Innovation Manager
Description
You take the lead in developing and realizing innovations that contribute to the cooperative's strategic goals. In addition to insurance, the organization is building a broader services business for the transport and logistics sector; it is explicitly not just about insurance innovations. You recognize medium- and long-term growth opportunities and translate trends and internal ideas into concrete, entrepreneurial propositions. You lead projects from the initial idea to market introduction and the onboarding of the first customers, and transfer successful products to the services organization.
Job requirements
- WO working and thinking level (e.g. Marketing, Business Administration, Applied Science or similar).
- 5–7+ years of experience in an entrepreneurial, innovative role; experience in transport or logistics is a plus.
- Relevant work or sector background in insurance, logistics, or transport is an asset.
- Experience in functionally managing innovation teams and achieving concrete, scalable results.
- Strong knowledge of innovation methodologies and models; you switch smoothly from exploration to execution.
- Affinity with digital technology and interest in AI.
- Strong communication skills, persuasiveness, and stakeholder management, including towards risk, compliance, and procurement.
Tasks
- Move in a structured manner through all phases of the innovation funnel: Pitch, Concept, Validation, Pilot, Scale-up, and Implementation; monitor quality, progress, and decision-making.
- Provide direction to the innovation roadmap and development agenda on behalf of the manager and the innovation steering group.
- Translate market and trend research into sharp choices regarding which innovations progress to subsequent phases.
- Develop business cases and ensure customer value, feasibility, safety, returns and risks.
- Lead multidisciplinary project teams (approximately 10–15 internal colleagues and external parties) and take innovations from idea to first implementation.
- Develop and validate propositions through customer testing and iterative improvement.
- Contract and manage partners and suppliers, and establish clear governance and SLAs.
- Manage innovation budgets and represent projects in the Innovation Steering Committee.
- Provide solicited and unsolicited advice to the board and management team on strategic opportunities and process improvements.
- Maintain a broad network, actively gather customer needs, and share innovation knowledge within the organization.
Working conditions
We offer an independent, challenging position with ample room for initiative in a professional work environment and good primary and secondary employment conditions.
- 16,33% Individual Choice Budget on top of the gross salary.
- 152 statutory leave hours and 48 extra-statutory leave hours (based on a 38-hour working week).
- Premium-free pension plan.
- A one-year contract with the prospect of a permanent contract.
- Laptop and phone.
- Hybrid working: a minimum of 40% presence at the office and up to 60% time- and location-independent work.
- Access to an academy for personal and professional development.
- Discounts at many gyms and promotion of exercise and fitness.
Description of the organization
The cooperative is purposefully working towards a broader services business for the transport and logistics sector, alongside its role as an insurer. The role focuses on translating a continuous stream of ideas into innovations with tangible impact and is driven by KPIs such as NPS, adoption, business case, and ROI. The Marketing & Services team is a compact steering team of approximately 5 FTEs that develops new services, while execution and fulfillment are outsourced to partners; the team consists of three innovation colleagues, a services manager, and one IT specialist. Working in this innovative and dynamic environment offers development opportunities and the chance to contribute to strategic ambitions.