MANAGER, PROGRAM MANAGEMENT

Job description

**Job Summary:** We are looking for a Manager, Program Management to drive the strategy and execution of our Innovation Office — an integrated engine that connects technology foresight, startup collaboration, internal innovation platforms, and large-scale innovation events across the enterprise. This is a high-impact individual contributor role at the intersection of strategy and execution, ideal for someone who thinks like a strategist, executes like a program manager, and communicates like a consultant. You will orchestrate multi-stakeholder innovation programs, manage partnerships, and ensure that innovation efforts translate into measurable enterprise value — shaping product roadmaps, leadership priorities, and long-term strategic bets. **About the team:** The Innovation and Technology Strategy team at Walmart Global Tech India drives enterprise-wide innovation through structured programs spanning startup partnerships, technology foresight, internal idea discovery, academia collaboration, and large-scale innovation events. We operate as a lean, high-leverage team that works closely with senior leadership, business pillars, enabling functions, and external consulting partners to institutionalize innovation as a way of working — moving beyond isolated experiments to a portfolio-driven, outcome-oriented approach that delivers business impact. **What You’ll Do** (3 to 5 brief pointers about the roles and responsibility) **Orchestrate large-scale innovation programs** that position the organization as a hub for cutting-edge innovation and a destination for top talent — including a flagship student hackathon engaging tens of thousands of students nationally and an internal innovation showcase that drives cross-pollination of breakthrough solutions across business pillars. **Drive the vision and adoption of a innovation platform** that serves as the digital backbone for the organizations innovation lifecycle — encompassing idea discovery, hackathon orchestration, innovation maturity assessment, and leadership dashboards — creating a scalable system that enables associates and leaders to participate in innovation as a way of working. **Serve as a strategic partner to the team by co-owning the innovation charter,** driving accountability for outcomes through structured governance frameworks, and contributing substantively to thought leadership, thematic research, innovation playbooks, and enterprise-wide capability building. **Champion a shift from activity-led execution to outcome-driven governance** by establishing metrics frameworks across all innovation programs, enabling data-backed decision-making at the leadership level, and building scalable systems and playbooks that allow a lean team to operate across multiple programs with speed and rigor. **Shape and scale the organizations startup collaboration program** by identifying high-impact use-cases aligned to enterprise priorities, cultivating relationships across the startup ecosystem, driving structured evaluation and business case development, and converting successful pilots into long-term strategic partnerships that deliver measurable ROI. **Technology Foresight & Ecosystem Engagement:** Bring outside-in perspectives to enterprise leadership by facilitating structured technology foresight workshops on emerging themes, engaging with venture capital firms and industry bodies through curated ecosystem connects, co-authoring thought leadership reports and playbooks, and translating market signals into strategic recommendations that inform build-versus-partner decisions and shape the organizations technology and innovation roadmap. **Stakeholder Influence & Cross-functional Navigation:** Navigate organizational dynamics by building trusted relationships across Engineering and Business leadership, Pillar heads, and enabling functions, and influencing stakeholders at all levels to drive alignment, adoption, and sustained commitment to the innovation agenda — ensuring that innovation is not just a central function but a shared enterprise capability. **What You’ll bring** (3 to 5 brief pointers about the qualifications, exposures and experiences required for the role) Bachelors degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Business, or a related field with 7+ years of experience in program management, innovation management, management consulting, or technology strategy — OR an MBA with 5+ years of relevant experience. A proven ability to operate at the intersection of strategy and execution, managing complex multi-stakeholder programs in a large enterprise or consulting environment with a track record of driving measurable business outcomes not just program delivery. Strong understanding of startup ecosystems, venture capital dynamics, and emerging technology landscapes — with the ability to evaluate opportunities for strategic fit and translate them into actionable business cases and leadership recommendations. Excellent communication and storytelling skills with the ability to influence senior leadership through executive-ready presentations, thought leadership content, and data-driven narratives. Demonstrated ability to build trusted relationships and drive alignment across cross-functional stakeholders including Engineering, Business, Procurement, Legal, Finance, and Communications. Demonstrated ability to drive change management and cultural shifts within large organizations — moving teams from ad-hoc innovation to structured, portfolio-driven approaches with sustained leadership buy-in and associate participation. Experience managing external consulting partnerships with accountability for governance, deliverables, and value delivery. Exposure to innovation frameworks such as stage-gate innovation, design thinking, lean startup, or portfolio-driven innovation models. Preferred: MBA from a reputed institution. Experience with Global Capability Centers (GCCs), corporate innovation labs, or corporate venture functions. Famili