Placing the Pedagogists and Learning Architects Reshaping India's Education Landscape
The most critical talent in education and edtech does not appear on job boards. An Academic Dean who has led NAAC A++ accreditation across 12 departments, a Head of Instructional Design who has built competency-based curricula for 50,000 learners, an EdTech Head of Product who has driven measurable learning outcome improvements through adaptive algorithms — these professionals are found only through university governance networks, AICTE panel connections, accreditation peer-review circles, and years of trust built within India's education community. That is the practice Gladwin brings to every education mandate.
600+
Education & EdTech professionals mapped
12+
Specialist mandates placed in 36 months
16
Universities, accreditation bodies & education councils in our network
The Challenge
Why Education & EdTech Talent Is Uniquely Difficult to Source
Generic executive search methods fail in education because the most capable specialists carry dual credentialing requirements, bridge pedagogy and technology disciplines, and operate in closed academic governance communities that standard recruitment cannot penetrate.
Academic leadership requires dual credentialing — scholarship and administration
A Vice-Chancellor or Academic Dean must combine deep scholarly credentials (PhD, peer-reviewed publications, doctoral supervision) with institutional administration capability (NAAC accreditation, UGC compliance, faculty governance). This dual requirement shrinks the qualified pool dramatically, and the best candidates are deeply embedded in their current institutions with multi-year commitments.
EdTech product talent must bridge pedagogy and engineering
An EdTech Head of Product who understands spaced repetition algorithms, adaptive learning pathways, and competency-based assessment — while simultaneously managing engineering sprints and growth metrics — is a rare hybrid. The education sector and the technology sector each produce specialists, but the intersection is a micro-pool requiring targeted research.
Accreditation and assessment expertise is held by a closed community
Professionals who have led NAAC peer reviews, NBA programme accreditation, or designed NEP-2020 outcome-based curricula form an extremely small network. They are typically senior academics who do not appear in corporate talent channels and are engaged only through academic governance networks and UGC committee connections.
Coverage
Roles We Place — Across Every Education & EdTech Discipline
Our education practice covers the full spectrum of domain-specific, academic, and specialist roles — the mandates that demand genuine sector knowledge to identify, engage, and assess correctly.
Academic Leadership & Curriculum
- Vice-Chancellor
- Pro Vice-Chancellor — Academic Affairs
- Academic Dean — Faculty of Engineering
- Head of Curriculum Design — NEP 2020
- Director of Academic Quality & Standards
- Head of Outcome-Based Education (OBE)
- Dean of Research & Doctoral Programmes
- Registrar — University Administration
- Head of Academic Planning & Accreditation
- Director of Centres of Excellence
Pedagogy & Instructional Design
- Head of Instructional Design
- Senior Learning Designer — K-12
- Curriculum Architect — Higher Education
- Head of Teacher Training & Development
- Competency-Based Assessment Designer
- Blended Learning Specialist (Senior)
- Head of E-Content Development
- Learning Experience Design Lead
- Head of Pedagogy Research
- Inclusive Education & Special Needs Lead
EdTech Product & Engineering
- Head of Product — Adaptive Learning Platform
- Head of Engineering — EdTech Platform
- Learning Analytics & AI Lead
- Head of Content Technology
- Mobile Learning Product Manager
- Head of Assessment Technology
- EdTech Data Science Lead
- Gamification & Engagement Product Lead
- Head of Platform Scalability & Infrastructure
- AR/VR Learning Experience Developer
Student Success & Learning Outcomes
- Head of Student Success & Retention
- Learning Outcomes Assessment Director
- Head of Career Services & Employability
- Student Experience & Engagement Head
- Head of Alumni Relations & Placement
- Psychometric Assessment Lead
- Head of Student Counselling & Wellness
- Industry-Academia Partnership Director
- Head of Internship & Apprenticeship Programmes
- Institutional Research & Analytics Head
Accreditation & Assessment
- Head of NAAC Accreditation
- NBA Programme Accreditation Lead
- Head of Institutional Quality Assurance
- Director of Examination & Assessment Systems
- QS/THE Rankings Strategy Manager
- Head of Compliance — UGC & AICTE
- Academic Audit & Review Director
- IQAC Coordinator (Senior)
- Head of Credit Transfer & Recognition
- Outcome Measurement & Benchmarking Lead
Access
How We Reach Talent That Cannot Be Found by Search
Our education network has been built over a decade — not assembled from a database. Access is earned through relationships with academic leaders, accreditation professionals, and edtech innovators across India's education ecosystem.
