Director of Innovation Labs
About The Position
The Director of Innovation Labs leads KCI Labs, where emerging physical and digital technologies are explored, tested, and proven before becoming part of KCI’s solutions. The role supports KCI’s existing businesses by turning promising ideas into internal tools and capabilities that may also be offered to clients. It combines technical leadership with practical management, including oversight of experimentation environments, employee-led innovation, and the company’s use of open-source technology. The Director manages a small and growing multidisciplinary Labs team across hardware and software engineering, design, and technical production. The role also guides contributors outside the Labs reporting structure, including the Open-Source Council and employees participating in Citizen Development. Work may begin without firm specifications or defined deliverables, so the Director is expected to provide vision while setting clear goals, priorities, and next steps.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in business, computer science, or equivalent experience.
- At least 10 years of experience in technology, engineering, or product development.
- At least 5 years of experience managing people.
- Track record of taking ideas from prototype into everyday use.
- Demonstrated ability to lead both 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 startup, 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.
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 business needs.
- Provide safe environments for KCI teams to experiment without risking production systems.
- Make timely, evidence-based decisions about which efforts should proceed and which should stop.
- Partner with the Business Solutions team to develop tools and capabilities alongside their intended users.
- Work with Solutions Engineering and other Enterprise Technology teams to move proven work into production using clear hand-off and approval criteria.
- Help shape business cases for Labs capabilities that could become client services.
- Measure and report the value Labs delivers to the firm.
- Lead KCI’s Citizen Development program by providing employees with tools, training, and guardrails to build solutions safely.
- Build an active 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, setting clear expectations and supporting individual 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, enabling progress when specifications are incomplete and outcomes uncertain.
- Lead direct reports and broader contributors toward successful outcomes.
- Build strong relationships with sector and practice leaders so ideas flow into Labs from across the business.
- Foster a culture of curiosity, accountability, and well-run experimentation.
- Perform other duties as assigned.
Benefits
- Competitive compensation package.
- Family-friendly benefits.
- Collaborative working environment.
- Training, mentoring, and resources to advance in your career.
- Employee ownership.
Stand Out From the Crowd
Upload your resume and get instant feedback on how well it matches this job.
What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Director
