Director, Technology Innovation COE

Cencora • Conshohocken, PA

7d • $119,100 - $186,560

About The Position

The Director of Technology Innovation Center of Excellence (CoE) is a strategic leadership role responsible for governing and advancing the evaluation, selection, and deployment of emerging technologies across the supply chain organization. The role owns and continuously refines a structured stage gate process for vetting technology innovations, ensuring investments are rigorous, aligned with business priorities, and positioned to deliver measurable supply chain value. The Director serves as a bridge between technology vendors, internal stakeholders, and executive decision-makers, championing a disciplined yet agile approach to innovation.

The Director identifies and assesses emerging technologies, leads cross-functional governance and review forums, develops executive-ready business cases, and manages the innovation portfolio budget and performance metrics. The role mobilizes internal stakeholders and subject matter experts through influence rather than direct authority, while fostering collaboration, structured experimentation, and a shared innovation vision across the organization.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Engineering, Business, Information Systems, or a related field.
• 10+ years of experience in supply chain operations, strategy, or technology, including at least 3–5 years in a leadership role.
• Demonstrated experience designing or managing a stage gate, innovation pipeline, or technology governance process.
• Strong understanding of supply chain operations across distribution, logistics, procurement, or inventory management.
• Proven ability to build executive-level presentations and facilitate senior leadership decision-making forums.
• Experience managing cross-functional programs from concept through implementation.

Nice To Haves

• Master's degree (MBA, MS Supply Chain, or related).
• Experience in pharmaceutical distribution, healthcare supply chain, or highly regulated industries.
• Familiarity with frameworks such as Stage-Gate®, Lean Startup, or Design Thinking.
• PMP, Agile, or related certifications.
• Experience working with or evaluating enterprise technology vendors, including ERP, WMS, TMS, or AI platforms.

Responsibilities

• Design, implement, and continuously improve a multi-stage gate framework for evaluating, piloting, and scaling supply chain technology innovations.
• Define gate criteria, scoring rubrics, and decision checkpoints, including ideation, feasibility, pilot, scale, and sunset.
• Lead cross-functional gate review committees and facilitate structured go/no-go decisions with executive stakeholders.
• Maintain a transparent innovation pipeline dashboard tracking active and archived technology candidates.
• Identify emerging technologies relevant to supply chain operations, including AI/ML, robotics, IoT, digital twins, blockchain, and autonomous systems.
• Develop and maintain relationships with technology vendors, startup ecosystems, and industry research bodies.
• Conduct structured technology assessments, including market analysis, vendor due diligence, and total cost of ownership modeling.
• Represent Cencora at industry forums, innovation councils, conferences, and strategic vendor engagements; monitor trends and benchmark practices.
• Partner with Supply Chain operations, IT, Finance, Legal, and Compliance to holistically vet technology candidates.
• Build and manage a Technology Innovation Advisory Board comprising internal subject matter experts and external advisors.
• Develop executive-ready business cases and investment proposals for technologies advancing through the pipeline.
• Align innovation initiatives with the broader supply chain strategic roadmap.
• Manage the innovation portfolio budget and allocate resources across stages of the gate process.
• Establish KPIs and success metrics for piloted and deployed technologies; measure and report realized cost savings, productivity improvements, and service enhancements to senior leadership.
• Conduct post-implementation reviews, capture lessons learned, and refine the vetting framework.
• Lead and mobilize a cross-functional network of stakeholders and subject matter experts to drive outcomes through influence rather than direct authority.
• Build trust and credibility across Supply Chain, IT, Finance, Operations, and other functions through expertise, listening, and collaborative problem-solving.
• Engage stakeholders early and often to create alignment around a shared innovation vision.
• Design and facilitate working sessions, workshops, and forums that draw out expertise and foster co-ownership of technology evaluation decisions.
• Cultivate curiosity and structured experimentation, encouraging teams to surface and champion emerging technology ideas.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision care.
• Support for working families, which may include backup dependent care, adoption assistance, infertility coverage, family building support, behavioral health solutions, paid parental leave, and paid caregiver leave.
• Training programs, professional development resources, and mentorship opportunities.
• Employee resource groups and volunteer activities.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director