Innovation Operations Principal (E6110)
Piscataway, NJ - USA
Job Summary
- Bachelors degree or equivalent experience Req
- 7-10 years Experience: 710 years in operations project management or innovation management with a focus on process execution and stakeholder engagement Req
- Strategy Translation: Demonstrated ability to synthesize high-level strategic priorities and landscape research into actionable themes and operational problem statements
- Operational Rigor: Proven ability to manage complex pipelines and maintain disciplined repeatable workflows
- Data Literacy: Comfortable defining and reporting on KPIs; ability to use data to tell a story of operational success and strategic alignment
- Technical Aptitude: Experience with innovation management platforms and a practical understanding of how to apply GenAI tools to enhance business processes
- Communication: Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to navigate a complex multi-stakeholder environment and drive participation
As defined in IEEE Policies individuals currently serving on an IEEE board or committee are not eligible to apply.
PLEASE NOTE: This position is not budgeted for employer-sponsored immigration support this includes all persons in F (both CPT and OPT) J H L or O status.
For information on work demands and conditions required for this position please consult the reference document ADA Requirements. This position is classified under Category I - Office Positions.
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race color religion sex sexual orientation gender identity national origin disability or status as a protected veteran.
Disclaimer: This job description is proprietary to IEEE. It outlines the general nature and key features performed by various positions that share the same job classification. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties and qualifications required of all employees assigned to the job. Nothing in this job description restricts managements right to assign or re-assign duties to this job at any time due to reasonable accommodations or other business reasons.
Job Summary
The Innovation Operations Principal is responsible for driving the day-to-day execution of the innovation pipeline as a mechanism for testing and advancing IEEEs strategy. Serving as the lead operator for the innovation portfolio this individual ensures that the systems for capturing evaluating and advancing ideas are seamless disciplined and firmly anchored to IEEEs strategic priorities.
This role serves as a critical bridge working in close partnership with the Strategy team to translate enterprise priorities landscape insights and emerging opportunities into actionable problem statements and themes that guide idea generation. The Principal is also the primary interface between the innovation portals capabilities and the community it serves. By maintaining high-touch engagement with internal stakeholders and leveraging GenAI to streamline workflows the Principal ensures the innovation portal remains a productive and measurable asset for the organization. This position reports to the Chief Innovation Officer and works in close coordination with the Product Operations Lead to align the portals functional capabilities with both strategic and operational needs.
Key Responsibilities
- Aligning Innovation with IEEE Strategy
- Partner closely with the Strategy team to translate enterprise priorities landscape insights and emerging opportunities into innovation idea campaigns
- Feed portfolio analytics back to the Strategy team to help identify emerging patterns or signals that may inform future areas of strategic focus
- Idea Portfolio & Pipeline Management:
- Serve as the primary operator of the innovation submission process managing the lifecycle of ideas as they move through the funnel
- Monitor and manage the workflow of the innovation portal ensuring timely progression of ideas and identifying bottlenecks in the process
- Coordinate with internal delegates and stakeholders to ensure active participation and high-quality feedback during the evaluation phases
- Process Optimization
- Manage the operational lifecycle of innovation challenges ensuring workflows are designed to test and validate strategically aligned concepts
- Continuously evaluate the front-end user experience to ensure the submission and feedback process is intuitive transparent and accessible
- Collaborate with the Product Operations Lead to ensure the platforms technical configuration supports strategy-driven workflows and evolving business needs
- GenAI Integration & Capabilities
- Implement GenAI tools to drive operational efficiency including automated idea summarization problem framing and initial feasibility scanning
- Develop and maintain a library of innovation prompts and synthetic personas to assist users in refining their submissions
- Explore and integrate emerging AI capabilities to enhance the quality of data moving through the innovation funnel
- Performance Measurement
- Own the tracking and reporting of portfolio KPIs ensuring data provides a clear view of strategic alignment pipeline health and impact
- Synthesize portfolio data into strategy signals to help the Strategy team validate or pivot landscape assumptions based on real-world submission trends
- Translate raw pipeline data into actionable insights to help inform the offices operational improvements
- Stakeholder Engagement
- Act as the operational liaison for the innovation office fostering cross-functional collaboration between departments
- Manage the network of innovation delegates providing the necessary process guidance and support to ensure consistent evaluation standards
- Facilitate intake sessions and workshops to help teams transition raw concepts into structured actionable proposals
Travel Information
- 20% Domestic and International will require nights and weekends.
Required Experience:
Staff IC