SENIOR MANAGER, INNOVATION

Job Summary:

CARE’s Innovation Team is addressing the need to foster a culture and practice of innovation across CARE as a means to addressing development stickiest challenges. We do this by driving awareness, adoption, and support of innovative solutions within the organization’s business units, areas of practice/sectors and country and regional offices. The Senior Manager, Innovation will be the primary technical lead for our work on building CARE as a scaling platform. S/he will work closely with the Innovation Senior Director, program teams and country offices to co-create, test and refine transformational strategies that will guide CARE’s evolution as network to scale best-in-class development solutions.

Reponsibilities:

1. Build CARE’s Innovation Network

• Lead the Innovation & Impact@Scale team’s work on building CARE into a scaling platform for best-in-class development solutions.
• Build CARE’s network of innovation partners across the six regions covered by CARE USA, in collaboration with the regional innovation advisors and other I2 team members.
• Curate and maintain a database of innovations across CARE’s six impact areas.
• Manage the Innovation Team’s internal processes for onboarding new (internal and external) partners.
• Facilitate learning linkages and coordination with CARE Confederation around Innovation.

2. Co-manage the Innovation to Sustainable Scale Pipeline

• Support the Innovation Senior Director on overall innovation strategy development and implementation, and in ideating/executing on projects related to sustainable scaling.
• Play a key role in moving solutions through a stage-gated process (based on the IDIA six stages for scaling and innovation); working closely with the Impact@Scale team, program teams, and country offices.
• Liaise with key internal partners to develop strategic plans for providing country offices and program teams with necessary support to identify and implement innovative solutions that can scale sustainably.

3. Business Development & Resource Mobilization

• Work closely with Innovation and solution teams to identify and respond to funding opportunities – assisting in the preparation of proposals and fundraising materials.
• Foster strong collaboration with CARE USA’s resource development team and other CARE Member Partners and affiliates to cultivate and grow funding opportunities.
• Assemble and submit grant requests, including letters, proposals, budgets, and presentations.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree
• Master’s Degree preferred: global development, social enterprise, business, non profit management or other relevant fields of study preferred.
• Experience with lean design tools, human-centered design and/or lean start-up methodologies.
• Experience structuring, managing, and executing participatory design and experimentation engagements.
• Strong local ecosystem connections and networks.
• 5 – 7 years’ experience with international development or social enterprise organizations.
• Experience in knowledge management and communications.
• Strong written communication skills.
• Strong organizational capabilities.
• Skills in using ICT, social media, and online communications and project management tools.