic environment that values depth, integrity, and student ownership.

Timeline:

- December - 2025: advertising, resume gathering

- January - 2026: Shortlist/Interview

- January - February 2026: Joining

Reports To: The position reports to the Chief Administrative Officer and works in collaboration with Career Guidance Committee.

Type of Role: Full-Time with an initial contract of 3 years to be renewed based on performance.

Pay: The annual pay will be in the range of Rs. 25 - 30 lakhs based on competencies and experience.

Location: IIIT Hyderabad, Gachibowli