Head of Innovation - Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning

As the Head of Innovation at a dynamic organization in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, you will lead a high-impact innovation team. Your role involves designing, developing, and delivering next-generation solutions aligned with priorities recommended by GTM teams, delivery teams, and support functions. This hybrid position combines strategic leadership with hands-on technical development, focusing on building core frameworks and accelerators for organizational leverage. Key Responsibilities: - Establish lightweight governance for evaluating, prioritizing, and scaling innovation ideas. - Ensure solutions align with enterprise architecture, security, and compliance standards. - Define clear success metrics for innovation initiatives (ROI, adoption, time-to-value). - Stay updated with emerging technologies, AI/ML trends, and industry best practices. - Collaborate with GTM teams to shape customer-facing innovation narratives and differentiators. - Mentor and upskill team members and delivery functions on new technologies and frameworks. - Architect, design, and prototype innovation solutions in areas such as Agentic AI, Generative AI, automation frameworks, and knowledge-driven systems. - Build core reusable platforms (APIs, microservices, accelerators, AI frameworks) to expedite solution delivery across business functions. - Drive proof-of-concepts (POCs) and pilots, iterating quickly with stakeholders. - Lead the innovation team, fostering a culture of creativity, experimentation, and rapid prototyping. - Collaborate with GTM, delivery, and support functions to identify high-impact innovation opportunities. - Translate business requirements into scalable technical solutions and reusable assets. Qualifications: - 14+ years of overall experience, with at least 3 years in innovation leadership or applied R&D roles. - Demonstrated track record of building and scaling innovative solutions in enterprise environments. - Experience in consulting, product engineering, or digital transformation initiatives. - Strong communication and storytelling skills to influence senior leadership and clients.,