Specialist, Ventures & Innovation

BorgWarner•Auburn Hills, MI

About The Position

BorgWarner is a global product leader in delivering innovative and sustainable mobility solutions. We are a company of innovators and independent thinkers that brings together talented employees, meaningful work and amazing technology in a unique environment. At BorgWarner, we constantly work towards our vision of a clean and energy-efficient world. BorgWarner promotes and nurtures a diverse and inclusive environment, honors integrity, strives for excellence, commits to responsibility for our communities and the environment, and builds on the power of collaboration. We believe the health and safety of our employees are a top priority. We manage talent as seriously as we manage our businesses and encourage you to learn about our proud history, strong culture, technologies, and vision for the future. We offer positions locally and globally with over 80 locations in 19 countries. If this position energizes you and you feel you can help us achieve our mission and vision, you are invited to submit an application for consideration. You may see the list of requirements and feel you do not meet all of them. However, remember that BorgWarner thinks differently. If your qualifications align with the majority of those outlined in this job description, we encourage you to apply and share your experience and skills with us. The Venture and Innovation Specialist plays a critical role in driving open innovation initiatives, managing proof-of-concept (PoC) launches, and fostering successful collaborations between startups and internal business units. This position is responsible for identifying external opportunities, facilitating the PoC approval process, and ensuring smooth cross-functional alignment to accelerate innovation and strategic growth. This position directly reports to the Sr. Manager, Ventures & innovation and is an integral part of the Chief Strategy Officer’s team.

Requirements

Bachelor degree (required), preferably Masters degree in Engineering, Strategy or Innovation Management
5yr+ experience in the Automotive industry (preferably Strategy or Program Management) or in Venture Capital teams (industry-agnostic)
Strong understanding of the rapidly changing automotive market trends and the ability to translate this into actionable strategic recommendations
Business acumen, the ability to connect dots in complex situations across different functions
Excellent analytical, presentation, communication and leadership skills
Ability to transport key messages of complex issues to others including senior leadership
Advanced skills in PowerPoint, Excel and CRM tools
Good experience in Project Management skills to drive and lead cross-functional teams

Responsibilities

Create / update ‘Megatrends’ process to screen, identify key trends and prioritize opportunities for BorgWarner
Implement AI-supported tools to automate the process and inform the team members with most critical information to make decisions e.g., product evaluations and startup offerings, including total addressable market (TAM), competitor analysis, go-to-market strategies, and value chain positioning.
Execution of innovation identification, screening and prioritization process with clear KPI and continuous revisions and updates
Support regular alignment with BU Innovation and Engineering leaders to discuss updates, priorities and next steps
Co-Lead organization and moderation of key internal events such as (new) Innovation Summits, quarterly Innovation touchpoints, Pitch Day and regular Strategy Board Updates
Track KPI / Dashboard to show progress and success rate from Innovation identification to implementation
Provide analytical and research support to the Corporate Strategy team in efforts to identify and evaluate start-ups that align with BorgWarner’s strategic objectives
Proactively gather, analyze and maintain deal flow data from VC Funds and various other sources
Sustain a Start-up Database: Generate a pipeline of opportunities that drive the Venture Capital Deal Flow selection process based on the company strategy
Support company specific research pertaining to start-ups including due diligence processes
Scout, triage and be contact point for startups with a potential solution relevant to a BorgWarner operational business challenge, technical product gap, or threatening technology that could disrupt growth from the current portfolio.
Share innovation projects, startup partnerships and broader innovation initiatives across the BUs and corporate to increase collaboration and reduce redundancy on relevant focus areas.
Facilitate collaboration between startups and internal business units to establish clear PoC criteria and milestones.
Manage and track PoC approval workflows, including fund allocation, IT, and GSM requirements.
Ensure all necessary documentation and compliance standards are met throughout the approval process.
Create templates for Corporate Innovation Fund requests and prepare documents and approval session with the BU leads
Prepare PoC Kick-Off documents in close collaboration with the Bus and manage a smooth hand-over after kick-off to the BU