Director of Innovation - Energy and Power

Jacobs; Fort Worth (TX); Hybrid; USD 190,000 - 248,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

401(k) plan

Stock purchase plan

Unlimited PPTO

Job summary

Jacobs is seeking a Director of Innovation – Energy & Power (Americas) to shape the innovation agenda, connect market insight to client challenges, and drive the adoption of digital, data, and AI across the business.

You will lead cross‑functional teams, build a meaningful use‑case pipeline, govern responsible innovation, and partner with Digital and Data groups to deliver measurable value for energy projects across the Americas.

Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience deploying digital, data, and AI-enabled solutions with measurable delivery improvements.
• Experience prioritizing and scaling innovation initiatives from concept to deployment including governance and adoption.
• Domain knowledge in Energy & Power market and delivery governance for large-scale programs.
• Ability to engage with clients and senior stakeholders to define opportunities and business value.
• Experience leading cross-functional teams across engineering, operations, digital, data, cybersecurity, legal, procurement, and delivery.

Responsibilities

• Define and execute an innovation strategy and roadmap aligned with Americas Energy & Power priorities.
• Serve as the primary interface with Jacobs Digital and Data teams; translate needs into clear use cases.
• Monitor market changes, engage external partners, and bring external perspectives to the business.
• Act as a client-facing innovation leader in strategic pursuits and project delivery.
• Lead pilots, scale proven solutions, and establish measures of adoption and impact.
• Promote responsible use of data and AI with governance for experimentation and deployment.
• Build networks of innovation champions and capability-building programs across the Americas.

Skills

Innovation leadership

Client engagement

Cross‑functional leadership

Digital data AI adoption

Strategic thinking

Market sensing

Education

Engineering degree or related discipline

Professional certification in AI/Data/Transformation

Tools

BIM

Digital twins

Automation

Enterprise data platforms

AI tooling

Job description

At Jacobs, we're challenging today to reinvent tomorrow by solving the world's most critical problems for thriving cities, resilient environments, mission-critical outcomes, operational advancement, scientific discovery and cutting-edge manufacturing, turning abstract ideas into realities that transform the world for good.

Your impact

At Jacobs, we’re not just building structures—we’re helping our clients solve complex energy challenges by combining deep technical expertise, digital capabilities, data, and emerging technologies.

As the Director of Innovation – Energy & Power (Americas), you will help shape how innovation is identified, developed, deployed, and scaled across our business and for our clients.

This role is designed for a strategic, market-facing, and hands‑on leader who can connect business priorities with the capabilities of our Digital and Data teams, translate emerging technologies into practical solutions, and build trusted relationships with clients and internal stakeholders.

Role Overview & Mission

The Director of Innovation will lead the Energy & Power innovation agenda in alignment with business strategy, client needs, delivery priorities, and Jacobs enterprise digital and data direction. The role will connect market insight, client challenges, technical expertise, digital capabilities, and artificial intelligence to create differentiated solutions and improve how we win and deliver work.

Drive measurable improvements in delivery performance by integrating digital capabilities, embedding innovation into workflows, and accelerating adoption of global digital strategies—while ensuring consistent, scalable, high‑quality delivery through governance, standardized practices, and capability building.

This role plays a critical leadership function in combining delivery excellence with innovation—through both traditional governance and modern digital solutions.

• Innovation strategy and portfolio Define and execute an innovation strategy and roadmap aligned with Energy & Power Americas priorities.
• Digital, data, and AI interface Serve as the primary business interface with Jacobs Digital and Data teams and other enterprise capability groups. Translate business and client needs into clear use cases, connect teams to the right capabilities, and avoid duplicating solutions that can be leveraged from elsewhere in Jacobs.
• Market sensing and ecosystem engagement Monitor changes in the energy market, client operating models, delivery methods, technology, data, and AI. Engage with industry partners, technology providers, academia, and other external networks to identify relevant innovations and bring a practical outside‑in perspective to the business.

networks to identify relevant innovations and bring a practical outside‑in perspective to the business.