AICTE Panels & Expert Committees
Direct engagement with professionals who have served on All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) approval committees, expert panels, and curriculum revision boards — providing access to India's most experienced technical education leadership.
UGC & University Networks
Relationships with current and former UGC committee members, Vice-Chancellors, and Academic Council members across central and state universities — covering the governance and academic leadership talent pool.
NAAC & NBA Peer Reviewers
Connections with NAAC peer review team members and NBA programme evaluators who have led institutional and programme accreditation across India — the most credible pool for quality assurance and accreditation leadership.
Cambridge, Pearson & International Education India
Engagement with India-based professionals from Cambridge Assessment, Pearson Education, IB Organisation, and College Board — covering international curriculum design, assessment development, and education product leadership.
CII Skills Council & NSDC Alumni
Relationships with professionals from CII's Education & Skills Council and National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) ecosystem — covering vocational education, skill-based assessment, and industry-academia linkage leadership.
Methodology
How We Validate Technical Depth — Not Just Credentials
A CV confirms a candidate has held a title. Our methodology confirms they have the domain depth the mandate requires. Every education search includes structured academic and pedagogical validation.
Academic credentials and scholarly impact verification
We verify the candidate's doctoral qualifications, research publication record (h-index, journal quality), doctoral supervision history, and funded research portfolio. For academic leadership roles, scholarly credibility is non-negotiable — and we validate it against published records, not self-reported CVs.
Accreditation and regulatory track record
For governance and quality roles, we verify the candidate's direct involvement in NAAC, NBA, or international accreditation processes — including the specific grade achieved, their personal contribution to the accreditation outcome, and any institutional ranking improvements during their tenure.
EdTech product and learning outcomes assessment
For edtech product roles, we assess the candidate's specific platform metrics — DAU/MAU, learning completion rates, assessment score improvements, retention metrics. We distinguish between product managers who optimise engagement and those who demonstrably improve learning outcomes.
Stakeholder management and governance capability
Education leadership requires navigating complex stakeholder ecosystems — university governing boards, regulatory bodies, faculty senates, student bodies, and parent communities. We assess the candidate's track record in managing multi-stakeholder governance through structured scenario interviews and board-level references.
Track Record
Mandates We Have Run — Anonymised
A selection of recent specialist placements across the education and edtech sector. No client names are shared in line with our confidentiality policy.
Academic Dean — Faculty of Engineering
Private deemed university in southern India with 8,000+ engineering students, seeking NAAC A++ re-accreditation and NBA programme accreditation for 12 departments.
Required an Academic Dean with PhD from a top-50 global university, minimum 20 years in engineering education, prior NAAC peer review experience, and demonstrated success in implementing outcome-based education frameworks. NBA programme accreditation leadership for at least 5 programmes mandatory. Placed within 72 days.
Head of Product — Adaptive Learning Platform
Series C EdTech company with 4M+ active learners on its K-12 adaptive learning platform, seeking to rebuild its personalisation and assessment engine.
Mandate required a Head of Product with 10+ years in edtech, direct experience building adaptive learning algorithms (IRT/BKT models), demonstrated improvement in learning completion rates, and prior management of a 30+ member product-engineering team. Shortlist of 5 delivered in 40 days.
Head of NAAC Accreditation & Institutional Quality
Multi-campus private university group operating 4 campuses across 3 states, preparing for its first NAAC accreditation cycle under the revised framework.
Required a Head of Accreditation with prior experience leading at least 3 NAAC accreditation cycles, familiarity with the revised NAAC framework, and demonstrated success in achieving A grade or above. IQAC setup from scratch and UGC compliance management mandatory. Placed within 60 days.
Start a Search
Share the mandate. We will map India's education and edtech talent in five working days.
Whether you need an Academic Dean, an EdTech Product Head, or an Accreditation Director — share the brief. Our education practice team will respond with an initial candidate landscape within 48 hours and a full research map within five working days.