Director, Technology Innovation COE

Cencora•USA > PA > Remote, PA

1d•$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. This individual will own and continuously refine a structured stage gate process for vetting technology innovations — ensuring that investments are rigorous, aligned to business priorities, and positioned to deliver measurable supply chain value. This leader will serve as the bridge between technology vendors, internal stakeholders, and executive decision-makers, championing a disciplined yet agile approach to innovation.

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 — with 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 (ERP, WMS, TMS, AI platforms)

Responsibilities

Design, implement, and continuously improve a multi-stage gate framework for evaluating, piloting, and scaling supply chain technology innovations
Define clear criteria, scoring rubrics, and decision checkpoints for each gate (e.g., ideation, feasibility, pilot, scale, sunset)
Lead cross-functional gate review committees, facilitating structured go/no-go decisions with executive stakeholders
Maintain a transparent innovation pipeline dashboard, tracking all active and archived technology candidates
Proactively identify emerging technologies relevant to supply chain operations (e.g., AI/ML, robotics, IoT, digital twins, blockchain, autonomous systems)
Develop and maintain relationships with technology vendors, startup ecosystems, and industry research bodies (e.g., Gartner, Forrester, industry consortiums)
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; maintain awareness of supply chain innovation trends and benchmark practices across industries.
Partner with Supply Chain operations, IT, Finance, Legal, and Compliance to ensure holistic vetting of 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
Drive alignment between innovation initiatives and the broader supply chain strategic roadmap
Manage the innovation portfolio budget, ensuring appropriate resource allocation across stages of the gate process
Establish KPIs and success metrics for piloted and deployed technologies, measure realized benefits including cost savings, productivity improvements and service enhancements and reporting outcomes to senior leadership
Conduct post-implementation reviews to capture lessons learned and refine the vetting framework over time
Lead and mobilize a cross-functional network of internal stakeholders and subject matter experts, driving innovative outcomes through influence rather than direct authority
Build trust and credibility across Supply Chain, IT, Finance, Operations, and other functions by demonstrating deep expertise, active listening, and collaborative problem-solving
Create alignment around a shared innovation vision by engaging stakeholders early and often throughout the stage gate process
Design and facilitate working sessions, workshops, and forums that draw out subject matter expertise and foster co-ownership of technology evaluation decisions
Cultivate a culture of curiosity and structured experimentation across the stakeholder community, encouraging teams to surface and champion emerging technology ideas