Job Overview
About the Position
The Digital Innovation Lead must be an experienced and visionary leading a multidisciplinary team focused on driving digitalization activities, developing proof-of-concepts, and identifying viable initiatives for full-scale implementation. The profile must have a strategic mindset, exceptional leadership skills, and a proven track record of successfully managing diverse teams in a dynamic and innovative environment.
Key Accountabilities
The main responsibilities of the Digital Innovation Lead:
- Strategic Leadership:
- Develop digitalization projects..
- Lead the creation of proof-of-concept projects to test and validate innovative ideas.
- Visionary and inspirational communication abilities
- Team Management:
- Manage and lead temporary teams of digital subject matter experts, and business experts.
- Foster a collaborative, innovative and inclusive culture, ensuring effective communication and knowledge sharing.
- Project Identification:
- Work closely with stakeholders to identify potential digital projects based on business needs and emerging technologies.
- Evaluate and prioritize project proposals, providing insights into feasibility, impact, and resource requirements.
- Innovation and Technology Trends:
- Stay abreast of industry trends, emerging technologies, and best practices to inform decision-making.
- Promote a culture of innovation, encouraging team members to explore and apply new technologies.
- Collaboration:
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams to integrate digital solutions with business processes.
- Build strong relationships with key stakeholders, fostering a culture of partnership and shared success.
To be successful in this role, the Digital Innovation Lead must have a strong technical background, as well as excellent leadership, communication, and collaboration skills.
Networking/Key relationships
Executive Leadership Team:
- Build strong relationships with members of the executive leadership team.
- Collaborate with other department heads to ensure cross-functional cooperation and integration of digitalization efforts.
IT Department:
- Foster a collaborative environment within the IT department to ensure seamless coordination between different teams (e.g., development, infrastructure, security) for successful digitalization POCs.
- Work closely with IT professionals to understand technical capabilities and constraints, ensuring that digitalization proposals are technically feasible.
Innovation and Research Teams:
- Establish connections with research and innovation teams to stay abreast of emerging technologies and industry trends.
- Collaborate with innovation teams to develop and test POC activities.
External Partners and Vendors:
- Cultivate relationships with external partners, startups, and vendors to explore potential collaborations and technologies that can enhance digitalization efforts.
- Negotiate and manage partnerships with external vendors for tools, platforms, and services that support the digitalization activities.
Stakeholders and End Users:
- Engage with key stakeholders and end-users to understand their needs and expectations regarding digitalization initiatives.
- Foster a user-centric approach by involving end-users in the design and feedback processes of digital solutions.
Regulatory Bodies and Compliance Teams:
- Stay informed about relevant industry regulations and compliance requirements related to digitalization.
- Work closely with compliance teams to ensure that digital initiatives adhere to legal and regulatory standards.
Professional Organizations and Conferences:
- Attend relevant industry conferences, seminars, and networking events to stay connected with industry peers.
- Join professional organizations related to digitalization, innovation, and IT management to share insights and best practices.
- Minimum 5 years of managerial experience, working with or within innovative, digital environments is a preferable requirement.
By establishing and nurturing these relationships, the Digital Innovation Lead can create a network that supports the successful implementation of digitalization strategies and fosters a culture of innovation within the organization.
Minimum Knowledge & Experience required for the position:
- A minimum of 5 years of experience in digital ecosystems working with concepts and solutions combined with well-developed analytical skills.
- Minimum 5 years of solution design experience and preferable also systems integration experience.
- It is a must that the candidate has a curious, fearless, and exploratory mindset. Preferable already displayed in a corporate setting.
- The profile must be driven by a ‘continuous improvements’ mindset and a drive to see digital solutions to processes that can be improved.
- The candidate must be comfortable communicating with and to executives and executive teams.
Skills & Capabilities:
Strategic Vision:
- Ability to develop and communicate a clear digitalization proposal aligned with the specific business objectives.
- Visionary thinking to anticipate technological trends and emerging technologies that can drive innovation and digitalitzacion.
Leadership Skills:
- Proven ability to lead and inspire a multidisciplinary team, fostering a collaborative and innovative work environment (KAIZEN and LT2D)
- Strong decision-making skills and the ability to guide the team through complex challenges in limited time for POCs.
Project Management:
- Experience in managing end-to-end digitalization projects from concept to full-scale implementation.
- Proficient in project management methodologies to ensure POCs are delivered on time.
Innovation Management:
- Track record of successfully driving and implementing innovation within an organization.
- Ability to create a culture of innovation, encouraging experimentation and continuous improvement.
Technical Proficiency:
- Solid understanding of emerging technologies such as AI, machine learning, IoT, and blockchain.
- Familiarity with IT infrastructure, software development, and data management.
Collaboration and Communication:
- Excellent communication skills to convey complex technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders.
- Ability to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams and external partners.
Analytical and Problem-Solving Skills:
- Strong analytical skills to assess the feasibility and impact of digitalization initiatives.
- Proven ability to solve complex problems and make data-driven decisions.
Adaptability:
- Ability to thrive in a dynamic and fast-paced environment, adapting to changes in technology and business conditions.
- Openness to experimentation and a willingness to learn and apply new concepts.
Results-Oriented:
- Demonstrated track record of achieving measurable results and key performance indicators.
- Focus on delivering outcomes.
Risk Management:
- Ability to assess and mitigate risks associated with digitalization POCs.
- Understanding of cybersecurity risks and strategies to address them.
Stakeholder Management:
- Skill in building and managing relationships with key stakeholders, both internal and external.
- Ability to understand and prioritize the needs of different stakeholders.
Regulatory Awareness:
- Understanding of relevant industry regulations and compliance requirements related to digitalization.
- Experience ensuring that digital initiatives adhere to legal and regulatory standards.
Travel requirements:
60% of time