Innovation Portfolio & Project Manager - IMEA

Henkel; Maharashtra; On-site; INR 3,000,000 - 5,000,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Global growth opportunities

Wellbeing programs

Parental leave 8 weeks

Employee share plan

Medical insurance

Life and accident cover

OPD coverage INR 30,000

Job summary

Henkel seeks a Regional Innovation Project Manager to lead the IMEA portfolio from concept to commercialization, coordinating R&D, Marketing, Supply Chain, Operations and Commercial teams to deliver innovative solutions.

You will establish governance frameworks, drive data‑driven decision‑making, manage risks and resources, and foster collaboration in a multicultural environment to translate strategy into successful launches and sustainable growth.

Qualifications

• 6+ years in project, program, portfolio management, innovation or product development
• Proven experience leading complex cross-functional projects from idea through commercialization
• Master's degree in Engineering, Chemistry, Materials Science, Business or related field
• Cross-functional leadership in a matrix and multicultural environment
• Stakeholder management with strong influencing and alignment skills
• Risk identification, mitigation planning, and issue escalation management
• Strategic thinking with the ability to translate business goals into execution plans
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making capabilities
• Excellent communication, presentation, and team coaching skills

Responsibilities

• Lead regional innovation projects from ideation through commercialization.
• Manage and optimize the innovation project portfolio, ensuring alignment with business strategy.
• Establish project governance, prioritization, and resource planning processes.
• Drive cross-functional collaboration among R&D, Marketing, Supply Chain, Operations, and Commercial teams.
• Identify, assess, and mitigate project risks while ensuring timely escalation of critical issues.
• Monitor project performance, timelines, budgets, and key milestones.
• Provide portfolio updates and strategic recommendations to senior leadership.
• Coach and support project teams to ensure effective execution and capability development.
• Drive innovation excellence and contribute to sustainable business growth across the IMEA region.

Skills

Project management

Cross-functional leadership

Stakeholder management

Risk management

Strategic thinking

Analytical thinking

Communication

Team coaching

Education

Master's degree in Engineering / Chemistry / Materials Science / Business

Job description

About this Position

As a Regional Innovation Project Manager, you will be responsible for leading and driving the innovation project portfolio across the IMEA region, ensuring strategic initiatives are effectively managed from concept through commercialization. You will act as the central coordinator between R&D, Marketing, Supply Chain, Operations, Commercial, and other key stakeholders to deliver innovative solutions that support business growth and market competitiveness. The role requires strong project and portfolio management capabilities to prioritize initiatives, allocate resources, manage risks, and ensure projects are delivered on time and within scope. You will establish governance frameworks, create transparency across the innovation pipeline, and facilitate data-driven decision-making to maximize portfolio value. In addition, you will lead cross-functional teams in a matrix environment, influencing stakeholders at various organizational levels and driving alignment around common objectives. A key focus will be translating innovation strategies into successful product launches and commercial outcomes while fostering a culture of collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement. Success in this role requires excellent leadership, stakeholder management, analytical thinking, and communication skills, along with a passion for innovation and the ability to navigate a dynamic, multicultural business environment across the IMEA region.

What You´ll Do

• Lead regional innovation projects from ideation through commercialization.
• Manage and optimize the innovation project portfolio, ensuring alignment with business strategy.
• Establish project governance, prioritization, and resource planning processes.
• Drive cross-functional collaboration among R&D, Marketing, Supply Chain, Operations, and Commercial teams.
• Identify, assess, and mitigate project risks while ensuring timely escalation of critical issues.
• Monitor project performance, timelines, budgets, and key milestones.
• Provide portfolio updates and strategic recommendations to senior leadership.
• Coach and support project teams to ensure effective execution and capability development.
• Drive innovation excellence and contribute to sustainable business growth across the IMEA region.

What makes you a good fit

• Minimum 6 years of experience in project management, program management, portfolio management, innovation or product development.
• Proven experience leading complex cross-functional projects from idea through commercialization.
• Master's degree in Engineering, Chemistry, Materials Science, Business or a related field.
• Cross-functional leadership in a matrix and multicultural environment.
• Stakeholder management with strong influencing and alignment skills.
• Risk identification, mitigation planning, and issue escalation management.
• Strategic thinking with the ability to translate business goals into execution plans.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making capabilities.
• Excellent communication, presentation, and team coaching skills.

Some perks of joining Henkel

• Diverse national and international growth opportunities
• Global wellbeing standards with health and preventive care programs
• Gender-neutral parental leave for a minimum of 8 weeks
• Employee Share Plan with voluntary investment and Henkel matching shares
• Best-in-class Group Medical Insurance policy covering employee, spouse and up to 2 children
• Competitive accident and term life policies for up to 3 times annual gross salary
• Progressive OPD policy of INR 30,000 for employee, spouse and up to 2 children

At Henkel, we come from a broad range of backgrounds, perspectives, and life experiences. We believe the uniqueness of all our employees is the power in us. Become part of the team and bring your uniqueness to us! We look for a diverse team of individuals who possess different backgrounds, experiences, personalities and mindsets.