Senior Director, Enterprise Innovation

Travelers • New York City, NY

22h

About The Position

Travelers is seeking a Senior Director of Innovation Ecosystem & Partnerships to bring an outside-in perspective and accelerate innovation through external partners. In this role, you will lead engagement with venture capital firms, accelerators, startups, universities, and research partners—identifying and advancing opportunities that align with Travelers’ strategic priorities. The ideal candidate combines a strong external network with deep insurance knowledge and excels at connecting internal business needs to emerging solutions. You will champion pilots with startups and translate new technologies into measurable business value for the enterprise

Requirements

• 7–10 years in insurance, re/insurance, financial services, or adjacent sectors, with strong P&C knowledge.
• Proven ability to influence senior leaders and align technical and non-technical audiences.
• Comfortable navigating ambiguity and driving progress in evolving environments.
• Exceptional research and analytical skills; ability to assess emerging technologies and synthesize insights.
• Demonstrated success in innovation scouting, partnerships, and startup collaboration.
• Hands-on experience leading pilots, POCs, or strategic collaborations.
• Experience leading teams or cross-functional groups to deliver measurable outcomes.
• Bachelor's degree required
• Bachelor's degree in business, marketing, economics, engineering, mathematics, statistics, or comparable analytical degree or equivalent
• Five years’ experience in strategy consulting, innovation, market research, project management, product management or related field
• Three years of people management.

Nice To Haves

• Master’s or MBA preferred

Responsibilities

• Ecosystem Leadership & Scouting
• Build and manage relationships with VCs, accelerators/incubators, and academic research partners.
• Identify and prioritize startups and technologies aligned to Travelers’ strategic objectives.
• Maintain a transparent pipeline of external opportunities mapped to enterprise priorities.
• Represent Travelers at industry events, forums, and partner engagements.
• Internal Matchmaking & Enablement
• Partner with business leaders to articulate innovation needs and opportunity areas.
• Facilitate introductions between Travelers teams and external innovators.
• Organize demo days, showcases, and co-development workshops.
• Ensure alignment and accountability for innovation initiatives across teams.
• Strategic Insights & Storytelling
• Research market, academic, and technology trends to inform strategy.
• Synthesize ecosystem signals and industry shifts into insights for senior leadership.
• Prepare executive briefings, innovation reports, and portfolio updates.
• Pilot Execution
• Lead end-to-end delivery of startup pilots and POCs—from identification through evaluation and handoff.
• Collaborate with internal sponsors to define problem statements, KPIs, and ROI metrics.
• Translate pilot outcomes into actionable insights and strategic recommendations.
• Drive cross-functional teams to accelerate pilot design, execution, and evaluation.

Benefits

• Health Insurance : Employees and their eligible family members – including spouses, domestic partners, and children – are eligible for coverage from the first day of employment.
• Retirement: Travelers matches your 401(k) contributions dollar-for-dollar up to your first 5% of eligible pay, subject to an annual maximum. If you have student loan debt, you can enroll in the Paying it Forward Savings Program. When you make a payment toward your student loan, Travelers will make an annual contribution into your 401(k) account. You are also eligible for a Pension Plan that is 100% funded by Travelers.
• Paid Time Off: Start your career at Travelers with a minimum of 20 days Paid Time Off annually, plus nine paid company Holidays.
• Wellness Program: The Travelers wellness program is comprised of tools, discounts and resources that empower you to achieve your wellness goals and caregiving needs. In addition, our mental health program provides access to free professional counseling services, health coaching and other resources to support your daily life needs.
• Volunteer Encouragement: We have a deep commitment to the communities we serve and encourage our employees to get involved. Travelers has a Matching Gift and Volunteer Rewards program that enables you to give back to the charity of your choice.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees