Director, Technology Innovation COE

AmerisourceBergen Drug Corporation; Pennsylvania; Hybrid; USD 119,000 - 187,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical benefits

Dental benefits

Vision benefits

Paid parental leave

Job summary

AmerisourceBergen Drug Corporation seeks a Director of Technology Innovation CoE to govern the vetting and deployment of emerging supply chain technologies. You will own a multi-stage stage-gate process and lead cross-functional committees with executives to drive measurable value.

You will build dashboards, manage budgets, and develop business cases while engaging vendors, startups, and industry researchers to stay ahead of trends in AI, robotics, IoT, and digital twins.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Engineering, Business, Information Systems, or related field.
• 10+ years in supply chain operations, strategy, or technology with 3–5 years in leadership.
• Experience designing or managing a stage gate, innovation pipeline, or governance process.
• Strong understanding of supply chain across distribution, logistics, procurement, or inventory.
• Proven ability to build executive-level presentations for senior leadership.
• Experience managing cross-functional programs from concept to implementation.

Responsibilities

• Own stage gate process design, implementation, and continuous improvement for evaluating and scaling tech innovations.
• Define criteria, scoring, and checkpoints for each gate; lead cross-functional review committees.
• Maintain an innovation pipeline dashboard, track active and archived candidates.
• Identify emerging technologies relevant to supply chain (AI/ML, robotics, IoT, digital twins).
• Develop executive-ready business cases and investment proposals for pipeline candidates.
• Collaborate with Supply Chain, IT, Finance, Legal, and Compliance to vet technologies holistically.
• Build and chair Technology Innovation Advisory Board with internal and external advisors.
• Manage innovation portfolio budget across gate stages; report outcomes to senior leadership.
• Represent the company at industry events and maintain awareness of trends and benchmarks.

Skills

Stage-Gate

Tech governance

Executive communication

Cross-functional leadership

Vendor relationships

KPIs and ROI

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree (MBA/MS)

Tools

ERP

WMS

TMS

AI platforms

Job description

Our team members are at the heart of everything we do. At Cencora, we are united in our responsibility to create healthier futures, and every person here is essential to us being able to deliver on that purpose. If you want to make a difference at the center of health, come join our innovative company and help us improve the lives of people and animals everywhere.

JOB SUMMARY:

The Director of Technology Innovation Center of Excellence (CoE) is a strategic leadership role responsible for governing and advancing the evaluation, selection, and deployment of emerging technologies across the supply chain organization. This individual will own and continuously refine a structured stage gate process for vetting technology innovations — ensuring that investments are rigorous, aligned to business priorities, and positioned to deliver measurable supply chain value. This leader will serve as the bridge between technology vendors, internal stakeholders, and executive decision-makers, championing a disciplined yet agile approach to innovation.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Stage Gate Process Ownership Design, implement, and continuously improve a multi-stage gate framework for evaluating, piloting, and scaling supply chain technology innovations
• Define clear criteria, scoring rubrics, and decision checkpoints for each gate (e.g., ideation, feasibility, pilot, scale, sunset)
• Lead cross-functional gate review committees, facilitating structured go/no-go decisions with executive stakeholders
• Maintain a transparent innovation pipeline dashboard, tracking all active and archived technology candidates
• Proactively identify emerging technologies relevant to supply chain operations (e.g., AI/ML, robotics, IoT, digital twins, blockchain, autonomous systems)
• Develop and maintain relationships with technology vendors, startup ecosystems, and industry research bodies (e.g., Gartner, Forrester, industry consortiums)
• Conduct structured technology assessments including market analysis, vendor due diligence, and total cost of ownership modeling
• Represent Cencora at industry forums, innovation councils, conferences, and strategic vendor engagements; maintain awareness of supply chain innovation trends and benchmark practices across industries
• Partner with Supply Chain operations, IT, Finance, Legal, and Compliance to ensure holistic vetting of technology candidates
• Build and manage a Technology Innovation Advisory Board comprising internal subject matter experts and external advisors
• Develop executive-ready business cases and investment proposals for technologies advancing through the pipeline
• Drive alignment between innovation initiatives and the broader supply chain strategic roadmap
• Manage the innovation portfolio budget, ensuring appropriate resource allocation across stages of the gate process
• Establish KPIs and success metrics for piloted and deployed technologies, measure realized benefits including cost savings, productivity improvements and service enhancements and reporting outcomes to senior leadership
• Conduct post-implementation reviews to capture lessons learned and refine the vetting framework over time
• Lead and mobilize a cross-functional network of internal stakeholders and subject matter experts, driving innovative outcomes through influence rather than direct authority
• Build trust and credibility across Supply Chain, IT, Finance, Operations, and other functions by demonstrating deep expertise, active listening, and collaborative problem-solving
• Create alignment around a shared innovation vision by engaging stakeholders early and often throughout the stage gate process
• Design and facilitate working sessions, workshops, and forums that draw out subject matter expertise and foster co-ownership of technology evaluation decisions
• Cultivate a culture of curiosity and structured experimentation across the stakeholder community, encouraging teams to surface and champion emerging technology ideas

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Required Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Engineering, Business, Information Systems, or a related field
• 10+ years of experience in supply chain operations, strategy, or technology — with at least 3–5 years in a leadership role
• Demonstrated experience designing or managing a stage gate, innovation pipeline, or technology governance process
• Strong understanding of supply chain operations across distribution, logistics, procurement, or inventory management
• Proven ability to build executive-level presentations and facilitate senior leadership decision-making forums
• Experience managing cross-functional programs from concept through implementation
• Preferred Master's degree (MBA, MS Supply Chain, or related)
• Experience in pharmaceutical distribution, healthcare supply chain, or highly regulated industries
• Familiarity with frameworks such as Stage-Gate®, Lean Startup, or Design Thinking
• PMP, Agile, or related certifications
• Experience working with or evaluating enterprise technology vendors (ERP, WMS, TMS, AI platforms)

What Cencora offers

• medical, dental, and vision care
• backup dependent care
• adoption assistance
• infertility coverage
• family building support
• behavioral health solutions
• paid parental leave
• paid caregiver leave
• training programs
• professional development resources
• mentorship programs
• employee resource groups
• volunteer activities
• much more

Full time Salary Range* $119,100 - 186,560 *This Salary Range reflects a National Average for this job. The actual range may vary based on your locale. Ranges in Colorado/California/Washington/New York/Hawaii/Vermont/Minnesota/Massachusetts/Illinois State-specific locations may be up to 10% lower than the minimum salary range, and 12% higher than the maximum salary range.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Cencora is committed to providing equal employment opportunity without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, age, disability, veteran status or membership in any other class protected by federal, state or local law. The company’s continued success depends on the full and effective utilization of qualified individuals. Therefore, harassment is prohibited and all matters related to recruiting, training, compensation, benefits, promotions and transfers comply with equal opportunity principles and are non-discriminatory.

Cencora is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities during the employment process which are consistent with legal requirements. If you wish to request an accommodation while seeking employment, please call 888.692.2272 or email [e-mail]. We will make accommodation determinations on a request-by-request basis. Messages and emails regarding anything other than accommodations requests will not be returned.

Affiliated Companies

AmerisourceBergen Drug Corporation

Cencora is a leading global pharmaceutical solutions company that is committed to improving the lives of people and animals everywhere. We connect manufacturers, providers, and patients to ensure that anyone can get the therapies they need, where and when they need them. We’re a purpose-driven organization, where all of our team members around the world are united in our responsibility to create healthier futures. We work together every day to help our partners bring their innovations to patients worldwide, creating unparalleled access and impact at the center of health.