DFS Innovation Specialist

KCB Group•Washington, DC

About The Position

This role focuses on identifying, developing, and supporting innovation initiatives within the DFS (Digital Financial Services) sector. The specialist will conduct market research, participate in ideation sessions, support project management, contribute to product commercialization, and foster a culture of innovation. Key areas of focus include market analysis, concept development, project coordination, customer experience, ecosystem engagement, reporting, and knowledge management.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree from a recognized university
3 years of total minimum cumulative experience

Nice To Haves

Professional Qualifications in Product Management, Project Management, AGILE Practices
Master’s degree in a business-related field

Responsibilities

Conduct market research, competitor analysis, and trend monitoring to identify innovation opportunities.
Monitor emerging technologies, fintech developments, digital banking trends, and changing customer needs.
Analyze customer feedback and market insights to identify opportunities for new products, services, and process improvements.
Support the development of innovation proposals and business cases.
Participate in ideation workshops, innovation challenges, design-thinking sessions, and brainstorming DFS initiatives.
Support the development of innovative concepts and solution prototypes.
Evaluate ideas for feasibility, customer value, commercial potential, and strategic alignment.
Assist in preparing innovation concepts for pilot testing and commercialization.
Coordinate innovation initiatives from concept through pilot and implementation stages.
Support project planning, documentation, progress tracking, and stakeholder coordination.
Assist in the execution of proof-of-concepts (POCs), pilot projects, and innovation experiments.
Track project deliverables, risks, issues, and implementation timelines.
Support product teams in translating innovation concepts into viable products and services.
Participate in product testing, pilot execution, User Acceptance Testing (UAT), and customer feedback collection.
Monitor product adoption and performance following implementation.
Contribute to commercialization and market rollout activities.
Support customer journey mapping and customer experience improvement initiatives.
Gather customer insights through surveys, interviews, focus groups, and market research activities.
Identify customer pain points and recommend innovative solutions.
Promote design-thinking methodologies and customer-centric innovation practices.
Support engagement with fintechs, startups, innovation hubs, universities, accelerators, and technology partners.
Assist in evaluating partnership opportunities and innovative solutions from external providers.
Coordinate innovation events, ecosystem engagements, hackathons, and partnership activities.
Maintain relationships with innovation stakeholders and ecosystem participants.
Maintain innovation pipeline records and project documentation.
Prepare innovation reports, dashboards, presentations, and management updates.
Track innovation KPIs, project outcomes, and business impact.
Provide recommendations for improving innovation effectiveness and execution.
Promote innovation awareness and knowledge-sharing across the Bank.
Support innovation campaigns and employee engagement initiatives.
Assist in maintaining innovation repositories, best practices, and lessons learned.
Encourage collaboration and experimentation within teams and business units.