Location

This position is considered an Office-First position. An office-first employee is an employee within the Greater Omaha Metropolitan Area whose default work location is a designated office and has office presence at least four days per week, specifically, Monday through Thursday. An office-first employee may, at times, perform work outside of a designated office location based on personal or professional need, at the discretion of their supervisor. Scooter’s Coffee is headquartered in Omaha, NE. The successful candidate lives in Omaha, NE or must be available to immediately relocate to Omaha, NE.

Description

As the Innovation Director at Scooter’s Coffee, you will be at the forefront of driving our brand's evolution through creative and strategic initiatives. You will develop and lead an innovation strategy that enables Scooter’s Coffee to deliver an AMAZING experience to our customers now and in the future. You will collaborate with all areas of the business, pushing the boundaries of customer experience, store design, technology and services. This role requires a visionary leader who can blend market insights, consumer trends, statistical modeling and technological advancements to shape the future of our model and brand.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

· Strategic Leadership: Develop and execute comprehensive innovation strategy aligned with the company’s long-term goals and vision. This includes identifying and developing business cases for opportunities that drive growth and market leadership. You will guide the creation of a roadmap that identifies key areas for innovation setting clear objectives and KPIs to measure success.

· Culture of Innovation: Champion a culture of innovation by encouraging out-of-the-box thinking while ensuring strategies are grounded in organizational capabilities. Involve teammates throughout the organization in the innovation process.

· Opportunity Identification: Proactively identify emerging trends, technologies, and market shifts to capitalize on new business opportunities and competitive advantages to create amazing customer experiences. Lead a results-driven innovation life cycle from ideation, business case, test, launch, and support.

· Technology Integration: Explore and integrate cutting-edge technologies to enhance the customer experience both in-store and online. Leverage digital platforms, mobile apps, and IoT solutions to streamline operations, personalize offerings, and drive engagement.

· Partnership and Engagement: Cultivate strategic partnerships, collaborations, and relationships with internal and external stakeholders to leverage innovation ideas and technologies. Develop strong partnerships with departments in the company such as Operations, Technology, and Marketing. Involve external stakeholders such as Franchisees and vendors when appropriate in the innovation process.

· Market Research: Conduct thorough market research, consumer insights, and competitive analysis to identify gaps, trends, and opportunities. Stay abreast of industry developments, store designs, emerging technologies, and consumer preferences to inform innovation strategies.

· Testing and Prototyping: Oversee the testing and prototyping processes, ensuring through evaluation of new ideas, designs, technology and services. 

· Communication: Effectively communicate to various levels in the organization innovation strategies, process, and outcomes across the organization. Ability to quantify opportunities and present business cases with data.

Qualifications

· Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, or Technology preferred

· Demonstrated experience in QSR, restaurant, or retail innovation

· Demonstrated knowledge with a fast paced, drive-thru concept strongly preferred

· Experience with cutting edge QSR technologies

· Experience managing multiple fast paced projects at a time

· Experience shaping customer behavior to drive business growth

· Capable of translating business requirements to customer experience concepts

· Strong knowledge & passion for operations and technology 

· Passion for delivering an Amazing Scooter’s Coffee experience to every customer 

· Ability to act as the “voice of the customer” and ensure their needs are translated into a compelling experience 

· Capable collaborating with senior counterparts including strong written and verbal communication

· Keen sense of curiosity with genuine desire to learn and think with agility – identifying patterns/trends and applying them in new and unfamiliar situations 

· Confident working in a fast-paced environment, with the willingness to make quick decisions based on continuous prioritization and evolving customer needs 

· Experience with a franchise-based business model a plus 

Disclaimer 

The functions and skills described here are general in nature and represent the type of work performed, but they do not constitute an exhaustive list of the duties and responsibilities performed on the job.