Innovation Operations Principal (E6110)

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers•Piscataway, NJ

About The Position

The Innovation Operations Principal is responsible for driving the day-to-day execution of the innovation pipeline as a mechanism for testing and advancing IEEE's strategy. Serving as the lead operator for the innovation portfolio, this individual ensures that the systems for capturing, evaluating, and advancing ideas are seamless, disciplined, and firmly anchored to IEEE's strategic priorities. This role serves as a critical bridge, working in close partnership with the Strategy team to translate enterprise priorities, landscape insights, and emerging opportunities into actionable problem statements and themes that guide idea generation. The Principal is also the primary interface between the innovation portal's capabilities and the community it serves. By maintaining high-touch engagement with internal stakeholders and leveraging GenAI to streamline workflows, the Principal ensures the innovation portal remains a productive and measurable asset for the organization. This position reports to the Director of Innovation and works in close coordination with the Product Operations Lead to align the portal's functional capabilities with both strategic and operational needs.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience
7–10 years in operations, project management, or innovation management, with a focus on process execution and stakeholder engagement
Strategy Translation: Demonstrated ability to synthesize high-level strategic priorities and landscape research into actionable themes and operational problem statements
Operational Rigor: Proven ability to manage complex pipelines and maintain disciplined, repeatable workflows
Data Literacy: Comfortable defining and reporting on KPIs; ability to use data to tell a story of operational success and strategic alignment
Technical Aptitude: Experience with innovation management platforms and a practical understanding of how to apply GenAI tools to enhance business processes
Communication: Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to navigate a complex, multi-stakeholder environment and drive participation

Responsibilities

Aligning Innovation with IEEE Strategy Partner closely with the Strategy team to translate enterprise priorities, landscape insights, and emerging opportunities into innovation idea campaigns
Feed portfolio analytics back to the Strategy team to help identify emerging patterns or signals that may inform future areas of strategic focus
Idea Portfolio & Pipeline Management: Serve as the primary operator of the innovation submission process, managing the lifecycle of ideas as they move through the funnel
Monitor and manage the workflow of the innovation portal, ensuring timely progression of ideas and identifying bottlenecks in the process
Coordinate with internal delegates and stakeholders to ensure active participation and high-quality feedback during the evaluation phases
Process Optimization Manage the operational lifecycle of innovation challenges, ensuring workflows are designed to test and validate strategically aligned concepts
Continuously evaluate the "front-end" user experience to ensure the submission and feedback process is intuitive, transparent, and accessible
Collaborate with the Product Operations Lead to ensure the platform’s technical configuration supports strategy-driven workflows and evolving business needs
GenAI Integration & Capabilities Implement GenAI tools to drive operational efficiency, including automated idea summarization, problem framing, and initial feasibility scanning
Develop and maintain a library of innovation prompts and synthetic personas to assist users in refining their submissions
Explore and integrate emerging AI capabilities to enhance the quality of data moving through the innovation funnel
Performance Measurement Own the tracking and reporting of portfolio KPIs, ensuring data provides a clear view of strategic alignment, pipeline health, and impact
Synthesize portfolio data into "strategy signals" to help the Strategy team validate or pivot landscape assumptions based on real-world submission trends
Translate raw pipeline data into actionable insights to help inform the office's operational improvements
Stakeholder Engagement Act as the operational liaison for the innovation office, fostering cross-functional collaboration between departments
Manage the network of innovation delegates, providing the necessary process guidance and support to ensure consistent evaluation standards
Facilitate intake sessions and workshops to help teams transition raw concepts into structured, actionable proposals