Innovation Project Specialist

KONE Technology and Innovation (KTI) is where the magic happens at KONE. It's where we combine the physical world – escalators and elevators – with smart and connected digital systems. We are changing and improving the way billions of people move within buildings every day. We are on a mission to shape the future of cities with new technologies and sustainable innovations.

Within KTI, the Innovation Unit is a cross-functional team of innovators who explore the world with curiosity and drive to bring innovations to customers of today and tomorrow. Deep user and customer understanding underpins our culture of experimentation. Ultimately, we deliver desirable end-to-end solutions at the intersection of people, technology, and business.

We are now looking for a Project Specialist, Innovation Execution

to join our Innovation team in the KONE Technology and Innovation (KTI) unit in Singapore covering Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa area and report directly to the Head of Innovation APM. You would be the local connection point towards other KONE organizations.

The role will focus on innovation execution, specifically driving the execution of digital innovation initiatives. You will lead projects from opportunity discovery through concept validation, all the way to preparing for development and deployment to scale. The aim is to deliver high-impact innovation with speed—solutions that create measurable business outcomes and real customer value.

We are looking for a future project manager with knowledge of emerging technologies and familiarity in process innovation and digital transformation. Experience in leveraging external partners in innovative activities is considered a strong advantage.

In this role, you will:

• Drive the execution of innovation projects, with a focus on emerging technologies such as GenAI, climate technology just to name few ensuring alignment with KONE's innovation process and business priorities

• Facilitate end-to-end project execution, from opportunity discovery and validation (desirability, feasibility, viability) to preparing validated solutions for scale-up and deployment

• Work with a cross-functional project team, securing the right capabilities, applying agile work planning, and enabling effective collaboration

• Engage internal stakeholdersacross functions, business lines, and geographies to ensure shared ownership and support for innovation initiatives

• Leverage external partners and ecosystems, including leading technology providers and startups/scaleups (e.g. through a venture client approach) to accelerate innovation and bring in most cutting-edge technologies

To be successful in this role, we hope you have:

• Work experience or recent studies in innovation project management, preferably in digital transformation, process innovation, and/or AI-related areas

• Proven track record of turning ideas into reality within a structured innovation framework, ideally in a corporate setting

• Experience working with external innovation partners, from large technology providers to startups/scaleups and network in the local start-up community is an asset

• Good collaboration skills, with the ability to influence and lead collaboration in cross-functional teams

• Excellent problem-solving and planning capability, with a structured and hands-on approach to project delivery

• Strong communication and presentation skills in English, both written and verbal

• A relevant degree in Engineering, Business, Design, or a related field; a combination of technical and business understanding is a strong plus.

• A readiness to travel, showing your commitment to understanding and engaging with diverse business and customer needs and contexts directly.

We offer

• Fun, passionate and highly driven teammates
• Possibility to strengthen your skills and learn new things
• Significant personal impact on the services we're building

Join us to unlock the power of cutting-edge technologies and lead impactful innovation initiatives to shape the future of cities.