Company Description
Honda Motor Co., Ltd., Japan is establishing a new Digital Innovation entity in India to accelerate growth through customer intelligence, digital platforms, connected experiences, and next-generation mobility solutions.
Headquartered in Bengaluru, this organization will combine Honda's global scale with India's technology ecosystem to build capabilities that directly influence product strategy, customer growth, and new business creation across India and other high-growth markets.
Role Description
We are looking for a Program Manager - Innovation who can lead cross-functional innovation programs involving startups, incubators, and internal Honda teams. You will be responsible for driving end-to-end execution of innovation initiatives from scouting and onboarding startups to running pilots, aligning stakeholders, and scaling successful solutions. This role sits at the intersection of execution, ecosystem building, and strategic experimentation. This is an ideal role for someone who combines strong execution discipline with entrepreneurial mindset and the ability to navigate ambiguity.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead end-to-end execution of innovation programs from scouting → pilot → scale
- Build and manage relationships with startups, incubators, accelerators, universities, and ecosystem partners
- Identify external solutions aligned to Honda priorities such as mobility, EV, AI, connected services, customer platforms, and analytics
- Drive PoCs and pilot programs with startups across product, engineering, marketing, and business teams
- Create program roadmaps, milestones, governance models, and success metrics
- Coordinate internal stakeholders across product, engineering, legal, procurement, strategy, and operations
- Manage timelines, budgets, contracts, dependencies, risks, and escalation points
- Translate ambiguous innovation goals into clear execution plans
- Track progress and present structured updates to leadership
- Build repeatable playbooks for startup collaboration and innovation delivery
Qualifications
Required
- 8+ years of experience in Program Management, Project Management, Innovation, Strategy Execution, or related roles
- Bachelor's or Master's degree in Business Administration, Engineering, or a relevant field
- Proven experience managing complex cross-functional programs
- Experience working with startups, incubators, accelerators, or external partners
- Strong planning, prioritization, and stakeholder management skills
- Ability to drive execution in fast-moving and ambiguous environments
- Strong communication and presentation skills
Preferred
- Experience in automotive, mobility, EV, SaaS, consulting, or digital product environments
- Familiarity with startup ecosystems in India
- Experience managing vendors, commercial discussions, or partnership programs
- PMP, Scrum, or equivalent certifications are a plus
- Experience in new business creation or corporate innovation programs
Why join
- Lead innovation programs with direct leadership visibility
- Work closely with India's startup ecosystem and future mobility players
- Help shape new digital products, services, and business models
- Strong long-term career growth potential
