Head of Innovation

S P Setia; Shah Alam; On-site; MYR 300,000 - 600,000; Full time

Job summary

S P Setia is seeking a senior leader to drive group-level innovation, governance, and strategic partnerships. You will steer the innovation framework, manage a diverse portfolio, and collaborate with startups, government bodies, and academia to unlock value.

The role requires deep experience in innovation management, governance, and strategic planning, with a track record of delivering measurable business outcomes across large organizations.

Qualifications

• Experience leading and guiding innovation strategy across large organizations.
• Proven ability to manage an end-to-end innovation portfolio and ROI.
• Background in governance, stage-gate processes, and measurement frameworks.
• Exposure to startups, government, academia, and industry collaborations.

Responsibilities

• Drive execution of the Group Innovation Framework and roadmap.
• Lead innovation governance via the Technology & Innovation Council (TIC).
• Develop policies, stage-gate processes, and performance metrics.
• Assess AI, automation, PropTech and digital business trends for opportunities.
• Manage end-to-end innovation pipeline from ideation to scale-up.
• Oversee idea management platform and drive adoption.
• Evaluate and track innovation initiatives aligned with business goals.
• Monitor value realization and portfolio performance across the group.
• Build strategic partnerships with startups, academia, and partners.
• Represent the group at industry events and collaboration opportunities.
• Lead flagship initiatives from concept to proof-of-concept and scale-up.
• Facilitate innovation workshops and capability-building programs.

Skills

Leadership

Innovation Management

Portfolio Management

Strategic Planning

Stakeholder Management

Executive Communication

Design Thinking

Agile

Lean Startup

ROI Analysis

Governance

Stage-Gate

AI Trends

PropTech

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Business/Technology

Innovation Management Certification

Design Thinking Certification

Agile/Lean Certification

Job description

• Drive the execution of the Group Innovation Framework and innovation roadmap.
• Lead innovation governance through the Technology & Innovation Council (TIC).
• Develop innovation policies, stage-gate processes, and performance measurement frameworks.
• Assess emerging trends and technologies, including AI, automation, PropTech, and digital business models, to identify innovation opportunities.
• Manage the end-to-end innovation pipeline from ideation, pilot implementation, and scale-up.
• Oversee the idea management platform and drive user adoption.
• Evaluate, prioritize, and track innovation initiatives aligned with business objectives.
• Monitor value realization, benefits, and innovation portfolio performance.

Ecosystem & Strategic Partnerships

• Build strategic relationships with startups, venture builders, academia, government agencies, and technology partners.
• Pursue opportunities for grants, co-development initiatives, and innovation collaborations.
• Represent the Group at industry forums, innovation showcases, and ecosystem events.

Strategic Initiative Delivery

• Lead flagship innovation initiatives from concept through proof-of-concept and scale-up.
• Collaborate with internal stakeholders and external partners to deliver measurable business outcomes.
• Drive structured experimentation and evidence-based decision-making.

Innovation Culture & Capability Building

• Champion a culture of innovation and continuous improvement across the organization.
• Lead the Innovation Champions network and related engagement initiatives.
• Design and facilitate innovation workshops, literacy programs, and innovation events.
• Develop and mentor the innovation team

Requirements:

• Bachelor's Degree in Business, Technology Management, Engineering, Information Technology or a related discipline.
• Professional certifications in Innovation Management, Design Thinking, Agile, Lean Startup or related fields will be an added advantage.
• Minimum 10-15 years of relevant working experience.
• At least 5 years in innovation, business transformation, strategy, venture building, digital business, or related leadership roles.
• Proven experience leading and managing teams.
• Experience in innovation portfolio management, idea incubation, pilot implementation and scale-up initiatives.
• Hands-on experience in business case development and strategic planning.
• Exposure to startup ecosystems, strategic partnerships, government agencies and industry collaborations.
• Property, real estate or built-environment industry experience is an added advantage.
• Strong understanding of innovation management frameworks, governance and stage-gate methodologies.
• Knowledge of emerging technologies such as AI, automation, IoT, Blockchain and PropTech.
• Experience with design thinking, agile and lean startup methodologies.
• Strong analytical and business acumen with the ability to evaluate opportunities and articulate ROI.
• Excellent stakeholder management and executive communication skills.