‘India’s EV Transition Needs Hybrid Talent Across Battery, Software and On-Ground Operations’: Nitin Khindria, CHRO, Omega Seiki Mobility

As India’s electric vehicle ecosystem expands beyond metros into tier-2 and tier-3 markets, talent readiness has emerged as a critical enabler of sustainable growth. In an exclusive interview, Nitin Khindria, Chief Human Resources Officer, Omega Seiki Mobility, speaks to CXO Media & APAC Media about the evolving skill requirements across battery technology, power electronics, AI-led software systems and last-mile operations. He explains how EV manufacturers are bridging talent gaps through hybrid upskilling, industry-academia collaboration, R&D-led training and workforce models tailored for India’s diverse operating conditions, while also addressing gig worker safety, localisation challenges and future-ready EV job roles.  

As India’s EV industry scales rapidly, what are the most critical skill gaps you see across the sector today, and how are EV manufacturers, including Omega Seiki Mobility, responding to these gaps?

The automotive industry is witnessing a lot of shifts in the last two decades and even the last decade is even more demanding, driven by advanced technology, stricter emission norms, evolving policies and the rise of AI / Telematics, factors critical to catering to both current and future industry demands. To navigate this challenging transformation, organisations must first shift their mindset to understand, identify and develop the skills essential for stakeholders, especially the end customer. The EV industry required need more skilled talent around critical skills in India’s EV Industry, such as:

a) Battery Technology Expertise

b) Electric Motor & Power Electronics Engineering

c) Software & IoT Integration

d) Charging Infrastructure & Grid Management

e) Service & Maintenance Skills

f) Regulatory & Sustainability Knowledge

To deliver value to customers and maintain global competitiveness in the next-generation mobility landscape, organisations strategically develop both internal as well as cross industrial capabilities to address critical skill priorities while optimising manpower investments. Else organisations may land up with talent attrition, aggressive poaching, and escalating workforce costs.

At Omega Seiki Mobility, we are taking proactive measures to bridge these gaps:

a) In-house Training Programs

b) Collaborations with our suppliers and Academic Institutions

c) Upskillingthe  Traditional Workforce with experts

e) Focus on R&D and Experience Centre (Innovation Labs)

f) Government and Industry Support

With the industry gradually moving towards connected and autonomous electric vehicles, how are EV players preparing their workforce for emerging skills in areas such as AI, software integration, electronics and fleet analytics, especially in a sector that has traditionally been mechanical in nature?

India’s EV sector evolves toward connected and autonomous vehicles, the demand for hybrid skillsets combining mechanical expertise with AI, software integration, advanced electronics, data analytics, and cybersecurity has become critical. Leading companies like Omega Seiki Mobility are proactively addressing this challenge by upgrading their vehicle technology and upskilling existing engineers through cross-functional training, collaborating with government, specialised service providers, experts to offer hands-on expert training / specialised courses, and establishing R&D and innovation labs for hands-on exposure to autonomous systems, telematics, and fleet analytics.

By integrating mentorship from tech-domain experts and leveraging government initiatives, such as OSM, are equipping its workforce to deliver smart, data-driven, and autonomous EV solutions while maintaininga competitive advantage in a rapidly evolving mobility ecosystem.

Localisation is central to initiatives like Make in India, PLI for auto and ACC batteries. From an HR and talent standpoint, how challenging is it for the EV industry to build a locally skilled workforce across manufacturing hubs and tier 2/3 cities and what kind of skilling and training investments are required?

Building a skilled EV workforce in India is critical as manufacturing expands into tier 2 and 3 cities, but gaps in battery chemistry, power electronics, software, and connected EV technologies, combined with long-term retention challenges, pose significant hurdles. Addressing these requires tiered training programs, local academic partnerships, on-the-job learning, and Centres of Excellence to develop practical expertise. Coupled with clear career pathways and retention incentives, these initiatives secure India’s Make-in-India goals while ensuring sustainable competitiveness in the global EV ecosystem.

The EV ecosystem depends heavily on gig workers, drivers and last-mile delivery partners. How should EV companies and policymakers jointly approach skilling, safety, social security and long-term employability for this extended workforce?

Ensuring a skilled and safe gig and last-mile EV workforce is critical for both operational efficiency and business sustainability. For instance, by investing in hands-on EV training, certification, and safety protocols, organisations may reduce fleet downtime by 15% – 18% and accident-related costs by 20%, which translates into an estimated Rs 4–5 crore annual EBITDA improvement for a mid-sized delivery fleet. Coupled with career pathways and social security initiatives that improve retention, these measures not only protect our workforce but also make India’s EV ecosystem more profitable and scalable.

Given India’s diverse operating environments, from extreme weather to dense urban and semi-urban markets, how important is cross-functional talent that understands both EV technology and on-ground realities and how difficult is it for the industry to hire and retain such profiles?

India’s rapidly evolving EV ecosystem, cross-functional talent is critical to ensure vehicles, operations, and services are not only technically advanced but consistently deliver reliable, real-world performance.

Hiring and retaining such talent is challenging because hybrid profiles—combining deep EV technical knowledge with operational, customer-facing, and market insights—are rare, often unwilling to relocate to tier 2/3 cities, and in high demand across the industry. Diverse geographies—ranging from extreme climates and dense urban centres to semi-urban and rural markets—demand engineers, operations leaders, tech support teams, sales, retail & channel finance professionals, and dealers who can translate technology into practical solutions for end customers.

Companies like Omega Seiki Mobility are setting benchmarks by consolidating and standardizing workforce practices across these functions: rotational programs spanning R&D, operations, tech support, and field service; hands-on training combining battery, motor, software, and customer engagement expertise; partnerships with academic institutions to create uniform curricula; and structured career paths, relocation support, and performance incentives to retain talent in tier 2 and 3 cities. These integrated initiatives not only strengthen workforce capability and collaboration across functions but also ensure EV products and services perform reliably, drive adoption, and deliver operational and financial efficiency across the sector

Looking ahead five years, what new job roles do you expect to emerge across the EV and allied automotive industries as electrification, automation and digital platforms expand and how should India’s education system, skilling programmes and workforce prepare for this transition?

Over the next five years, India’s EV and allied automotive industries will see the emergence of a range of new roles driven by electrification, automation, and digital platforms. We expect positions such as battery systems engineers, electric drivetrain specialists, autonomous vehicle software developers, IoT and telematics analysts, fleet data managers, EV charging infrastructure planners, and customer experience specialists focused on digital platforms.

Roles will be critical in:

• Predictive maintenance,
• Cybersecurity for connected vehicles,
• EV-specific financial and channel management

Vocational training, hands-on workshops, academic-industry collaborations, and Centres of Excellence for EV technology will be essential to build a workforce that is not only technically proficient but also adaptable to real-world operational challenges.

At Omega Seiki Mobility, we are already investing in rotational programs, hybrid upskilling, and partnerships with educational institutes to ensure our teams are future-ready, bridging the gap between emerging technologies and end-customer needs while strengthening India’s leadership in sustainable mobility.

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