Director of Innovation Labs

KCI Technologies•Sparks, MD

About The Position

The Director of Innovation Labs leads KCI Labs, exploring, testing, and proving physical and digital technologies before they are incorporated into KCI’s work. The role supports KCI’s existing businesses by turning promising ideas into internal tools and capabilities that may also be offered to clients. It establishes safe environments for experimentation, supports employee-led innovation, and guides the firm’s approach to open-source technology. This is both a technical and leadership role. The Director manages a small, growing, multidisciplinary Labs team and guides contributors who do not report to Labs, including Open-Source Council members and employees participating in Citizen Development. Because work often begins without fixed specifications or defined deliverables, the Director must combine vision with practical management and help teams make progress amid ambiguity.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in business, computer science, or equivalent experience.
10 or more years of experience in technology, engineering, or product development.
At least 5 years of people-management experience.
Track record of taking ideas from prototype into everyday use.
Demonstrated ability to lead direct reports and people outside a formal reporting line, such as cross-functional, volunteer, or community contributors.
Experience leading teams through ambiguity by turning broad goals into practical plans and delivering results without fixed specifications.

Nice To Haves

Experience in architecture, engineering, construction, utilities, or a similar field.
At least 5 years of experience running an R&D lab, innovation group, makerspace, product team, or start-up, with responsibility for budget and portfolio.
Experience leading citizen-developer, low-code, or other employee innovation programs.
Familiarity with emerging technologies such as sensors and IoT, drones, reality capture, robotics, and AI.
Experience with open-source software governance.
Experience managing multidisciplinary teams combining hardware, software, design, and technician roles.
Hands-on experience as a founder or early employee in a technology startup is strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

Set and manage the Labs agenda, portfolio, and budget in alignment with the Enterprise Technology strategic plan and KCI’s innovation priorities.
Explore and prototype emerging physical and digital technologies that address real business needs.
Provide safe environments for experimentation that do not put production systems at risk.
Make timely, evidence-based decisions about which initiatives should proceed and which should stop.
Partner with the Business Solutions team to develop tools and capabilities with the people who will use them.
Work with Solutions Engineering and other Enterprise Technology teams to transition proven work into production using clear hand-off and approval criteria.
Help develop the business case when a Labs capability could become a client service.
Measure and report the value Labs delivers to KCI.
Lead the Citizen Development program by providing employees with tools, training, and guardrails to build solutions safely.
Build a community of employee innovators and share effective practices across the firm.
Establish and lead an Open-Source Council that advises the CTO.
Evaluate open-source and open-weight alternatives and help develop policies for their responsible use.
Hire, manage, and develop the growing Labs team across hardware and software engineering, design, and technical production roles; set clear expectations and support employee growth.
Lead volunteer and informal contributors, including Open-Source Council members and citizen developers, through influence, guidance, and mentorship.
Turn open-ended ideas into clear goals, priorities, and next steps when specifications are incomplete and outcomes uncertain.
Build relationships with sector and practice leaders so ideas from across the business can flow into Labs.
Foster a culture of curiosity, accountability, and well-run experimentation.
Perform other duties as assigned.