• Client engagement and growth Act as a client‑facing innovation leader in strategic pursuits, account planning, workshops, and project delivery. Help clients frame their challenges, co‑develop innovation roadmaps and use cases, and articulate the business value of Jacobs solutions.
• Use‑case development and scaling Build a focused pipeline of use cases tied to defined business or client outcomes. Lead pilots with clear success criteria and work with business, technical, legal, risk, cybersecurity, procurement, and delivery stakeholders to scale proven solutions.
• Adoption and value realization Ensure innovations are embedded into workflows rather than treated as standalone demonstrations. Define measures of adoption, efficiency, quality, risk reduction, revenue growth, client value, and other relevant outcomes; report progress and lessons learned to leadership.
• Responsible innovation and governance Promote the secure, ethical, and responsible use of data and AI in accordance with Jacobs policies and client requirements. Establish fit‑for‑purpose governance for experimentation, intellectual property, data protection, model risk, and deployment decisions.
• Culture and capability building Create awareness, training, communities of practice, and repeatable playbooks that improve innovation fluency across leaders, practitioners, and project teams. Build a network of innovation champions across the Americas business.

The role further encompasses responsibility for establishing and standardizing delivery methodologies, tools, and workflows across the organization, while leading and continuously enhancing the QA/QC framework to ensure consistent application and adherence to global standards. Through oversight of quality audits and continuous improvement initiatives, the Director of Innovation drives operational excellence and fosters a culture grounded in accountability, standardization, and delivery excellence.

Here’s what you’ll need

Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience leading the deployment and adoption of digital, data, and AI‑enabled solutions that resulted in measurable improvements in project delivery, productivity, quality, risk reduction, client outcomes, or business performance.
• Experience identifying, prioritizing, developing, and scaling innovation initiatives from concept and pilot through operational deployment, including governance, change management, adoption, and value realization.
• Domain knowledge within the Energy & Power market, including technical design, construction delivery systems, contract management, project delivery, project controls, quality management, or performance governance.
• Demonstrated ability to engage directly with clients and senior stakeholders to identify business challenges, define innovation opportunities, co‑develop solutions, and articulate measurable business value.
• Experience leading cross‑functional teams across engineering, operations, digital, data, cybersecurity, legal, procurement, and business functions to successfully implement transformation initiatives.
• Demonstrated understanding of data governance, advanced analytics, digital platforms, responsible AI principles, and enterprise technology adoption practices, with the ability to translate complex challenges into practical, scalable solutions.

Ideally, You’ll Also Have

• Degree, certification, or licensure in Engineering, Construction Management, Project Management, Data Science, Information Systems, Business, or a related discipline (or equivalent experience).
• Professional certification, executive education, or advanced training in Artificial Intelligence, Data Management, Digital Transformation, Innovation Management, Cloud Technologies, Business Analytics, or related disciplines (e.g., Azure AI Engineer, Azure Data Engineer, CDMP, MIT/Stanford/Wharton executive programs, or equivalent).
• Proven experience delivering large, infrastructure, utilities, industrial, generation, transmission, distribution, renewable energy, or grid modernization programs.
• Experience integrating digital tools into engineering, construction, and project delivery workflows, including BIM, digital twins, advanced analytics, automation, generative AI, and enterprise data platforms.
• Demonstrated success establishing innovation strategies, technology roadmaps, communities of practice, innovation champion networks, or enterprise capability‑building programs.

Our health and welfare benefits are designed to invest in you, and in the things you care about. Your health. Your well‑being. Your security. Your future. Employees have access to medical, dental, vision, and basic life insurance, a 401(k) plan, and the ability to purchase company stock at a discount. Eligible employees may also enroll in a deferred compensation plan or the Executive Deferral Plan. Jacobs has an unlimited U.S. Personalized Paid Time Off (PPTO) policy for full‑time salaried/exempt employees, seven paid holidays, and caregiver leave. And certain roles may be eligible for additional rewards, including merit increases, performance discretionary bonus, and stock.

The base salary range for this position is $190,000.00 to $248,175.00. Within the range, individual pay is determined by work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status.

Job posted on October 15, 2026. This position will be open for at least 3 days.

At Jacobs, we’re partnering across the globe to create the best project outcomes by maximizing the design, digital technology, and support capabilities of our Global Integrated Delivery (GID) teammates. By joining Jacobs, you’ll commit to supporting and engaging with these teams, as we work to build a company like no other.

We value collaboration and believe that in‑person interactions are crucial for both our culture and client delivery. We empower employees with our hybrid working policy, allowing them to split their work week between Jacobs offices/projects and remote locations enabling them to deliver their best work.

Your application experience is important to us, and we’re keen to adapt to make every interaction even better. If you require further support or reasonable adjustments with regards to the recruitment process (for example, you require the application form in a different format), please contact the team via Careers Support.