Director, Innovation

OuterBox•Akron, OH

About The Position

The Director of Innovation owns OuterBox’s AI strategy across internal operations and client-facing services. The role focuses on making internal teams faster and more effective by turning AI projects into everyday workflows, then converting successful approaches into AI services and consulting packages clients can buy. The director identifies market gaps, connects them to technology and service delivery, and serves as OuterBox’s internal AI authority. The director leads the AI engineering team and reports to the EVP of Innovation, working closely with Technology, which owns infrastructure and DevOps. The role shapes decisions about what OuterBox should build, buy, or forego; runs internal AI initiatives from intake through rollout and adoption; and develops client offers such as AI Development Services and GEO and LLM Optimization. Responsibilities also include production deployments, partner programs, adoption and training, team leadership, and reporting initiative results in business terms. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

Requirements

At least 5 years of experience in AI, machine learning, or applied AI and automation.
At least 3 years leading technical teams.
A record of identifying market gaps and turning them into services, products, or platforms customers paid for.
Experience running internal AI projects and client-facing AI services or consulting, including converting an internal playbook into a sellable offer with scope, pricing, and delivery.
Hands-on experience with frontier AI models, including at least 1 year with Anthropic Claude.
Knowledge of agents, tool use and MCP, retrieval, prompt and context design, and evaluation.
Working proficiency in Python or JavaScript/TypeScript and SQL; ability to read code and review architecture with engineers.
Experience with cloud platforms, Git, and CI/CD.
Experience proposing AI initiatives and measuring results against costs, with defensible ROI.
Working knowledge of digital marketing agency service delivery, ideally paid media, SEO, and analytics.
Comfort with outcome-based and unit pricing and transitioning teams away from hours-based work.
Strong presentation skills and comfort presenting to executives, clients, and engineers.
Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, or a related field; equivalent work experience may substitute for a formal degree.

Nice To Haves

Google Cloud experience is preferred.
Partner program experience with Anthropic, Google, or Microsoft.
Experience building AI adoption, training, or certification programs.

Responsibilities

Shape AI vision and strategy with the EVP of Innovation, including decisions about what OuterBox should build, buy, or skip.
Identify market gaps and translate them into deliverable services and engineering requirements.
Run internal AI projects from intake and build through pilot, rollout, and adoption, ensuring shipped solutions are used.
Package successful approaches into client services and consulting offers, including AI Development Services and GEO and LLM Optimization; set scope, pricing, delivery owners, and sales messaging.
Focus AI service development on mid-market clients and move toward outcome-based and unit pricing.
Own production deployments that support client accounts and contribute to partner standing.
Run the Anthropic program, including certified practitioners, production deployments, public customer stories, and quarterly scorecards; the EVP owns the executive relationship and partnership strategy.
Support the EVP on the AI aspects of Google and Microsoft programs.
Turn effective work practices into reusable agent skills and workflows.
Present to group directors, clients, leadership, and the board alongside or on behalf of the EVP, explaining trade-offs plainly.
Drive AI adoption through AI liaisons, training, and certification paths, and participate in sales calls where AI is the pitch.
Lead, coach, and develop the technical team; conduct one-on-ones and annual reviews, set priorities, and keep the team focused on AI services and adoption.
Work with Technology on security, cloud governance, and reliability.
Set KPIs for initiatives and report costs, adoption, delivery improvement, and AI services revenue in business terms.
Test new models and tools and recommend whether to adopt or discontinue them, with rationale.
Perform additional duties as assigned.