Website:
ashoka.edu.in
Job details:
Job Title: Senior Leadership, Development Team
Reports to: Pro Vice Chancellor, Development and SVP Development
Location: New Delhi and Mumbai
Experience: 15 to 22 years in wealth management
Nature of work: Full-Time, Senior Leadership Track
About the Role
The Senior Leadership role in the Development team sits at the financial heart of Ashoka University's institutional future. Development is the university's fundraising function, and this position leads the cultivation and stewardship of major donors across Delhi and Mumbai + Pune India's two largest donor markets by value and number. The role operates within the context of a five-year, Rs. 4,000 crore capital campaign the most ambitious philanthropic initiative in Indian higher education.
Ashoka University's long-term goal is to raise US $2 billion by 2040, of which US $500 million has been raised to date. The person in this role will work closely with the Ashoka Founder Group and contribute directly to this effort. Funds raised support scholarships for first-generation students, research grants for faculty, infrastructure development, and academic programmes not currently available elsewhere in India.
Role and Responsibilities
Drive the Capital Campaign
• Own and execute a multi-year development strategy targeting Rs. 800 crore annually across Delhi and Mumbai +Pune.
• Lead the identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of individual major philanthropists and institutional donors
• Ensure deal closure with the discipline of a seasoned relationship professional and the conviction of a mission-driven leader.
Build and Deepen Donor Relationships
• Develop and expand a network of UHNIs, HNIs, family offices, and corporates to maintain an active donor pipeline.
• Design tailored engagement strategies that align donor intent with Ashoka's funding priorities across scholarships, research chairs, infrastructure, and endowments.
• Represent Ashoka at senior levels including with institutional leaders, family offices, and philanthropic forums. Craft the Narrative
• Translate Ashoka's academic and institutional vision into well-structured, philanthropic-grade proposals for major donors.
• Develop pitch materials, impact reports, and donor communications appropriate for high conviction, long-horizon philanthropic commitments.
• Partner with the communications and strategy teams on Ashoka's positioning in key donor markets.
Lead with Rigour and Accountability
• Manage a full donor pipeline from initial engagement through to multi-crore pledge closure.
• Provide timely, accurate reporting to the Founder Group and Pro VC + SVP on pipeline health, closures, and market intelligence.
• Contribute to strategic planning across the development function, including event strategy, campaign design, and donor recognition.
• Oversee financial aspects of development operations including budgeting, expense tracking, and monthly reconciliation of fundraising cash flows.
Steward the Institutional Vision
• Co-develop short and long-term fundraising strategies in partnership with founders, senior leadership, and the Development team.
• Contribute to a culture of learning, research into best practices, and continuous improvement within the development function.
• Serve as a senior institutional representative across civil society, business, and philanthropic communities.
Candidate Profile
This role is open to professionals with demonstrated experience managing high-value, relationship driven engagements with UHNIs and HNIs irrespective of sector.
Relevant backgrounds include:
• Private wealth management, private banking, or family office advisory, with a record of managing long-term, high-value relationships with business families and UHNIs.
• Institutional fundraising or development in venture capital, private equity, or impact investment, with experience closing large, complex capital commitments.
• Senior sales and business development in luxury hospitality, with direct responsibility for UHNI and HNI accounts at five-star or ultra-luxury properties.
• Premium real estate, luxury goods, or bespoke services, where sales cycles are long and client relationships are the primary professional asset.
• Any senior role where access to the right individuals, and the credibility to lead substantive conversations about significant commitments, defines professional value
Qualifications and Experience
• 15 to 22 years of senior, client-facing experience in wealth management, institutional fundraising, high-value sales, or business development.
• A demonstrated record of managing and closing large, complex, relationship-driven commitments with UHNI and HNI individuals or institutions.
• An active, self-built network of high-net-worth relationships in Delhi, Mumbai, or Pune.
• Excellent communication skills across formats — boardroom presentations, written proposals, and one-on-one engagement.
• Experience managing pipelines and reporting to senior leadership within structured organisations.
• A postgraduate degree from a premier institution is preferred.
Competencies and Attributes
• Self-directed: Able to define and execute strategy independently, without requiring a pre existing framework.
• Relationship-driven: Network built through sustained professional engagement, not positional access.
• Intellectually engaged: Genuine curiosity about ideas and academic institutions.
• Composed under pressure: Comfortable with long cultivation cycles and substantial asks; able to manage timing and bring conversations to a close with discretion.
• Discreet and trustworthy: Maintains the highest standards of confidentiality and professional conduct.
• Mission-aligned: Motivated by the long-term institutional impact of the work.
About Ashoka University Established in 2014, Ashoka University has rapidly established itself as a benchmark in India's higher education landscape. Our mission is to build an institution of teaching and research excellence that nurtures responsible leaders for India and the world. Our vision is to be the no. 1 university in India and among the foremost in the world. In a decade, we have assembled over 260 distinguished faculty: scholars and researchers drawn from Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard, Yale, Princeton, the London School of Economics, King's College London, and peer institutions across the world.
Our academic programmes are anchored by 7 Schools, supported by 28 Centres, and span the full range of the liberal arts and sciences. With 3,400 current students, 2,000 research publications, 100% placement record, and over Rs. 700 crore in financial aid disbursed, we have demonstrated that we are capable of operating at the standard we have set for ourselves. Ashoka University has established itself as one of India's foremost liberal arts and sciences institutions, distinguished by its rigorous interdisciplinary approach and a commitment to research led education
To learn more about Ashoka and its vision, peruse the resources below:
• Check out our website here Ashoka University: Leading Liberal Arts and Sciences University, and our latest Annual Review here Annual-Review_2024-25.pdf
• Hear our Founders talk about the vision of Ashoka here The Secret to Building Billion-Dollar Companies & Careers – Business Legends' Roundtable
Click on Apply to know more.