Position Title: Dean & Principal
SSRDP Institute of Skilling
(A Flagship Residential Institute of Future Skills, Employability & Human Development)
Position purpose:
The Dean & Principal shall provide visionary leadership to establish and develop the SSRDP Institute of Skilling into one of India's leading residential institutes for future-ready skills, technology-enabled learning, employability, entrepreneurship, and human development.
The Dean will be responsible for academic leadership, institutional development, industry partnerships, financial sustainability, student success, faculty excellence, innovation, corporate engagement, and organizational growth while preserving the values and philosophy of the Art of Living and SSRDP.
The position demands an entrepreneurial educational leader capable of building a nationally respected institution from inception.
Essential Qualifications:
• Master's degree in Engineering, Technology, Management, Education, or a related discipline. A PhD is desirable but not mandatory if balanced by strong industry and institutional leadership.
• Additional qualifications in Skill Development, Higher Education Management, or Public Policy are advantageous.
Experience
• 15–20 years of progressively responsible leadership experience in vocational education, higher education, corporate learning, EdTech, or workforce development.
• Minimum 8 years leading an institute, business unit, university department, or large skilling programme.
• Demonstrated success in building institutions, managing multidisciplinary teams, and engaging with industry and government.
• Experience in fundraising, CSR partnerships, or public–private partnerships is highly desirable.
Ideal Candidate Profile
The ideal Dean is not necessarily a career academic. The strongest candidate is likely to be someone who combines the credibility of an educator with the execution capability of a business leader—perhaps a former CEO or senior executive of a leading skilling institution (such as NSDC ecosystem partners, Tata STRIVE, Tech Mahindra SMART, or similar), an accomplished EdTech leader, or a senior corporate L&D executive who has built large-scale workforce development programmes.
The defining characteristic should be the ability to build a nationally respected institution, rather than simply administer an existing one. This distinction is especially important because the SSRDP Institute of Skilling is envisioned as a flagship, future-focused institution rather than a conventional training centre.