Product Innovation Lead for Growth & MVP Validation

IMI Process Automation; Rotterdam; Hybrid; EUR 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

IMI plc is seeking a Product Innovation Manager to drive early-stage innovation across the Growth Hub, turning opportunities into validated business concepts. Reporting to the Growth Hub Director, you will lead Phase 0-2 sprints and facilitate cross-functional teams across engineering, supply chain, and commercial functions.

This role thrives in ambiguity, involves hands-on testing in workshops and design sprints, and requires travel to IMI sites.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Engineering, Innovation, Design, Technology, or a related field.
• 4–8 years of experience in innovation consulting, venture building, growth strategy, business transformation, startups, or innovation-focused corporate roles.
• Proven experience leading innovation sprints, customer discovery, MVP validation, and cross-functional workshops.
• Experience in B2B environments is preferred; exposure to industrial, automation, manufacturing, or technology sectors is an advantage.

Responsibilities

• Lead innovation sprints from opportunity discovery to customer and market validation.
• Apply Design Thinking, Lean Startup, and experimentation methodologies to test ideas and develop MVPs.
• Drive evidence-based Go / Pivot / Stop decisions and present recommendations to leadership.
• Facilitate workshops, hackathons, design sprints, and co-creation sessions across the business.
• Personally lead multiple sprints per year from discovery to Go/Pivot/Stop decision.
• Promote a practical test-and-learn culture throughout the organization.
• Build strong relationships across sectors, functions, and regions.
• Connect teams with relevant internal and external experts to accelerate innovation.
• Act as a Growth Hub ambassador through showcases, pitch events, and leadership forums.

Skills

Design Thinking

Lean Startup

Agile methods

Customer discovery

Rapid experiments

Facilitation

Stakeholder management

Data-driven decisions

AI tools

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

AI tools

Rapid prototyping

Job description

IMI plc is seeking a Product Innovation Manager to drive early-stage innovation across the Growth Hub, turning opportunities into validated business concepts. Reporting to the Growth Hub Director, you will lead Phase 0-2 sprints and facilitate cross-functional teams across engineering, supply chain, and commercial functions.

This role thrives in ambiguity, involves hands-on testing in workshops and design sprints, and requires travel to IMI sites.