Group Project Manager(Innovation Partner)_2578

Allianz Technology; Pune District; Hybrid; INR 1,800,000 - 3,000,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work model

Bonus scheme

Pension

Employee shares programme

Healthcare

Job summary

Allianz Technology invites applications for the Innovation Partner role in Pune. You will guide innovation teams through sprints, aggregating learnings to drive improvements and enable faster progress.

You will own the Innovation Council process and coach teams receiving seed funding, including collaborations with startup partners. The role requires experience in coaching, innovation management, and human-centered design, with an entrepreneurial mindset and strong communication.

Qualifications

• Experience in coaching, innovation management, or similar role.
• Familiarity with innovation methodologies and frameworks.
• Entrepreneurial mindset with ability to navigate complex organizations.
• Strong customer-centric approach and stakeholder management.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.

Responsibilities

• Provide innovation methodology and coaching to teams to succeed in sprints.
• Own the Innovation Council process and coach teams funded by the Council.
• Guide teams through the innovation journey, including external collaborators from startups.
• Collect learnings from sprints to identify patterns and improvement areas.
• Suggest systemic changes to accelerate innovation.
• Foster a culture of continuous learning and experimentation.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to align innovation efforts and governance.
• Communicate insights to senior leadership to inform strategic decisions.

Skills

Innovation management

Coaching

Human-centered design

Open innovation

Lean startup

Entrepreneurial mindset

Customer-centric

Communication

Job description

The "Innovation Partner" position is integral to empowering Allianz's innovation teams by providing expert guidance and support throughout their innovation journey. This role focuses on making the lives of innovation teams easier by offering tailored coaching, addressing impediments, and facilitating smooth progress in innovation sprints. The Innovation Partner is committed to collecting and aggregating learnings from these sprints to identify insights and opportunities for systemic improvements. By proactively suggesting changes, the Innovation Partner enables faster and more effective innovation processes. Embracing innovation methodologies and fostering a culture of experimentation and learning are essential, as they drive the continuous evolution of ideas and solutions.

What You Do

• Provide innovation methodology and coaching to teams, ensuring they have the tools and guidance needed to succeed in innovation sprints.
• Take full ownership of the Innovation Council, AzT's internal innovation process modelled after venture capital practices. This involves screening ideas, preparing promising concepts for presentation to the Council, and providing coaching to teams that receive seed funding from the Council.
• Accompany teams throughout their innovation journey, simplifying their path by resolving obstacles and ensuring smooth progress. This may also involve integrating team members from outside the Allianz Group, such as those from startups.
• Collect and aggregate learnings from innovation sprints to identify patterns, insights, and areas for improvement.
• Make proactive suggestions on systemic changes to enable innovation to happen faster and better within the organization.
• Foster a culture of continuous improvement and learning, encouraging teams to experiment and innovate.
• Collaborate with cross‑functional teams to ensure alignment and integration of innovation efforts across the organization.
• Communicate insights and recommendations to senior leadership and other stakeholders to drive strategic decision‑making.

What You Bring

• Demonstrated experience in coaching, innovation management, or a similar role, with expertise in methodologies such as Human‑Centered Design, Open Innovation, and Lean Startup.
• Possess an entrepreneurial mindset and spirit, demonstrating resilience and positivity while adeptly navigating organizational processes and structures to drive swift and effective outcomes. Excel in finding solutions to complex problems and overcoming challenges that involve multiple stakeholders.
• Exhibit a strong customer‑centric approach, consistently keeping the needs and perspectives of our Operating Entities (OEs) and end‑customers at the forefront of all innovation efforts and decision‑making processes.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work collaboratively with cross‑functional teams and manage multiple priorities.
• Basic knowledge of AI technologies, principles, and their practical use. Experience in implementing innovation methodologies and frameworks.

What We Offer

• A hybrid work model which recognizes the value of striking a balance between in‑person collaboration and remote working, including up to 25 days per year working from abroad.
• A compensation and benefits package that includes a company bonus scheme, pension, employee shares programme and multiple employee discounts (details vary by location).
• Career development and digital learning programmes, international career mobility, and lifelong learning opportunities for employees worldwide. An environment where innovation, delivery and empowerment are fostered.
• Flexible working, health and wellbeing offers (including healthcare and parental leave benefits) to support a balance between family and career and help employees return from career breaks with invaluable experience.

Allianz Group is one of the most trusted insurance and asset management companies in the world. Caring for our employees, their ambitions, dreams and challenges, is what makes us a unique employer. Together we can build an environment where everyone feels empowered and has the confidence to explore, to grow and to shape a better future for our customers and the world around us.

At Allianz, we stand for unity: we believe that a united world is a more prosperous world, and we are dedicated to consistently advocating for equal opportunities for all. The foundation for this is our inclusive workplace, where people and performance both matter, and nurtures a culture grounded in integrity, fairness, inclusion and trust.

We therefore welcome applications regardless of ethnicity or cultural background, age, gender, nationality, religion, social class, disability or sexual orientation, or any other characteristics protected under applicable local laws and regulations.

Join us. Let's care for tomorrow.

Note: Having different strengths, experiences, perspectives and approaches is an integral part of Allianz's company culture. One means to achieve this is a regular rotation of Allianz Executive employees across functions, Allianz entities and geographies. Therefore, the company expects from its employees a general openness and a high motivation to regularly change positions and collect experiences across Allianz Group.