Associate Director - Academic Delivery

About Emeritus

Emeritus is committed to teaching the skills of the future by making high-quality education accessible and affordable to individuals, companies, and governments around the world. It does this by collaborating with more than 80 top-tier universities across the United States, Europe, Latin America, Southeast Asia, India and China.

Emeritus’ short courses, degree programs, professional certificates, and senior executive programs help individuals learn new skills and transform their lives, companies and organizations. Its unique model of state-of-the-art technology, curriculum innovation, and hands-on instruction from senior faculty, mentors and coaches has educated more than 300,000 individuals across 80 countries.

Founded in 2015, Emeritus, part of Eruditus Group, has more than 1,800 employees globally and offices in Mumbai, New Delhi, Shanghai, Singapore, Palo Alto, Mexico City, New York, Boston, London, and Dubai. The company is backed by prominent investors including Accel, SoftBank Vision Fund 2, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Leeds Illuminate, Prosus Ventures, Sequoia Capital India, and Bertelsmann.

About The Role

Reporting to the VP of Academic Delivery, the Associate Director will provide leadership and strategic oversight for a portfolio of online programs delivered in partnership with prestigious universities. This role will manage a team of Senior Program Delivery Managers and Program Delivery Managers, ensuring exceptional program execution and learner experience at scale. This role focuses on portfolio management, team leadership, operational excellence, and continuous process improvement. The Associate Director will play a pivotal role in optimizing resource allocation, driving innovation in program delivery, and enhancing cross-functional collaboration.

How You Will Make An Impact

Portfolio Management and Leadership

• Oversee program delivery operations and key success metrics for a portfolio of programs, to ensure alignment with university partner expectations and Emeritus standards.
• Optimize resource allocation across programs to support high-quality delivery and scalability.
• Drive continuous improvement through scalable solutions and innovative learner support strategies.
• Establish and track KPIs related to portfolio success and learner satisfaction.
• Manage portfolio budgets to optimize resource allocation, track program costs, and ensure financial targets are met.
  
  

Team Leadership and Development

• Lead and develop a team of Senior Program Delivery Managers and Program Delivery Managers.
• Foster a culture of excellence, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Provide mentorship and professional development opportunities to support career growth within the team.
• Establish and maintain clear performance metrics to measure team success.
• Oversee Success Coach operations and effectiveness to support learner success.
  
  

Operational Excellence

• Design and implement data-driven automation solutions and process improvements to improve efficiency and reduce manual workflows.
• Lead cross-functional initiatives focused on friction points in the learner journey and team operations.
• Monitor performance dashboards to track critical program delivery metrics.
• Establish standardized operating procedures and quality control frameworks across the portfolio to ensure consistent excellence in program execution.
  
  

Escalation and Stakeholder Management

• Manage complex escalations and stakeholder challenges, ensuring timely and effective resolution.
• Maintain portfolio-level university partner relationships, leveraging program performance data to provide insights and recommendations.
• Align cross-functional teams (Technology, Design, Product, Admissions, Outreach) to ensure a seamless learner journey and high-quality program delivery.
• Influence platform development in collaboration with the Technology team to better support academic delivery needs.
  
  

What You'll Bring

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required; Master's degree preferred.
• 7 years of experience in program delivery, executive education, EdTech, or online learning delivery, with at least 3 years in a people leadership role.
• Proven track record of building, managing and developing high-performing teams, including senior individual contributors.
• Experience delivering for high-profile, executive-level audiences including senior leaders, C-suite, and board level participants.
• Strong operational discipline with the ability to oversee multiple complex, high-stakes programs simultaneously at scale.
• Fluency with data to drive decisions, diagnose issues, and improve performance across a portfolio.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with comfort representing Emeritus to senior external stakeholders and influence cross-functional stakeholders, build alignment, and drive outcomes across teams.
  
  

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working with US, UK or EU universities and faculty.
• Background in academic program management or operations.
• Familiarity with learning management systems and community platforms such as Canvas and Slack.
• Experience in change management, process improvement, or launching new programs or markets at scale.
• Understanding of global education markets and trends.
• Event management and community-building experience.
  
  

Key Competencies

• Leads and develops high-performing teams, including coaching senior ICs to grow their impact and scope.
• Cultivates and manages complex stakeholder relationships at the executive level.
• Drives portfolio-level decisions through data analysis and performance metrics.
• Navigates escalations effectively with sound judgment and a solutions-oriented approach.
• Champions learner- and customer-centric outcomes across all programs.
• Communicates with clarity and influence across cultures, functions, and seniority levels.
• Models operational rigor and excellence in a fast-paced, high-growth, global environment.
• Leads cross-functional collaboration and drives alignment without always having formal authority.
• Demonstrates a growth mindset with a drive to build, improve, and raise the bar for the team.
  
  

This role is an exciting opportunity for a dynamic professional who thrives at the intersection of team management and operations. The ideal candidate has a proven track record of scaling online programs, developing high-performing teams, and driving innovation in the learner experience.

Emeritus provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

In Press

• https://inc42.com/buzz/edtech-startup-eruditus-fy23-revenue-crosses-inr-3000-cr-mark/
• emeritus harvard business school: Edtech unicorn Emeritus story now a Harvard Business School case study - The Economic Times (indiatimes.com)