Innovation Program Manager

Technology Innovation Institute (TII) is a publicly funded research institute, based in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. It is home to a diverse community of leading scientists, engineers, mathematicians, and researchers from across the globe, transforming problems and roadblocks into pioneering research and technology prototypes that help move society ahead.

Technology Innovation Institute (TII) is seeking an Innovation Program Manager to lead and coordinate the execution of internal innovation initiatives, with primary responsibility for managing the organization's innovation platform.

The platform enables employees to submit ideas, participate in innovation challenges, and contribute to initiatives that drive organizational improvement. The role will oversee the end-to-end innovation process, from idea submission and evaluation through selection, implementation, and recognition.

The Innovation Program Manager will work closely with internal stakeholders, challenge sponsors, and evaluation committees to ensure effective program delivery, employee engagement, and measurable outcomes. The role will also support the development and execution of additional innovation initiatives across the organization.

• Manage the day-to-day operations and performance of the internal innovation platform.
• Plan, coordinate, and execute innovation challenges, campaigns, and competitions from initiation through completion.
• Develop campaign timelines, challenge briefs, communication plans, and implementation schedules.
• Support challenge sponsors and managers in defining business problems, establishing challenge objectives, and developing evaluation criteria.
• Ensure innovation initiatives are delivered effectively and aligned with organizational priorities.

• Oversee the end-to-end idea management process, including submission, screening, evaluation, selection, approval, and implementation tracking.
• Coordinate with subject matter experts and relevant stakeholders to ensure ideas are evaluated consistently, fairly, and within established timelines.
• Maintain visibility of the innovation pipeline and monitor the progress of selected ideas.
• Follow up with relevant teams to facilitate the implementation of approved ideas and address potential delays.
• Track implementation outcomes and document the impact of successful initiatives.

• Collaborate with internal departments, challenge sponsors, and employees to encourage participation in innovation initiatives.
• Develop and distribute communications related to challenge launches, submission deadlines, reminders, results, and program updates.
• Provide guidance to employees on the innovation platform, submission requirements, and evaluation processes.
• Coordinate recognition initiatives to acknowledge employees whose ideas are selected or successfully implemented.
• Build relationships across departments to strengthen innovation engagement and participation.

• Monitor innovation platform activity, employee participation, challenge performance, and idea pipeline progression.
• Prepare regular reports and updates for the innovation team and senior leadership.
• Track key performance indicators, including submission volumes, evaluation timelines, implementation progress, and program outcomes.
• Identify opportunities to improve program effectiveness, participation rates, and user experience.
• Support the development of recommendations to enhance innovation processes, engagement strategies, and recognition mechanisms.

• Design, coordinate, and deliver additional innovation initiatives, including hackathons, workshops, idea competitions, and cross-functional projects.
• Identify opportunities to enhance innovation processes, platform functionality, and employee incentives.
• Leverage internal resources and stakeholder expertise to implement program improvements.
• Promote a culture of innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement across the organization.

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Communications, Operations, Project Management, or a related discipline is preferred.
• Candidates with alternative educational backgrounds and relevant practical experience will also be considered.

• Preferably 3+ years of…