Consulting Researcher, AI Ecosystem Partnerships & Technology Incubation

Job Description:

Lenovo's Chief Technology Office (CTO) is seeking a dynamic and technically profound individual to join our team as the Senior Manager, AI Ecosystem Partnerships & Technology Incubation. This critical role sits at the intersection of cutting-edge AI innovation happening externally and Lenovo's internal strategic needs.

You will be responsible for identifying, evaluating, and championing partnerships with innovative players across the AI ecosystem, including startups and established industry leaders, possessing differentiated technologies. Your mission is to source and secure the most promising AI capabilities and shepherd them towards successful integration and adoption within Lenovo's business units and product development teams, ultimately accelerating internal innovation and creating competitive advantages. You will build deep technical relationships with partners, actively engage and collaborate with numerous internal partners, and bridge the gap between external innovation and internal application.

What You'll Do:

• Scout & Identify: Proactively scan the global AI ecosystem, including startups, established technology companies, research institutions, and industry consortiums, to identify emerging organizations with unique, high-potential AI technologies relevant to Lenovo's strategic priorities.
• Technical Due Diligence: Conduct rigorous technical assessments of potential partners' technologies, evaluating algorithmic novelty, performance, scalability, and potential differentiation. Dive deep into the technical "how."
• Build Technical Relationships & Inform Partnerships: Establish and cultivate deep technical relationships with key personnel at potential partner organizations, from startups to established industry players. Provide critical technical input and requirements to inform the structuring and negotiation of partnership agreements, collaborating closely with operational teams responsible for contract management.
• Engage Internal Partners: Actively engage and build strong collaborative relationships with key internal partners, including Business Units, Product Development, Legal, and Procurement, ensuring alignment and smooth collaboration.
• Understand Internal Needs: Collaborate closely with Lenovo's business units and product development teams to deeply understand their challenges, roadmaps, and opportunities where external AI innovation can provide significant value.
• Define & Measure Success: Develop and implement frameworks for benchmarking partner AI technology performance. Define clear Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), creating novel metrics when necessary to accurately assess the potential and realized impact for Lenovo.
• Facilitate Integration: Act as the primary technical liaison between external partners and internal teams to facilitate technology customization, integration, and successful handover to business product developers.
• Champion & Influence: Effectively communicate the value proposition of potential partnerships and incubated technologies to senior leadership and internal stakeholders. Drive adoption by demonstrating technical feasibility and business impact.
• Stay Ahead of the Curve: Maintain expert-level knowledge of AI trends, research breakthroughs, and the competitive landscape. Leverage this insight to inform partnership strategy and identify untapped opportunities.

Position Requirements:

Basic Qualifications:

• Master's degree in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Data Science, or a closely related quantitative field.
• 7+ years of experience in roles involving deep technical work and evaluation within AI/ML, such as research, advanced development, technical product management, or technology assessment.
• Demonstrated ability to understand, analyze, and critique complex AI/ML algorithms, models, and systems at a fundamental level.
• Proven experience defining technical requirements, performance benchmarks, and KPIs for technology evaluation.
• Exceptional communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills, with a natural ability to build rapport and influence diverse audiences (technical and non-technical, internal and external).

Preferred Qualifications:

• PhD in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, or a related field.
• Strong record of technical achievements in AI/ML, evidenced by publications in top-tier conferences/journals and/or patents.
• Direct experience in technology scouting, technical business development, venture capital (technical diligence role), or managing strategic technical partnerships with both startups and established industry partners, specifically within the AI domain.
• Familiarity with technology partnership structures and the technical considerations within licensing agreements.
• Demonstrated ability to translate complex technical capabilities into tangible business value propositions.
• Inherent curiosity, strong analytical reasoning, and advanced critical thinking skills.
• Proven "get-it-done" attitude, comfortable navigating ambiguity and driving projects from inception to tangible results through influence and collaboration.
• Experience working within a corporate CTO, R&D, or innovation-focused organization.
• Familiarity with bridging the gap between early-stage technology and enterprise-level integration requirements.