upGrad
Website:
bit.ly
Company:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/ueducation
Industries: Financial Services, Business Consulting and Services, and Education
Job details:
Job Description
Analyst / Senior Analyst
Department: Strategy – Team
Location: Pan India (Extensive Travel Required)
Employment Type: Full-Time
Reports To: Team Lead
About Propel
Propel is transforming higher education by partnering with colleges and universities through long-term strategic partnerships. We work closely with institutions to improve academics, admissions, student outcomes, technology, and operations, enabling higher education institutions to achieve sustainable growth.
Every partnership begins with one critical question:
Is this institution worth partnering with?
The Team is Propel's independent due diligence function that answers this question. Before Propel enters into a long-term partnership with any institution, the Crack Team conducts rigorous on-ground assessments to evaluate financial health, governance, regulatory compliance, infrastructure, academic quality, operational readiness, and long-term sustainability.
The team's recommendation directly influences Propel's investment and partnership decisions, making it one of the most critical analytical functions within the organization.
About the Role
As a Team Analyst, you will lead comprehensive on-site due diligence assignments across colleges and universities in India. You will validate institutional data through field visits, assess financial and operational risks, build analytical models, and prepare evidence-backed recommendations that determine whether Propel should proceed with a partnership.
This role operates independently from business development and partnership teams. Your objective is to provide an unbiased assessment based on facts, evidence, and structured analysis.
The role involves 60–70% travel, often to Tier II and Tier III cities, and requires exceptional analytical thinking, financial acumen, and stakeholder management.
Key Responsibilities
Conduct End-to-End Due Diligence
- Execute structured due diligence across all critical workstreams:
- Preliminary Screening
- Financial Due Diligence
- Regulatory & Governance Review
- Strategic Fit Assessment
- Commercial Evaluation
Perform On-Ground Validation
Verify institutional claims through extensive field assessments, including:
- Campus infrastructure
- Faculty quality and availability
- Student enrolment
- Academic delivery
- Student welfare
- Technology readiness
- Operational capabilities
Compare on-ground findings with management representations and supporting documentation.
Financial Analysis & Modelling
Develop comprehensive financial assessments covering:
- Revenue quality
- Fee realization
- Cost normalization
- EBITDA normalization
- Working capital
- Cash flow
- Year One operating viability
- Earnings quality assessment
Institutional Risk Assessment
Evaluate institutions against Propel's due diligence framework, including:
- Promoter background
- Land ownership and title verification
- AICTE, University Affiliation and NAAC compliance
- Financial performance
- Debt obligations
- Litigation exposure
- Faculty liabilities
- Statutory compliance
- Infrastructure quality
- ERP and technology readiness
- Organizational culture
- Governance practices
- Partnership readiness
Identify Critical Risk Triggers
Assess potential deal-breakers such as:
- Mortgaged or disputed land
- Active criminal proceedings
- NPA or overdue borrowings
- Change-of-control restrictions
- Faculty salary arrears
- Weak fee realization
- Related-party revenue concentration
- Qualified audit reports
- Structural enrollment challenges
- AICTE closure notices
- Regulatory non-compliance
- Poor promoter cooperation
- Fake placement litigation
- Trustee disputes
Recommendation & Reporting
Prepare structured Due Diligence reports containing:
- Executive summary
- Risk register
- Institutional scorecard
- Financial analysis
- Evidence repository
- Go / Conditional Go / No-Go recommendation
Present findings to senior leadership with clear rationale and supporting evidence.
Maintain Independence & Compliance
- Ensure objective and unbiased evaluation.
- Maintain confidentiality throughout the diligence process.
- Adhere to KYC, AML, conflict-of-interest, and anti-bribery guidelines.
- Keep diligence independent from commercial negotiations.
Support Transition
For approved partnerships, prepare complete transition documentation to enable successful handover to Propel's integration teams.
Required Qualifications
Experience
Analyst: 3–6 years
Senior Analyst: 5–8 years
Experience in one or more of the following:
- Management Consulting
- Financial Due Diligence
- Transaction Advisory
- Investment Banking
- Private Equity
- Venture Capital
- Corporate Strategy
- Deal Advisory
- Portfolio Operations
Required Skills
- Strong financial modelling and analytical capabilities
- Experience with EBITDA normalization and cash flow analysis
- Structured problem-solving ability
- Risk assessment and decision-making
- Excellent written and verbal communication
- Executive-level presentation skills
- Ability to manage multiple high-priority projects
- Strong stakeholder management
- High attention to detail
- Ability to work independently under tight timelines
Education
Preferred qualifications include:
- CA
- MBA
- CFA
- Equivalent analytical or finance-focused qualifications
Preferred Experience
- Exposure to Indian Higher Education regulations (AICTE, NAAC, UGC, State Universities)
- Experience in education, healthcare, infrastructure, or services-sector due diligence
- Experience leading field-based assessments
- Prior experience presenting recommendations to senior leadership
What Success Looks Like
Within your first 6–12 months, you will:
- Complete multiple due diligence assignments within committed timelines.
- Deliver board-ready due diligence reports and recommendations.
- Build robust financial models and institutional scorecards.
- Identify critical risks before partnership execution.
- Maintain zero compromise on compliance, independence, and quality standards.
Competencies We Look For
- Analytical Excellence – Ability to simplify complex situations into structured insights.
- Intellectual Integrity – Comfortable making difficult recommendations backed by evidence.
- Ownership Mindset – Takes accountability for every assessment and recommendation.
- Adaptability – Comfortable working in diverse institutional environments across India.
- Execution Excellence – Delivers high-quality work under demanding timelines.
- Professionalism – Maintains confidentiality, integrity, and ethical standards at all times.
Why Join Propel?
At Propel, you won't just evaluate institutions—you'll influence strategic decisions that shape the future of higher education in India.
If you're passionate about solving complex business problems, enjoy field-based analytical work, and want to make a measurable impact through rigorous due diligence, we'd love to hear from you.
Click on Apply to know more.