Senior Innovations Specialist

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PURPOSE OF THE ROLE

The Senior Innovation Specialist (official job title) leads major innovation projects and continuous improvement initiatives that help CommunityAid grow and improve. This role designs and carries out full innovation cycles, evaluates new opportunities, and helps teams adopt new approaches. The Senior Specialist works closely with leadership, store operations, and other departments to deliver measurable impact while keeping our mission and values at the center of all work.

Adjacent & Transformational Innovation Execution

• Design and run full innovation cycles from idea through testing and handoff.
• Evaluate business cases and make recommendations on which ideas to pursue.
• Lead pilots and drive adoption of new tools, products, or processes.
• Use design thinking and problem-solving methods to find practical solutions.
• Track and measure the results of innovation projects.

Continuous Improvement (CI) & Operational Excellence

• Lead complex CI projects across multiple stores or departments.
• Teach and mentor staff in Lean Six Sigma and continuous improvement tools.
• Hold Green Belt certification (or higher) or equivalent experience.
• Standardize successful practices and ensure they are shared across the organization.
• Partner with operations to help scale improvements.

Strategic Insight and Deployment

• Use data analysis and qualitative research to generate strategic, operational insights
• Apply consumer insights to guide decision-making in Innovation projects
• Track and report on progress toward CommunityAid’s BHAGs and long-term goals.
• Play key role in development of strategic roadmaps and KPIs for organizational BHAGs
• Regularly engage in consumer research to build up the knowledge base around our consumers (shoppers) and customer (donors)

Communication and Stakeholder Management

• Facilitate workshops and discussions that bring people together around new ideas.
• Present findings and recommendations to executives in a simple, compelling way.
• Proactively build strong working relationships across departments
• Represent the Innovation team with professionalism and clarity
• Communicate innovation value to a wide range of stakeholders
• Drive executive engagement and decision-making through strong communication.
• Actively listen and learn from front-line staff. Advocate for front-line insights with leadership

Mission-Aligned Culture Building

• Reflect CommunityAid’s mission and values/core behaviors in all innovation work
• Actively think about change management in cross-functional projects – stay focused on the “how” of our work
• Model and mentor others on emotional intelligence and collaborative behavior
• Promote a spirit of service and values-driven innovation – treat other teams as the client

CORE COMPETENCIES

• Embrace, exemplify, and endorse CommunityAid’s 12 Core Behaviors.
• Embrace CommunityAid’s Mission.
• Problem-solving and creative thinking
• Strong communication, storytelling, and facilitation skills
• Change management and adoption skills
• Collaboration across diverse teams
• Data analysis and insight generation
• Strategic thinking and planning
• Emotional intelligence, self-direction, and adaptability

QUALIFICATIONS

Education: Bachelor’s degree or equivalent relevant experience; advanced certification in Lean Six Sigma (Green Belt or higher) preferred.

Experience: 4-6 years of experience in innovation, strategy, consulting, operations, or continuous improvement. Experience in nonprofit, retail, or mission-driven settings is a plus

Skills:

• Proficiency with Lean Six Sigma and CI tools
• Strong data analysis and reporting skills.
• Skilled in design thinking, project management, and facilitation.
• Ability to create clear and engaging presentations.
• Comfort with managing multiple large projects at once.

Attributes:

• Mission-aligned and values-driven.
• Strong mentor and team player.
• Able to think strategically and act practically.
• Curious, humble, and open to feedback.
• Culturally aware and emotionally intelligent.

WORK ENVIRONMENT AND HOURS

• Full-time, hybrid role based in Central Pennsylvania
• Regular in-person collaboration and frequent travel to store locations required
• Occasional travel to vendor sites or partner organizations