Innovation Manager

EY; Pune District; On-site; INR 4,500,000 - 7,500,000; Full time

Job summary

EY is seeking an Innovation Manager to join the GDS Assurance Digital team, driving end-to-end innovation from discovery to execution. You will design and run workshops, shape use cases, and build collaboration models with startups and universities to scale AI and other emerging technologies.

The role also involves research, white papers, and award submissions to strengthen EY's innovation brand, working with cross-functional EY teams and external partners.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or master's in Business/Management, Engineering, Innovation Management, Design Thinking or related field.
• 10+ years in innovation management or related leadership roles.
• Proven track record in AI-driven innovation and partnerships.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end innovation lifecycle from ideation to measurable outcomes.
• Design workshops to identify high-value use cases.
• Manage start-up programs and external collaborations.
• Foster university research partnerships and hackathons.
• Drive thought leadership through white papers and external publications.

Skills

Workshop design

AI & emerging tech

Startup scouting

University partnerships

Research methods

Stakeholder engagement

Leadership

Thought leadership

Education

Bachelor’s/Master’s in a relevant field

Job description

At EY, you'll have the chance to build a career as unique as you are, with the global scale, support, inclusive culture and technology to become the best version of you. And we're counting on your unique voice and perspective to help EY become even better, too. Join us and build an exceptional experience for yourself, and a better working world for all.

Job Title: Innovation Manager

Job Purpose

You will be part of GDS Assurance Digital, helping identify, shape, and scale innovation opportunities that advance AI and emerging technology adoption across Assurance. You will work with multi-disciplinary teams across Assurance, technology, business, start-up ecosystems, universities, and external industry forums to convert ideas into high-impact use cases, research-led thought leadership, and market-recognized innovation outcomes.

You will own the innovation lifecycle end-to-end from conducting workshops to discover priority business problems, curating and qualifying new use cases, building external collaboration models with start-ups and universities, and driving research, white papers, external publications, and award submissions that strengthen GDS Assurance Digital's innovation brand.

You are familiar with approaches, methods and tools for:

• Designing and facilitating innovation workshops to identify high-value Assurance use cases across AI, data, automation, and emerging technologies
• Running structured ideation, prioritization, feasibility assessment, and business case development to move concepts from problem statements to actionable innovation opportunities
• Building and managing GDS start-up programs and external connects to scout relevant technologies, evaluate solution fit, and create collaboration pathways
• Developing university collaboration models for applied research, prototypes, hackathons, and joint thought leadership
• Driving R&D, white papers, external publications, and industry award submissions that showcase GDS Assurance innovation, AI adoption, and emerging technology leadership

You will build trusted relationships with internal stakeholders, start-up partners, university teams, industry bodies, and cross-functional EY teams. You will also lead communication, enablement, and governance around innovation programs to ensure ideas are visible, evaluated consistently, and converted into measurable outcomes.

Technical Skills Requirements

• Excellent academic background, including at a minimum a bachelor's or master's degree in Business/Management, Engineering, Innovation Management, Design Thinking, or a related field—with strong grounding in digital transformation, emerging technologies, research methods, and stakeholder-led innovation.
• 10+ years of work experience in innovation management, digital transformation, AI-enabled business change, ecosystem partnerships, consulting, or product/program leadership, with focus on the following:
  • Innovation workshop design and facilitation, including problem discovery, stakeholder interviews, ideation, prioritization, and use case shaping
  • AI and emerging technology opportunity assessment, including market scanning, technology radar development, feasibility evaluation, and value hypothesis creation
  • GDS start-up programs and external connects, including start-up scouting, partner evaluation, demo days, pilots, and collaboration governance
  • University collaborations, including applied research partnerships, student/faculty engagement, hackathons, prototype challenges, and joint innovation initiatives
  • R&D and thought leadership, including white papers, external publications, industry trend reports, and executive-ready insight papers on AI and emerging technology
  • Industry