Reporting to the Director - Incubator, the Senior Innovation Lead (SIL) is accountable for contributing to and implementing Liberty IT’s Applied Innovation strategy. The SIL is responsible for the increasing the adoption of relevant emergent capabilities and technologies within Liberty IT. They will partner with technical leaders inside and outside of the organization to build a culture of innovation. They are accountable for the exploitation of emergent technologies and capabilities for the organization through their leadership of the Incubator, their partnership with Liberty Mutual and their relationships with the Liberty IT units. The SIL is responsible for ensuring value realization of innovation internally within LIT, within Liberty Mutual and in the external market where appropriate.

The SIL leads the Applied Innovation unit and collaborates with the Leadership & Support team and wider team members to define the unit’s common purpose which unites the teams within, delivers value for the customer and enhances Liberty IT as a whole.

Key Responsibilities

• Leads the Applied Innovation unit and LIT Incubator ensuring a strong focus on emergent technology and concepts with a view to exploration of transformative innovation for the benefit of Liberty IT and the wider Liberty Mutual group.
• Responsible for exploring, scaling and optimising new capabilities and ensuring these capabilities become embedded across the organization, delivering value to our business and IT customers.
• Accountable for ensuring the right balance and focus between core, adjacent and transformative innovation across the organization.
• Identifies and pursues innovation opportunities for the unit and wider organisation.
• Promotes and builds a culture of innovation across the organisation.
• Responsible for overall Applied Innovation unit resourcing, ensuring right people, right place, right time with a commitment to talent mobility.
• Builds a culture of empowerment and self-regulation which drives overall unit performance.
• Aggregates team objectives and key results (OKR’s), oversees delivery against these and unit KPI’s, ensuring visibility and transparency to business and all team members. Analyses KPI’s and takes actions as appropriate as a result.
• Removes impediments through provision of appropriate resources, guidance and escalation
• Collaborates with Director of Technology, Business Transformation Director and Applied Innovation Director to ensure alignment on strategy and execution
• Assesses context of each team within the unit and ensures appropriate methodologies and practices are applied.
• Evolves capability of the unit through the introduction of new thinking and approaches. Researches and follows industry trends and leaders internally and externally.
• Objectively assesses adherence to the engineering goals defined in the LIT Technical Framework and works with teams across the unit to ensure each has a team optimisation plan in place. Ensures value is delivered through adoption and application of techniques in LIT.Method().
• Coaches, mentors and provides guidance to Delivery Leads and self-led teams within the unit, providing regular feedback on performance.
• Accountable for Performance & Talent Review across the unit.

• Minimum of 3 years relevant senior IT leadership experience with a proven track record of technical and people leadership
• An experienced agile practitioner with knowledge of leading IT teams in an agile environment
• Strong track record and interest in building a culture of innovation within a department.
• Strong track record of scaling technology POC’s and concepts.
• Excellent communication, analytical, interpersonal, organizational and team building skills, business judgement, and proven expertise in directing the efforts of technical teams.
• Extensive understanding of business operations, strategies and objectives.
• Strong influencing skills and the ability to collaborate with and influence upwards
• Experience in building strong stakeholder and vendor relationships
• Experience in developing teams towards technical excellence (through mentoring, coaching, etc.)
• In depth knowledge of current IT concepts, strategies and methodologies and their application to business opportunities (up to date with emerging industry trends and techniques)