Innovation Manager

Essential Duties & Responsibilitie

• Extend the reach and relevance of GS1 Standards by conducting research on emerging AI technologies and trends, developing solutions for industry challenges, testing and documenting hypotheses, and distilling insights that will drive go/no-go decision for pilot and commercialization opportunities.

• Help shape GS1 US’s AI strategy by identifying, evaluating, and prioritizing high-impact AI opportunities across the organization and member ecosystem, translating insights into recommended focus areas, use cases, and roadmap inputs.

• Drive requirements definition for AI-enabled solutions by translating industry needs, member pain points, and strategic priorities into clear problem statements, use cases, functional requirements, success measures, and pilot scope.

• Partner with internal teams, members, and external collaborators to validate industry pain points, assess opportunities, and drive AI concepts from problem definition through completed pilots and recommendations for scale or commercialization.

• Effective relationship building and stakeholder management across startups, academic institutions, and technology vendors to ensure alignment on AI vision and partnership on deliverable needs.

• Develop subject matter expertise on AI to serve as an “internal consultant” and provide external thought leadership.

• Provide ongoing communication across all levels, regarding project status and progress.

• Design and facilitate workshops, support training sessions and enablement initiatives to build organizational AI fluency.

• Translate complex AI concepts into clear, compelling narratives for executive stakeholders and cross-functional teams.

EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE

• BA/BS; demonstrated academic and/or professional achievements

• 2-5 years’ experience working in technology related field; specifically, in business development, innovation, technology, product/project management, or a related field; preferred knowledge of startup practices and ethical AI frameworks

• Excellent critical problem solving and ability to execute in the face of uncracked challenges, including experience performing market exploration and assessments, particularly in emerging areas Willingness to approach a problem from many creative angles, display passionate ownership of and engagement in an idea or project, and persistently and patiently revisit a challenge until it is solved  

• Grasp of design thinking, lean innovation methodologies, risk management best practices, and practical experience in corporate settings  

• Ability to interpret data and synthesize creative conclusions/recommendations and strategic narratives   

• Excellent oral and written communication and presentation skills across a wide range of audiences with a proven ability to communicate technical concepts to non-technical audiences.. Advanced Excel and PowerPoint required.  

• Demonstrated interest in learning a diverse array of topics related to industry needs and emerging technology landscape.  

• Demonstrated expertise in AI/ML strategy, research, and implementation of pilots, proof-of-concept projects, or commercialization efforts.

Competencies/Capabilities 

• Intellectual curiosity 

• Learning agility in AI and emerging technologies, with ability to quickly pivot

• Tenacity – being willing to assert and see through an unconventional or unpopular perspective or idea if there is data and research to support it.

• Effective relationship builder – one-on-one, one-to-many, internally and externally.

• Self-starter/internally motivated - ability to push quickly from conceptualization to realization, synthesizing research insights into strategic narratives 

• Collaborative/Team player mentality with willingness to engage with a high energy team consistently and positively 

• Strong bias for action and results 

• Courage & Tolerance for Ambiguity to challenge the status quo, advocate for responsible AI adoption, and be proactive with limited information  

• Innovative thinker – possess the ability to link between the strategic and tactical areas of the supply chain 

• Strong project management skills - facilitating cross-functional workgroups across disparate teams

TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS:

10%

This position is also eligible for company-sponsored benefits, which include:

• Health (medical, RX, dental, vision) - effective immediately
• 401(k) with Employer Safe Harbor and Profit Sharing Contributions - effective immediately
• Short and Long Term Disability Coverage
• Mental Health and Wellbeing (6 employer sponsored therapy and coaching sessions)
• Individual Wellness Platform
• Paid Parental Leave
• Generous PTO and Company Paid Holidays
• LinkedIn Learning
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Kudos (employee recognition and engagement platform)
• Catered Lunches 2x/week on in office days