The Director – University Relations & Innovation Lab is responsible for building and running the most strategic capability engine within the India Regions org. This role combines two deeply connected mandates: establishing Honeywell’s presence and brand across India’s top academic institutions, and running the Honeywell Aerospace IT Innovation Lab — a structured program where top university talent is brought in, trained on cutting-edge technologies, and deployed to solve real, live Honeywell Aerospace business problems — spanning Commercial, Customer Experience, Supply Chain, Finance, and Engineering — before graduating into the broader IT organization.

This role is the primary driver of Honeywells long-term talent pipeline, innovation culture, and Center of Excellence development in India. It is equal parts academic relationship-builder, program designer, and innovation leader.

Key Responsibilities

University Relations & Campus Strategy

• Build and own Honeywell Aerospace ITs university partnership strategy across India — targeting IITs, NITs, ISB’s, and leading Tier 2 engineering institutions
• Negotiate and formalize MOUs with target institutions, defining annual intake commitments, research collaboration terms, and branding opportunities
• Represent Honeywell at campus events, career fairs, technical talks, and faculty engagement programs
• Build a sustainable annual campus hiring pipeline that feeds the Innovation Lab and the broader India IT talent pool
• Track university relationship health, intake quality, and long-term alumni outcomes to continuously improve the program

Innovation Lab – Design & Operations

• Design, launch, and run the Honeywell Aerospace IT Innovation Lab — a structured 12-month immersive program for top university graduates
• Define the Labs operating model: cohort structure, training curriculum, POC project framework, mentorship design, and graduation criteria
• Partner closely with the Lead Enterprise Architect to define the technical training curriculum across AI, ERP (S4 Hana), Data Engineering, and other priority domains
• Deeply understand Honeywell Aerospace’s real-world business challenges — working directly with business stakeholders across Commercial, Customer Experience, Supply Chain, Finance, and Engineering to identify high-value problem statements that become the POC projects for Lab participants
• Run regular demo days, stakeholder showcases, and executive reviews to drive visibility and investment in the Lab program
• Manage the end-to-end cohort lifecycle — recruitment, onboarding, training, project assignment, performance, and graduation

Talent Pipeline & Tower Graduation

• Design the graduation model — a structured process to transition Lab graduates into permanent roles across the Honeywell Aerospace IT towers (under peer VPs)
• Build and maintain strong relationships with global IT VP teams to create a demand-driven graduation pipeline
• Ensure continuity of the Lab by re-hiring each new university cohort on an annual cycle, keeping the Lab perpetually active
• Track the career progression of Lab graduates within Honeywell and use outcomes to strengthen the Labs reputation and university partnerships

YOU MUST HAVE

• 15+ years of experience spanning IT leadership, academic partnerships, or talent development programs
• Proven track record of building and managing university relations programs at scale in India
• Experience designing and running structured innovation or incubation programs within a corporate setting
• Strong understanding of technology domains relevant to Aerospace IT: AI/ML, SAP/S4 Hana, Data Engineering, and Cloud
• Exceptional program management skills — able to run a multi-cohort, multi-stakeholder program with precision
• Outstanding interpersonal and relationship-building skills across academic, corporate, and technical 

WE VALUE

• Experience in the Aerospace, Industrial Technology, or Manufacturing sector
• Prior experience building or operating a corporate innovation lab, incubator, or center of excellence
• Existing network across Indias top engineering institutions
• Familiarity with agile delivery, design thinking, and POC development methodologies