Innovation Manager-Laboratory Sciences

At RTI International, our Laboratory Sciences business units – Technology Advancement and Commercialization (TAC) and Discovery Sciences (DS) – have over 30 years of excellence in scientific and engineering research across health, energy, and environmental sciences. Our talented teams of scientists and engineers, supported by state-of-the-art instrumentation and lab facilities, deliver impactful solutions to federal government and commercial clients alike.

We’re looking for a visionary Innovation Manager to drive growth and shape the future of our innovation efforts across TAC and DS. In this exciting new role, you will blend scientific expertise with strategic vision to champion a culture of innovation, working alongside dynamic internal teams to incubate and scale breakthrough ideas.

As a core leader in RTI’s “innovation ecosystem,” you’ll be the primary point of contact for innovation pipeline and intellectual property initiatives within our business units. Your role will encompass three key areas, in which your responsibilities will include but not be limited to:

Strategic Planning

• Support business unit leadership in executing innovation and IP strategy that aligns with RTI and business unit growth areas
• Perform market research, leveraging data and insights related to scientific advances, competitors, unit performance, market conditions and forces and other externalities impacting the business units’ approach to innovation
• Collaborate with business unit leaders to align internal resources (e.g. IR&D, SIF funding) with innovation and IP strategy
• Support business development efforts, including capture planning/strategy for key opportunities as appropriate
• Identify strategic opportunities to partner with Strategy and Transformation (e.g., RTI Technology Ventures, Innovation, Corporate Strategy, and Corporate Development) and Business Development to accelerate adoption and impact

Portfolio Management

• Provide day-to-day coordination of the business unit innovation and IP portfolio, and provide market insights to ensure the portfolio is appropriately balancing incremental and breakthrough innovation efforts in the context of core business and new growth areas
• Track innovation and IP pipeline, timelines for development, investment needed, and support business case development
• Report key learnings and metrics from the portfolio regularly to business unit leadership and Strategy and Transformation partners

Process Enablement

• Support innovation workshops and design thinking sessions to frame and validate concepts for priority growth areas
• Develop and implement processes and continuous improvements for driving innovation, in the context of the business units’ larger strategy for growth
• Partner with the technology transfer team to streamline IP management processes and encourage IP generation
• Liaise with other RTI business units, as applicable, to integrate development of innovation processes and ideas in partnership
• Serve as a mentor/advisor to various innovation teams and inventors to assist with business planning, market analysis, scientific stature, etc.
• Ensure the professional credibility of the function both internally and externally with key stakeholders and professional organizations
• Perform other related duties as assigned

• Bachelor’s degree in natural sciences or engineering field and 5 years of directly related experience; or Master’s degree in natural sciences or engineering field and 3 years of directly related experience.

• Demonstrated experience in a laboratory science or engineering environment.
• Demonstrated experience working in or partnering with an innovation management function. 

Preferred:

• Experience in venture discovery, tech transfer, IP management, growth planning, strategic planning, and/or business development and client engagement.
• Experience with project management, federal funding mechanisms (especially NIH, EPA, Dept of Energy, Dept of Defense), and proposal and capture processes.

For San Francisco, CA USA Job Postings Only: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records. Further information is available here.

RTI accepts applications to our job openings from candidates with criminal histories or conviction records in accordance with all applicable laws, including the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers and the California Fair Chance Act.

The anticipated pay range for this role is listed below. Our pay ranges represent national averages and may vary by location as a geographic differential may be applied to some locations within the United States. RTI considers multiple factors when making an offer including, for example: established salary range, internal budget, business needs, and education and years of work experience possessed by the applicant. Further, salary is merely one element to our offer.

At RTI, we demonstrate our commitment to rewarding individual and team achievement through a total rewards package. This package includes (among other things) a competitive base salary, a generous paid time off policy, merit based annual increases, bonus opportunities and a robust recognition program. Other benefits include a competitive range of insurance plans (including health, dental, life, and short-term and long-term disability), access to a retirement savings program such as a 401(k) plan, paid parental leave for all parents, financial assistance with adoption expenses or infertility treatments, financial reimbursement for education and developmental opportunities, an employee assistance program, and numerous other offerings to support a healthy work-life balance.

Salary : $135,000 - $165,000