Head of Celonis Garage

The Team:

Strategy & Innovation is a dynamic and independent research and development unit within Celonis, focused on pioneering groundbreaking business models. We operate with the agility and freedom of a startup, fostering rapid innovation cycles and clean slates. This unique environment empowers us to explore new technologies and experiment with cutting-edge solutions, offering the exciting opportunity to build from scratch and shape the future of business. Our department is composed of two divisions: Strategy (responsible for contributing a contextual outside-in perspective to create holistic strategic assets that drive outcomes across the organization) and Innovation (embodied by Celonis Labs, which concentrates on ideation, experimentation, conceptualization and incubation, identifying and validating ideas that can evolve into scalable solutions over time)

Celonis Garage is a new unit within the Strategy & Innovation department. It is a key innovation hub designed to accelerate the adoption of new technologies, conduct hands-on experiments with adjacent technologies, and engage in customer-centric co-innovation. It supports the incubation of new solutions with dedicated engineering capacity enabling fast product iterations. Moreover, it will be focused on scaling Market Intelligence efforts globally, contributing to the delivery of impactful outcomes that directly support our competitive positioning, analyst relationships, and broader strategic goals.

We are seeking the Head of Celonis Garage to actively lead and shape our Celonis Garage team.

The Role:

As Head of Celonis Garage, you’ll be responsible for establishing and growing the new Garage team in Bangalore.
The Garage Team is a newly established unit that will accelerate innovation projects and scale Market Intelligence efforts. Your main responsibility will be to ensure the unit operates efficiently, achieves its goals, and aligns with the broader strategy of the S&I department and, overall, of the company.  You will be fostering a collaborative culture and enabling your team to be curious and with a consultative product mindset. The team must be capable of delivering fast-paced PoCs, prototypes, and business solution implementation and contribute to scaling our efforts globally. You will work closely with your counterparts in Product Management, Architecture, GTM, and Market Intelligence as well as other key teams within Celonis.

You’ll be managing the careers of the team members and their performance and actively fostering successful group dynamics to help the team accomplish its mission. Managers at this level are primarily focused on leading and developing high-performing teams, demonstrating strong people management and leadership capabilities. While a solid understanding of technical concepts is a plus, the emphasis for this role is on effective team management, fostering collaboration, and driving the team’s mission forward. As Head of Celonis Garage India, you will be responsible for making decisions that fall in line with the overall department and company strategic vision. 

You ensure that your team has a manageable level of technical complexity and that they are working collaboratively with adjacent teams. You also jointly define goals/OKRs with other stakeholders, contributing to larger strategic efforts.

Our team thrives on clear communication and collaborative effort. You will be responsible for defining and dividing responsibilities among the team members, ensuring a cohesive and efficient workflow. We are dedicated to setting realistic expectations and providing transparent updates to stakeholders, fostering a culture of accountability and shared success.

The work you’ll do:

• Lead the Celonis Garage team in India to successfully deliver their mission
• Orchestrate and manage the team workflow to ensure operational efficiency and seamless execution of projects
• Manage the performance and support the career development of  individual team members
• Build and maintain a culture of trust, ownership, and collaboration within your team. Own and drive the process of hiring new Garage colleagues and growing the careers of existing team members 
• Collaborate cross-functionally with Product Managers, Architects, Solution Managers and other leads on goals and strategies around people, technology, and processes 
• Work closely with senior departmental leadership to provide updates and feedback on the unit's performance. 
• Advocate for the (whole) team; provide upward and outward visibility of the team and their work 
• Actively promote team collaboration and solve the impediments of the team quickly
• Ensure that necessary decisions are taken and aligned within the Garage  team as well as with relevant stakeholders

The qualifications you need:

• Overall experience of 10-15 years of experience as Product Lead, Engineering Manager or General Manager in a global company, with at least 5 years of experience in managing teams
• Track record of successfully delivering large-scale projects
• Demonstrated previous success of leading and mentoring teams within a global organization, closely aligning with remote team parts
• Proficiency in project management, relationship building, and stakeholder management
• Strong understanding of at least one the Business Domains that Celonis operates in (Order Management, Procurement, Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable) are a plus.
• Ability to adapt to change and work in a fast-paced environment. This is crucial as the role entails building and leading a team from the ground up, driving the success of the newly established unit within the organization.
• Ability to resolve conflicts, providing a positive environment for escalations
• Strong communication skills, allowing you to collaborate smoothly with people across the business and technical domains