Role Overview:

The Chief Operating Officer (COO) will lead the university's operational strategy, institutional growth, and transformation agenda. The role is responsible for driving operational excellence, scaling academic and administrative capabilities, enabling expansion into new campuses and programs, strengthening governance, and ensuring sustainable financial and organizational performance.

The COO will work closely with the Founder and leadership team to transform the university into a nationally recognized institution with global aspirations.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Strategic Growth & Expansion:

- Develop and execute the university's long-term growth strategy.

- Lead expansion through new campuses, schools, research centers, and international collaborations.

- Identify new revenue streams including executive education, online learning, global partnerships, and industry engagement.

- Conduct feasibility studies, market research, and expansion planning.

- Drive mergers, acquisitions, and strategic partnerships where appropriate.

2. Operational Excellence:

- Establish best-in-class operational systems across all functions.

- Standardize SOPs and governance frameworks.

- Improve institutional productivity, service quality, and turnaround time.

- Implement Lean and continuous improvement initiatives.

- Develop KPI-driven performance management across departments.

3. Institutional Scaling:

- Build scalable systems, structures, and processes to support growth.

- Strengthen organizational design and workforce planning.

- Lead digital transformation initiatives, including ERP, CRM, LMS, AI-enabled processes, and automation.

- Create scalable operational models for multi-campus management.

4. Academic & Administrative Coordination:

- Work collaboratively with academic leadership while preserving academic autonomy.

- Ensure seamless coordination among: Admissions, Finance, HR, IT, Student Services, Examination, Infrastructure, Procurement, Legal, and Marketing.

- Improve the student and faculty experience through operational excellence.

5. Financial Management:

- Drive financial sustainability and operational efficiency.

- Prepare annual operating plans and budgets.

- Optimize resource allocation and cost structures.

- Monitor institutional profitability and cash flow.

- Develop dashboards for financial and operational performance.

6. Infrastructure & Campus Development:

- Lead campus expansion projects from planning to execution.

- Coordinate architects, contractors, consultants, and statutory authorities.

- Ensure projects are delivered on time, within budget, and to quality standards.

- Oversee facilities management, sustainability initiatives, and campus operations.

7. Regulatory & Quality Assurance:

- Ensure compliance with: UGC, AICTE, NAAC, NBA, PCI, NMC, and State Government regulations.

- Strengthen institutional governance and accreditation readiness.

- Build systems for risk management and internal audits.

8. People Leadership:

- Build a high-performance leadership team.

- Foster accountability, innovation, and collaboration.

- Lead succession planning and leadership development.

- Drive a performance-oriented culture across the university.

9. Innovation & Digital Transformation:

- Champion AI, analytics, automation, and digital platforms.

- Introduce technology-enabled student services.

- Develop data-driven decision-making capabilities.

- Build dashboards for real-time institutional performance.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs):

- Campus expansion milestones achieved

- Revenue growth and diversification

- EBITDA and operational efficiency

- Student admissions and retention

- NAAC/NBA accreditation outcomes

- Faculty and employee productivity

- Student satisfaction (NPS)

- Digital transformation milestones

- Cost optimization

- Research and industry partnerships

- Project delivery (time and budget adherence)

- Governance and compliance score