Associate Director - CRM Innovation Labs

Associate Director - CRM Innovation Labs

Location – Hyderabad #LI Hybrid 

Major Accountabilities:

• Lead the Hyderabad CRM Innovation Labs extension by defining its operating model, governance, ways of working, reusable practices, and collaboration interfaces with US Labs, Product Owners, and delivery teams.
• Shape and manage a focused CRM innovation portfolio aligned to business priorities, customer and user needs, emerging technologies, strategic feasibility, and measurable value.
• Build internal innovation capability by fostering a culture of curiosity, disciplined experimentation, transparency, continuous learning, and accountable decision-making.
• Establish clear opportunity intake and governance mechanisms to assess whether ideas should enter Labs, leverage existing CRM capabilities, or be redirected to the appropriate accountable teams.
• Guide opportunities through structured experimentation stages including discovery, shaping, prototyping, proof of concept, validation, and evidence-based decisions to advance, pivot, pause, stop, or transition.
• Develop and leverage an external innovation ecosystem across startups, technology partners, academia, specialist providers, and industry trends in CRM, AI, automation, analytics, experience, and life sciences.
• Partner with cross-functional stakeholders across business, Product, DDIT, architecture, engineering, UX, analytics, data, privacy, security, legal, compliance, and procurement to de-risk opportunities and influence informed decisions.
• Ensure validated concepts transition effectively into value realization with clear ownership, roadmap or adoption paths, delivery and support plans, compliance controls, success measures, reusable insights, and structured handover.

Essential Requirements:

• Strategic relevance and balance of the CRM innovation portfolio.
• Quality and timeliness of intake, prioritization, and portfolio decisions.
• Business value, strategic learning, or risk reduction generated through Lab's activities.
• Stakeholder confidence in Lab's governance, evidence, and -recommendations.
• Quality of transition into owned product roadmaps, operational capabilities, or other agreed adoption pathways.
• Capability maturity, effective external partnerships, internal knowledge growth, and compliance with applicable controls.

Desirable Requirement:

• Bachelor’s degree in business, technology, life sciences, engineering, or a related field is required; MBA or relevant master’s degree preferred

Minimum Experience:

• 11+ years of experience in innovation, product management, digital transformation, consulting, emerging technology, CRM, or related disciplines.
• Experience establishing or scaling innovation capabilities, operating models, or experimentation portfolios.
• Proven success leading discovery, prototypes, proofs of concept, and evidence-based investment decisions.
• Experience evaluating emerging technologies and managing internal teams, external partners, startups, or specialist providers.
• Strong senior-stakeholder influence, strategic problem solving, and cross-functional leadership.
• Experience transitioning validated concepts into product roadmaps, funded delivery, or operational capabilities.
• Experience in global, healthcare, pharmaceutical, life-sciences, or other regulated environments is desirable.