Innovation Lead

Evernorth Health Services; Hyderabad; On-site; INR 3,500,000 - 6,000,000; Full time

Job summary

Evernorth Health Services India in Hyderabad is seeking an Innovation Senior Advisor/Associate Principal to lead AI maturity transformation, drive innovation, and deepen AI fluency across cross‑functional teams. You will coordinate hackathons, POCs, and incubation initiatives with SMEs and R&D partners to shape scalable capabilities.

The role requires 13+ years in innovation/AI strategy, strong IP management, and the ability to work with executives to deliver strategic initiatives aligned with

Qualifications

• Experience leading innovation and AI strategy initiatives.
• Experience with AI/ML technologies and product incubation.
• Proven ability to lead cross‑functional projects and deliver results.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management across levels.

Responsibilities

• Lead AI maturity transformation and innovation programs.
• Develop hackathons, POCs, and cross‑team incubation projects.
• Manage AI Lab in partnership with SMEs and R&D.
• Build and manage the organization’s IP portfolio and patents.
• Provide market insights on AI evolution and healthcare tech trends.
• Collaborate with leadership to map AI roadmaps to business goals.

Skills

Innovation management

AI/ML technologies

POC development

Cross-functional leadership

Stakeholder management

Executive communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience

Job description

Evernorth Health Services India, established in Hyderabad in 2024, is an innovation hub for Evernorth Health Services, the pharmacy, care and benefits division of The Cigna Group. The innovation hub will support innovation-focused areas, such as generative AI, product development, process improvement, analytics, and software engineering across The Cigna Group and its businesses. Evernorth Health Services India builds on The Cigna Group’s existing presence in India.

About Evernorth Health Services:

Evernorth Health Services (Evernorth) is the pharmacy, care and benefits solution division of The Cigna Group - a Fortune 16 global health company with 75,000 employees, 186 million customers in more than 30 countries and jurisdictions around the world. Evernorth exists to make the prediction, prevention, and treatment of illness and disease more accessible to millions of people. We do this by creating and connecting premier health services offerings, such as benefits management, pharmacy, care solutions, insights and intelligence.

About Cigna:

The Cigna Group is a global health company committed to improving the health and vitality of individuals and communities around the world and includes products and services marketed under its Cigna Healthcare and Evernorth Health Services subsidiaries. Cigna Healthcare is the health benefits provider of The Cigna Group, serving customers and clients through its U.S. Employer, U.S. Government, and International Health business. Evernorth Health Services is the pharmacy, care and benefits solution division of The Cigna Group.

Job Summary:

This role will be responsible for leading innovation through transformation of AI Maturity, deepening AI fluency amongst cross functions, development of hack-a‑thons, AI investment, Managing AI Lab in partnership with SMEs and management of critical skills inventory needed for scalability. Will have local industry expertise and conduct market research, to evolve knowledge management strategies.

This role will focus on fostering innovation, accelerating AI investments, provide Thought Leadership on future skills, and building a strong intellectual property portfolio through patents. The ideal candidate will combine technical expertise with strategic thinking to deliver impactful solutions that shape the future of the organization.

Job Description:

The Innovation Senior Advisor/Associate Principal for the Hyderabad Office is a critical role in helping establish and drive structure and process site. Work directly with Strategy & Transformation Lead, to build scalable and advanced capabilities strategy. To drive cutting-edge initiatives across hackathons, proof-of-concepts (POCs), and cross-team incubation projects.

Position Responsibilities:

• This role focuses on fostering innovation, accelerating AI investments, and building a strong intellectual property portfolio through patents.
• Develop structure and cadences for hack-a-thons, AI investment and management of critical skills inventory needed for scalability.
• Lead POC development for high-impact business use cases.
• Collaborate with internal teams as well as external vendor partners, start ups and develop solutions for the identified use cases.
• Provide Market view on AI evolution, Tech trends, Innovation in Healthcare and provide insights to Hyderabad teams.
• Facilitate cross-functional teams towards a common goal with an understanding of the Hyderabad Office overarching vision.
• Monitor global AI trends and recommend strategic initiatives for competitive advantage.
• Collaborate with leadership to build AI roadmaps aligned with business objectives.
• Drive patentable innovation across teams.
• Manage end-to-end patent filing process in partnership with legal and R&D.
• Maintain and grow the organization’s IP portfolio for commercialization opportunities.
• Communicate effectively with stakeholders at all levels, providing regular updates on transformation progress, project milestones, and strategic plan developments.
• Partner with other core members of the leadership team to identify gaps, program risks, interdependencies, and strategies to successfully mitigate.

Qualifications/Functional Competencies:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience, 13+ years of innovation and AI strategy initiatives.
• Engagement metrics from hackathons and incubation initiatives.
• Proven experience in innovation management, AI/ML technologies, and product incubation.
• Healthcare or Technology experience is preferred.
• Strong understanding of AI investment strategies, emerging tech trends, and IP processes.
• Ability to lead, develop POCs, and manage cross-functional projects.
• Proven track record of delivering results and monitoring deliverables.
• Excellent communication, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams and stakeholders at all levels of the organization.
• Experience with stakeholder management
• Advanced ability to communicate at all levels with clarity and precision both written and verbally.
• Ability to remove barriers and enable teams to complete objectives
• Excellent problem-solving and critical-thinking skills.
• Executive material creation, experience working with executives.

Equal Opportunity Statement:

Evernorth is an Equal Opportunity Employer actively encouraging and supporting organization-wide involvement of staff in diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts to educate, inform and advance both internal practices and external work with diverse client populations.