Demand for talent in the Indian automotive industry is increasing each day. Tech giants are partnering to unite skills and expertise to enhance mobility of the future. One such successful joint venture is Osram Continental, formed by two equal and technologically-advanced partners—OSRAM and Continental. To understand the demands and hiring trends in the automotive sector, Ankita K.S. speaks with Manjula Amod, head – human resources, Osram Continental, India.
Q. Is quality talent a challenge that the electronics-automotive industry is facing in India today?
A. With rapid changes in the technology landscape and evolution of artificial intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), machine learning and data analytics in the automotive industry, we already have a high demand of workforce in India. Currently, we can find potential talent in the Indian market; however, with most automotive suppliers expanding their footprint of R&D in India, we will soon face challenges in hiring quality tech talent.
As functions become more complex and reduced time-to-market of products gains more attention from suppliers and OEMs, development of model-based software is another area that is foreseen to have high demand in the future, along with skills related to tools aiding continuous integration of software.
Test automation will also be in high demand in the coming days.
Q. Are you hiring or planning to hire talent for your electronics business at OSRAM Continental?
A. Yes, since the inception of the joint venture in November 2018, we have almost doubled the headcount in our Bengaluru office, and we continue to scout for quality talent in the space. Currently, we have a variety of open roles in the development space.
Q. What skill sets are in demand in the electronics-automotive industry today?
A. The automotive-electronics industry is moving towards being a software-intensive domain. Requirements such as cyber-security and functional safety are becoming the norm.
Standardisation of software development in the form of AutoSAR is the key, and there will be high demand for AutoSAR integrators.
Q. Which key technology skill-sets are you seeking?
A. Depending on the engineering discipline, we are looking for people with solid fundamentals in power electronics, electromagnetic interference (EMI)/electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) awareness, excellent understanding of embedded systems, controller area network (CAN) and unified diagnostic services (UDS) protocols, scripting tools like CAPL and Python, functional safety, AutoSAR experience, knowledge of tools like DOORS, configuration and change management tools like MKS.
Overall, we are also looking for people with a good understanding of how the product development lifecycle works. Knowledge of ASPICE or experience in quality audits is an added advantage.
Q. Can you tell us about the hiring process at OSRAM Continental?
A. At OSRAM Continental, we offer creative freedom, a high degree of individual responsibility and decision-making independence. It does not matter if you are just starting your career or are an experienced leader. Varied tasks, challenging assignments as well as promising development opportunities await prospective candidates.
Our hiring follows a simple three-step process: apply, interview (which includes technical and HR discussions) and, finally, offer. Most of our hiring is via the lateral pool, and primary source is the employee referral programme.
Q. Do you mainly look for IITians or MTech-MBA holders, or do you also hire freshers from Tiers 2 and 3 colleges?
A. We have not yet hired from campuses directly as our focus was the lateral pool. However, in the future, we will look at hiring fresh graduates from IITs, NITs, Tier 1 and other engineering colleges.
