Director - Innovation

Our team members are at the heart of everything we do. At Cencora, we are united in our responsibility to create healthier futures, and every person here is essential to us being able to deliver on that purpose. If you want to make a difference at the center of health, come join our innovative company and help us improve the lives of people and animals everywhere.

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** Job Details
** This role is in support of Cencora's global logistics and storage services marketed through our World Courier business.

We're looking for a dynamic and forward-thinking Director of Innovation to lead groundbreaking initiatives, drive transformative change, and shape the future of our organization through creative strategies and visionary leadership.
** Primary

Duties & Responsibilities:

**** Own the innovation strategy, governance and funnel
*** Collaborate with the VP of Business Transformation & Growth and Strategy Manager to define and implement an innovation strategy that supports the company’s goals and vision – in line with 5Y strategy and long-range plan.
* Drive the implementation of the innovation process and governance, ensuring its diligent execution, continuous improvement and visibility of our progress towards a new innovation culture in the business. Owns and safeguards idea selection criteria and funnel stage gates.
* Generate a new innovation pipeline to reflect our long-term strategy and new design principles, driving innovation initiatives from ideation to the handoff to our VMO (Value Management Office) for detailed design and implementation.
** Chair the Innovation Councils and manage quarterly portfolio reviews in partnership with VMO and IT
*** Build & run an external Innovation Council that gathers key opinion leaders across our strategic customer segments to capture and test innovative solutions.
* Build & run an internal Innovation Council that reviews progress of ideas through our funnel, including the clearance of stage gates.
* Collaborate with VMO and IT in preparing quarterly project portfolio reviews including recommendations for the prioritization of innovation projects.
* Foster a culture of innovation within the organization by encouraging creative thinking and collaboration among team members.
** Partner with Strategy team for foresight and market trends
*** Work closely with WC Strategy team to maintain an active external radar that identifies industry trends, competitive landscape, and emerging technologies that could shape our innovation agenda.
* Effectively include WC Strategy team to drive key market analyses that help qualify, evaluate and prioritize innovation ideas through the funnel.
** Partner with VMO to track execution and benefit realization
*** Establish key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure the success and impact of innovation initiatives, collaborating effectively with VMO to keep track of benefit realization and innovation contribution to WC growth targets.
* Secure complete handoff of initiatives from innovation funnel to VMO project portfolio to ‘set them up for success’ in the execution leg of their lifecycle.
** Coordinate with Cencora enterprise innovation
*** Partner with VP of Business Transformation & Growth to maintain a direct line with communication with Cencora enterprise innovation team in order to secure alignment on innovation priorities and explore potential synergies and funding opportunities..
** Preferred

Education and Experience:

*** Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Marketing, Innovation Management, or a related field. A Master’s degree or MBA is preferred.
* Extensive proven experience in innovation management, R&D, business transformation, or a related role within the pharmaceutical or pharma logistics industries.
* Proven track record of successfully leading and implementing customer-facing innovative projects and initiatives that drive business growth and operational efficiency.
* Experience in managing cross-functional teams and collaborating with various stakeholders to achieve project objectives.
** Technical Skills
*** Strong passion for and curiosity about new and innovative solutions.
* Thorough knowledge and understanding of…