Associate Director - University Partnerships & Category Growth

Interview Kickstart is a premier career transformation platform turbocharging tech careers through AI upskilling.

Founded in 2014 in Santa Clara by Soham Mehta, ex-Box Engineering Leader, and Ryan Valles, a transformative P&L leader and former CEO with a track record of scaling ventures, Interview Kickstart’s vision is to help every tech professional thrive in today’s fast-evolving tech industry.

With 40+ domain-specific courses—from foundational Machine Learning and Generative AI to Agentic AI, System Design, and DSA—Interview Kickstart equips engineers, PMs, data professionals, and tech leaders to accelerate their careers. Its 600+ instructors—industry practitioners, hiring managers, and senior engineers from FAANG+ companies—bring real-world insight and cutting-edge expertise into every classroom.

Beyond upskilling, Interview Kickstart offers end-to-end career support. Personalized mock interviews, resume and LinkedIn branding, career coaching, salary negotiation guidance, and performance-based job referrals ensure that your AI upskilling translates into real career breakthroughs. Over 25,000 professionals have already advanced their careers through Interview Kickstart.

Recognized by TIME x Statista and GSV 150 as a top EdTech company, Interview Kickstart is the go-to platform for tech professionals looking to future-proof their careers in the age of AI.

The Opportunity

We're reimagining the intersection of tech education and recruitment through an innovative marketplace approach. As our Associate Director, you'll drive a strategic initiative to transform how tech professionals connect with premier employers. This role offers the chance to design and execute a revolutionary business model that will disrupt the technical career advancement landscape.

• Develop strategic partnerships with leading Universities
• Create and launch premium mentorship programs based on AI-first principles
• Build and execute GTM strategies to attract exceptional learners
• Drive program success through creative engagement approaches

• End-to-end P&L responsibility for this strategic business unit
• University partnership development with key university players
• Cross-functional leadership across marketing, sales, product, and curriculum
• GTM strategy creation and optimization
• Program performance metrics and outcome measurement

• You're a strategic thinker who executes flawlessly
• You approach problems from unconventional angles and find creative solutions
• You thrive in ambiguity and create structure where none exists
• You build relationships effortlessly and can influence without authority
• You're naturally curious about tech careers, education, and recruitment
• You possess an entrepreneurial spirit and an ownership mindset

• 5+ years of experience in P&L management or category management
• Proven track record in launching and scaling new initiatives or business lines
• Strong marketing acumen with experience developing effective GTM strategies
• Experience working cross-functionally across marketing, sales, and product teams
• Background in consumer internet companies is highly desirable
• Edtech or recruitment industry knowledge is a plus, but not required

This isn't about maintaining the status quo - it's about creating something entirely new. You'll have:

• Complete ownership with minimal management and extreme autonomy
• Opportunity to work with a high-caliber team of industry experts
• Direct impact on top-line business growth
• Chance to disrupt two massive industries: technical education and recruitment
• A platform to build something that genuinely advances tech professionals' careers

If you're a results-driven innovator who gets things done by thinking outside the box, and you're excited by the challenge of reimagining how tech careers are built, we want to hear from you!