Innovation Manager

ITW•San Luis Obispo, CA

27d•$100,000 - $125,000

About The Position

Are you looking to grow your engineering career with a company that empowers you to reach your full potential? About Us We’re committed to investing in our people and aim to support our colleagues in their development and long-term career growth with ITW. Our decentralized, entrepreneurial culture empowers you to think and act like a business owner. We aspire for everyone to perform to their full potential and value the unique and diverse perspectives, experiences and ideas that makes us better together. The ITW Business Model gives us the tools to focus on what’s most important, and we’re grounded in our values of Integrity, Simplicity, Trust, Respect and Shared Risk. We’re proud of what we do and even more proud of how we do it. Position Summary: The Innovation Manager is accountable for delivering above-market organic growth by implementing innovation and driving the division toward its full potential. Reporting to the Director of Marketing, this role is central to identifying growth segments, translating insights into actionable product concepts, and building a robust innovation pipeline aligned with ITW Global Tire Repair’s strategic priorities. The Innovation Manager acts as a key connector between marketing intelligence and technical development, ensuring seamless collaboration with R&D to accelerate innovation.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Engineering, or related field; MBA preferred.
5+ years of experience in innovation, product development, or strategic marketing.
Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams and drive consumer-centric innovation.
Strong analytical and financial modeling skills.
Excellent communication and storytelling abilities.
Familiarity with automotive aftermarket
Up to 20% travel required.

Responsibilities

Customer-Back Innovation Leadership Champion the innovation process across ITW GTR, ensuring all initiatives are rooted in real consumer pain points and unmet needs.
Aggressively prioritize and drive new product innovation in Accelerated Growth categories supporting division Strategic Intent and Long Range Plan roadmap.
Lead qualitative and quantitative research efforts to uncover insights that inform product strategy and positioning.
Translate insights into compelling product concepts and business cases that align with ITW’s strategic priorities and long-range growth goals.
Own the implementation and consistent application of innovation tools and templates.
Innovation Pipeline Development Build and manage a short-term and long-term pipeline of new product ideas.
Facilitate ideation sessions using best-in-class techniques to generate ownable, brand-aligned concepts.
Drive iterative learning cycles to qualify concepts through rapid prototyping, testing, and validation.
Collaborate extensively with R&D to integrate enabling technologies that support sustainable differentiation in GTR’s core product lines.
Coordinate with legal and R&D to initiate IP strategy and protect differentiated ideas.
Ensure innovation projects are scoped with solid business cases, clear objectives, timelines, and resource plans.
Strategic Marketing & Business Acumen Develop and maintain category roadmaps informed by market trends, competitive intelligence, and customer segmentation.
Build strategic business cases with sound financial modeling to support investment decisions.
Present innovation opportunities and progress to executive leadership with clarity and confidence.
Team Leadership & Strategic Collaboration Mentor and coach product managers and cross-functional contributors in applying Customer-Back Innovation principles and tools.
Foster a culture of curiosity, accountability, and consumer focus within the innovation team.
Partner with VP/GM, DLT, and Segment staff to align innovation strategy with divisional goals and ensure resource deployment supports prioritized opportunities.
Lead cross-functional teams through ITW’s stage-gate process, ensuring disciplined execution and milestone achievement.
Collaborate closely with R&D, Channel Marketing, Pricing, and Sales to align innovation efforts with go-to-market strategies and operational capabilities.