Director of Enterprise Innovation

The Company

Founded in 1930 in Indianapolis, IN, The Heritage Group (THG) is a fourth-generation family-owned business managing a diverse portfolio of more than 30 companies specializing in heavy construction and materials, environmental services, and specialty chemicals. With operations in North America, Europe, and Asia, and a client network that spans the globe, THG's focus is on innovation, quality, and service. In 2017 THG opened the Center, a state-of-the-art facility located in Indianapolis that serves as the company's hub for collaboration and innovation. Housed at the Center is the Heritage Research Group, the Strategy and M&A group, and the New Ventures group, including a devoted accelerator space.

Innovation remains a central feature of THG's history and value creation DNA. THG operating companies have a long-term track record of helping solve problems and challenges for customers through partnership and innovation. The Heritage Research Group is one of the preeminent corporate hardtech R&D labs. HG Ventures, the Company's corporate venture arm, is one of the most active CVCs in the nation, with over 35 early-stage companies in its portfolio. The Heritage Group Accelerator each year welcomes 8-10 startups from around the world for a 3-month intensive mentoring and piloting experience. Our continued success involves the sustained, intentional maintenance of an ecosystem that encourages and supports the core, adjacent, and transformative power of innovation whenever and wherever it occurs throughout our organization-both early in the discovery cycle and later on through commercialization.

The Candidate

We are looking to add an enthusiastic and dedicated Director of Enterprise Innovation to our team who will support our growth strategy, spearhead our internal innovation initiatives, be a partner to THG operating companies, and cultivate innovative thinking and practices. This role will extend across multiple facets of the company, including innovation portfolio and project management, relationship management, theme development and connective support for The Heritage Group and our operating companies, educational content delivery, business intelligence, and new initiatives. We seek an individual who has a balanced background in building relationships, entrepreneurial thinking, and innovation execution.

Responsibilities include:

• Synthesize and curate innovation-related themes across the organization
• Coordinate and track innovation initiatives across THG, acting as a central repository for innovation ideas (products, services, business models).
• Assemble and manage teams drawing on talent from throughout THG for innovation evaluation projects.
• Organize and staff "deep focus teams" for potential new business themes.
• Aggregate customer and market insights generated across THG.
• Produce and execute innovation culture and education programs.
• Communicate regularly with senior stakeholders across THG on project details, next steps, and key asks by developing a transparent and user-friendly dashboard for innovation projects for use by the THG leadership and Board.
• Report jointly to and coordinate with Heritage Research Group and New Ventures; engage with senior leaders of THG operating companies through a centralized Innovation Council

Cultivate relationships with university and corporate tech transfer offices with a focus on potential spin-in innovation opportunities.

• Lead a small team to accomplish the group's objectives.

The successful candidate will have the following profile:

• Minimum 7 years of relevant experience
• Relevant entrepreneurial/intrapreneurial experience:
  • Diligence and stage-gate processes for evaluating feasibility and prioritization of innovation projects
  • General understanding of intellectual property development in the context of new product or business value creation
  • Directing the development of new products and innovations from idea through implementation
  • Market research and assessing product-market fit for new products and services
  • Aggregating customer and market insights across diverse organizations
  • Familiarity with technology evaluation methodologies
  • Knowledge of financial modeling and assumptions for new products or companies
  • Direct experience with technology translation issues including IP management and ownership, equity (ownership) considerations, and leadership requirements & implementation
  • Building project teams and judging entrepreneurial talent
• Communication and relationships:
  • Conceptual and organizational skills necessary to produce and maintain enterprise-wide visibility into innovation activities
  • Effective interaction with senior leadership, including a nuanced appreciation for resource allocation and prioritization with internal partners
  • Sophisticated communication capabilities addressing multi-level, multi-audience information sharing
  • Ability to obtain support for project teams and help eliminate obstacles
• Enthusiasm for and capacity to champion value creation through innovation
• Experience navigating a large organization (preferably private), including cross-company and cross-functional preferences
• Have a high level of confidence in making decisions with uncertainty and at times ambiguity
• Have the ability to take in and process a broad spectrum of information and synthesize into easy communicated pieces.