Senior Manager of Innovation

• Unable to provide sponsorship at this time. Only considering persons eligible to work in the United States.
  
  

Position Title: Senior Manager of Innovation

Supervisor’s Title: Chief Innovation Officer

Exemption Status: Exempt

Positions Supervised: N/A

Term Position: 18 February 2025 - 31 December 2026

Location: Remote, with travel to Charlotte, NC and other locations as needed

Background

Global Support and Development (GSD) is a humanitarian organization whose mission is to work with regional, national, and local communities across the Caribbean, Central America and South Pacific for resilience to crisis through rapid response, disaster preparedness, and climate adaptation.

GSD began as an impromptu response to Cyclone Pam in Vanuatu in 2015. Since our founding, we have worked with a number of regional, national and local communities and supported various international and United States domestic disaster response and preparedness efforts. Our first response defined the core of GSD’s DNA as an organization – to work with communities – led by their needs, filling the gaps they have identified, while leveraging unique approaches and capabilities with an innovation mindset. By integrating our team’s diverse skill sets and resources into local responses, we provide rapid response assistance to affected communities in coordination with regional, national, and local community partners. We work to support and strengthen local capacity through disaster preparedness initiatives, including innovation and climate adaptation, to reduce the impact disasters and the climate crisis have on communities.

Purpose Of Position

The Senior Manager of Innovation reports to the Chief Innovation Officer and supports GSD’s Senior Leadership Team to facilitate and advance innovation in pursuit of GSD’s mission and ambition. A critical responsibility of this position is to seek and support the development of novel innovation approaches in key GSD activities, especially new, high-impact humanitarian, development, and private sector processes, products, technologies, and paradigms. This position plays a key role in coordinating and synchronizing innovation approaches for GSD’s external activities as well as internal processes and procedures.

Essential Functions

• In support of the Chief Innovation Officer (CIO), help develop and lead GSD’s culture of innovation throughout the organization by managing the internal processes and forum that researches, explores, proposes, reviews, designs, pilots, implements, evaluates, and potentially scales internal and external programs and projects;
• Develop and support the implementation of tools, processes, and frameworks to set innovation objectives at the organizational, section, and department level to most effectively advance GSD’s mission and ambition;
• Assist the CIO and Senior Leadership Team (SLT) in translating GSD’s strategy into actionable plans that, when and where appropriate, include innovative approaches or technologies through an innovation sub-strategy;
• Support the CIO and SLT to develop and maintain innovation-focused partnerships with academic, nongovernmental, intergovernmental, and private sector organizations in the humanitarian, development, emergency management, climate, and technology sectors - including through in-person or virtual forums to accelerate the exchange and integration of external innovation ideas;
• Work with the CIO to establish, convene, manage a curated group (‘GSD Innovation Forum’) of internal stakeholders to drive innovation throughout GSD;
• Work with Partnerships and other departments to ensure the inputs, experiences, and voices of the local actors and communities we work alongside, and in support of, are prominently included in GSD’s innovation activities. When appropriate, engage with in-country partners to strengthen the lens of local context in GSD's innovative solutions and internal innovation processes;
• Support a culture of accountability for innovation programs and projects by working closely with the GSD Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL) team/framework for organizational improvement via strategic reviews;
• Maintain an advanced understanding about the present and future state of disaster response and preparedness strategies in the humanitarian, development, emergency management, climate, and private sectors, ensuring GSD and its employees understand and are equipped to deliver value across the sector in the conduct of GSD’s mission;
• Prompt and action GSD’s core values of accountability, humility, and integrity in all work we conduct;
• Promote good stewardship of financial and other resources to achieve maximum benefit to those impacted by disaster or at risk of impact; and
• Perform other duties as assigned.
  
  

Qualifications

Required Experience:

• Five (5) or more years progressive work experience in the humanitarian, development, or emergency management, or private sector, working on innovation for a minimum of three (3) years;
• Five (5) or more years experience in stakeholder management, partnership development, or business development roles;
• Three (3) or more years experience facilitating analytical and/or strategic planning efforts with a focus on innovation, with hands-on experience with emerging technologies, specializing in pilot development, testing, and deployment of innovative use cases across multi-sector environments.
  
  

Required Education

• Relevant Bachelor’s degree in any field with demonstrated focus on innovation, business or economic development, or international relations; or
• Equivalent experience and training.
  
  

Professional Licenses/Certifications

• Certification in project management is desired
  
  

Knowledge/Skills

• Strong knowledge of best practices and techniques in innovation, communication, and humanitarian response;
• Strong knowledge of best practices in building long-term solutions across the development and humanitarian sector to dive efforts towards GSD's broader vision;
• Strong understanding of emerging technologies and use case development;
• Strong business development skills;
• High-level communication, interpersonal, and organizational skills;
• Outstanding written and verbal communication skills, including presentation ability;
• Cultural awareness and the ability to work collaboratively with a wide array of stakeholders to build relationships;
• Discernment for confidentiality in relation to organizational, partner, donor and activities and communications;
• Self-motivated, capable of producing high quality work independently and within a team;
• Ability to manage multiple tasks, develop schedules, consistently meet deadlines, and attend to details;
• Experience working and/or traveling domestically and internationally;
• Fluency in written and spoken English required; working knowledge of Spanish or French desired.
  
  

Working Conditions And Physical Requirements

• At this time, GSD is not offering sponsorship and is only accepting applications from persons eligible to work in the United States; and
• Routine domestic and international travel up to 25% is required.
  
  

Benefits

You'll get..

• Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance: Premiums 100% covered by GSD for employee, employee spouse, employee family
• Basic Life, AD&D, and Long Term Disability Insurance: Fully covered by GSD
• Health Reimbursement Account (HRA): Up to $4,000 in total annually for employee 2 or more family members
• Voluntary Life Insurance: Options available at reasonable group rates
• Generous Paid Time Off (PTO): All employees are eligible for an annual accrual (up to 5 weeks of PTO per year)
• 14 Paid Holidays
• Parental Leave: Up to 12 weeks paid by GSD
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Professional Career Development Opportunities
• 401(k): GSD will match up to 6% of base salary for all employees ages 21 . Employees are eligible to begin contributing after 1 pay cycle, and the company match will go into effect immediately after employee begins contributing
• Additional Perks!
  
  

This job description is a summary rather than a detailed list of the duties performed. The essential functions,

knowledge, skills, and working conditions may change along with business needs. This job description does not

constitute a contract between employer and employee as employment is at will. Global Support and Development

provides reasonable accommodations to assist qualified individuals in order to perform the essential functions

their job requires.

GSD is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and embraces all candidates regardless of race, color, sex (including

pregnancy), nation of origin, ethnicity, religion, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, age, gender identity or

expression, genetic information, military/veteran status or any other basis prohibited by law. GSD promotes

diversity, equity, and inclusion in all candidate selections. GSD promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion in all

candidate selections.