02 — Organization Design
Core Principle
Centralize: Content, curriculum, technology, quality assurance, brand, employer relationships. Decentralize: Delivery, student acquisition, local placement, community engagement.
This is the franchise-like model that PMKVY lacked — central quality control with local execution.
Leadership Team
| Role | Focus | First Hire Profile | Salary Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| CAO (Chief Academic Officer) | Curriculum, trainer quality, learning outcomes | IIM/ISB + edtech experience, deep sector knowledge | Rs 50–75L |
| CPO (Chief Placement Officer) | Employer relationships, placement engine, intl mobility | HR/staffing industry, 15+ yr network | Rs 45–65L |
| COO (Chief Operating Officer) | Center ops, scaling, compliance, P&L ownership | Operations leader from retail/hospitality chains | Rs 50–70L |
| CTO (Chief Technology Officer) | Platform, AI tutor, data systems, content tech | Product/eng leader from edtech, AI/ML depth | Rs 60–90L |
| CGO (Chief Growth Officer) | Student acquisition, govt partnerships, brand | Growth leader from consumer tech or microfinance | Rs 45–65L |
| CFO (Chief Financial Officer) | Finance, fundraising, unit economics, compliance | CA + startup/scale-up finance experience | Rs 45–60L |
Founding team priority: CAO + CTO first (product must be right), then COO + CPO (operations + outcomes), then CGO + CFO (scale + sustainability).
Center-Level Team Structure
City Hub (200–500 students)
| Role | Count | Monthly Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Center Head | 1 | Rs 80K–1.2L |
| Lead Trainers (per vertical) | 2–3 | Rs 50–70K each |
| Associate Trainers | 4–6 | Rs 30–45K each |
| Placement Officer | 2 | Rs 35–50K each |
| Student Counselor | 1 | Rs 25–35K |
| Admin + Front Desk | 2 | Rs 18–25K each |
| IT Support | 1 | Rs 25–35K |
| Total | 14–17 | Rs 6.5–10L/month |
District Spoke (50–100 students)
| Role | Count | Monthly Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Spoke Manager (wears multiple hats) | 1 | Rs 50–70K |
| Facilitator/Trainer | 2 | Rs 25–40K each |
| Placement + Counseling | 1 | Rs 25–35K |
| Admin | 1 | Rs 15–20K |
| Total | 5 | Rs 1.5–2.2L/month |
Hiring Sequence
Year 1 (0–12 months) — Build the engine
- Month 1–2: CAO, CTO, 2 founding trainers, 1 center manager
- Month 3–4: COO, 2 more trainers, 1 placement officer, 1 admin
- Month 5–6: CPO, content team (2), tech team (3), 1 counselor
- Month 7–12: CGO, CFO, scale center team to full Hub spec, hire Spoke team for 1st Spoke
Year 2 (12–24 months) — Prove and replicate
- Hire 2nd Hub team, 3–4 additional Spoke teams
- Expand central team: content (4), tech (6), quality (2), finance (2)
- Recruit Master Trainers from top-performing Hub Trainers
Team Size Estimates
| Function | 3 Centers | 10 Centers | 50 Centers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central leadership | 6 | 6 | 8 |
| Central content + curriculum | 4 | 8 | 15 |
| Central tech + data | 5 | 12 | 30 |
| Central quality + audit | 2 | 5 | 12 |
| Central finance + admin | 3 | 6 | 12 |
| Central placement + employer | 3 | 6 | 15 |
| Central growth + marketing | 3 | 6 | 12 |
| Center operations (all centers) | 30 | 85 | 350 |
| Total | 56 | 134 | 454 |
Financial Governance
Mandatory: 3-month salary reserve before any new center opens. Monthly cash position reporting to board. Payroll is the last budget line to be cut — the FIITJEE collapse (Jan 2025) was triggered by unpaid salaries from Oct 2024, causing mass resignations and cascade center shutdowns.
Key Org Design Decisions
- Trainers report to CAO (dotted) + Center Head (solid) — quality stays central, ops stays local
- Placement officers are central function deployed locally — network effects matter, can't silo by center
- No regional layer until 15+ centers — avoid middle management bloat early
- Tech team is 100% central — no center-level tech hires, everything is platform-driven
- Every center role has a 90-day performance scorecard — no ambiguity on expectations