Director of Innovation Strategy

Agilent Technologies•Santa Clara, CA

5d•$205,920 - $321,750•Remote

About The Position

The Director of Innovation Strategy is responsible for providing enterprise-level insight, governance, and decision support for R&D activities. This role serves as the strategic connector between Corporate Strategy, the Enterprise Program Management Office (EPMO), and Business Divisions to ensure that innovation investments, portfolios, and performance metrics are aligned with Agilent’s priorities. The Director leads analytics, facilitates cross-functional forums, and establishes processes that optimize portfolio health, resource allocation, and long-term growth. This position also serves as Chief-of-Staff for the CTO, ensuring high operational performance for the department.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Business, Engineering, Data Analytics, or related field required; MBA or advanced degree preferred.
8–12+ years of experience in portfolio management, R&D analytics, corporate strategy, innovation management, or related field.
Experience in enterprise-level portfolio governance, financial modeling, and cross-functional leadership.
Strong analytical and quantitative skills with the ability to interpret complex data and present clear insights.
Expertise in portfolio management frameworks, NPI processes, and R&D performance metrics.
Excellent facilitation and communication skills; able to lead executive-level discussions and influence decisions.
Ability to build and manage dashboards, KPIs, and decision-support tools.
Strong collaboration mindset and the ability to align stakeholders with differing priorities.

Responsibilities

Enterprise R&D Budget and Investment Governance Support the annual and multi-year R&D budget allocation process, partnered with Strategy, EPMO, and Business Divisions. Provide data-driven insights to guide investment trade-off discussions and strategic prioritization. Build and maintain financial and scenario-modeling tools to support strategic planning and resource decisions.
Investment Management Support enterprise-level NPI portfolio discussions using health metrics, risk assessments, and performance trends. Develop and maintain portfolio dashboards that provide visibility into value, risk, schedule, and resource utilization. Track and report Research, NPI, sustaining portfolio performance across the enterprise, ensuring consistent metrics and definitions.
Portfolio Review Leadership Support formal enterprise portfolio reviews quarterly, including preparation of materials, portfolio analytics, trend analysis, and outcomes documentation. Partner with senior leaders to ensure portfolio decisions are aligned with strategic priorities and capacity constraints.
R&D Performance Management and Analytics Develop and report R&D performance metrics, KPIs, and innovation-related incentives at the enterprise level. Analyze R&D project and portfolio outcomes to inform continuous improvement in the innovation lifecycle. Produce recurring and ad-hoc management reports for executive leadership and governance committees.
Cross-Functional Collaboration & Governance Serve as the central point of coordination between Strategy, EPMO, Finance, and Divisions on matters related to R&D investment and portfolio health. Drive adoption of consistent portfolio management processes, data standards, and analytic methodologies. Support governance bodies by providing timely analyses, insights, and recommendations. Act as chief-of-staff for the CTO. Supporting program execution, alignment, and analysis.