Innovation Manager

Christman Company; Grand Rapids (MI); Hybrid; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

ESOP

Medical/dental/vision insurance

HSA contribution

401K contribution

Professional development

Tuition reimbursement

Job summary

The Christman Company is seeking an Innovation Manager to lead the execution of its Innovation Studio programs and coordinate between governance, field teams, and project execution groups in Grand Rapids, MI. You will drive Opportunity Mapping, enforce disciplined problem framing, and oversee rapid hypothesis testing with MVPs and real-user validation.

With a bachelor’s degree in business and at least five years in a leadership role, you’ll guide regional innovation efforts, manage dashboards

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in business administration or related field.
• Minimum five (5) years of leadership experience.
• Proven knowledge of Lean Startup, Customer Development, and Build-Measure-Learn feedback loop.
• Advanced training in Design Thinking, Lean Startup, Agile, or Scrum.
• Strong ability to write and communicate clearly to diverse audiences.
• Ability to manage time, plan, schedule, and prioritize to meet deadlines.

Responsibilities

• Execute the Opportunity Mapping mechanism.
• Execute Innovation programs aligned with governance goals.
• Drive deadlines to ensure timely completion of outcomes.
• Facilitate collaboration across Innovation Project Teams, Liaisons, and the Innovation Studio.
• Provide leadership and guidance to regional Innovation Liaisons and teams.
• Enforce disciplined problem framing before moving to solutions.
• Lead hypothesis mapping and MVP testing with real users.
• Maintain a centralized dashboard tracking timelines and KPIs.
• Coordinate with external partners and vendors.
• Oversee timely processing of project information documents.
• Participate in regional innovation strategic planning sessions.
• Support post-pilot handoffs to regional operations.

Skills

Leadership

Lean Startup

Customer Development

Design Thinking

Agile / Scrum

Cross-functional collaboration

Written & verbal communication

Time management

Stakeholder management

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor’s degree in business administration or related field

Equivalent combination of education and experience

Tools

Microsoft 365 (Word, Excel, Outlook)

Job description

The Christman Company Job Description: Build More with Your Career at Christman

Are you interested in becoming an employee-owner with a leading national general contractor that will provide you with opportunities to Build More in your professional career? The Christman Company is looking for an Innovation Manager to join our team! The Innovation Manager is a critical position contributing to the execution of Christman’s corporate-wide Innovation strategy. This role oversees the daily execution of the Opportunity Mapping mechanism and the operation of the Innovation Programs within Christman’s Innovation Studio. They act as the coordination link between governance, field teams, and execution groups. This role ensures the program runs smoothly and captures learning to promote ongoing system improvement.

What You Will Do:

• Execute the Opportunity Mapping mechanism.
• Execute Innovation programs aligned with governance goals.
• Drive deadlines to ensure timely completion of desired outcomes.
• Facilitate collaboration across Innovation Project Teams, Liaisons, and the Innovation Studio.
• Provide leadership, motivation, supervision and guidance to regional Innovation Liaisons and innovation teams and maintain a positive work environment.
• Enforce process discipline across project teams: Actively prevent teams from advancing to the solution phase before they have achieved a verified, evidence-backed understanding of the core customer problem.
• Lead rapid hypothesis and assumption mapping: Guide teams to rigorously surface, document, and prioritize leap-of-faith assumptions before any development or building begins.
• Design and oversee iterative testing cycles: Mandate and facilitate mid-way experimentation and minimum viable product (MVP) testing to validate concepts with real users long before a pilot is launched.
• Maintain a centralized performance dashboard to track timelines, KPI’s and outcomes, reporting these to the Innovation Director and Senior Vice President of Planning & Innovation.
• Implement operational changes and improved processes based on feedback from the Innovation Director.
• Take a leadership position in communicating and coordinating with external partners and vendors.
• Oversee timely and accurate processing of all innovation project information documents.
• Participate / co-lead regional innovation strategic planning sessions.
• Support execution of the post-pilot handoff protocol, including transfer to regional operations.
• Completes assigned and required training for this role.

Expected Hours of Work Full-time position. Occasional extended hours and weekends may apply.

Travel Minimal travel required, depending on the project, travel to other areas may be required. Majority of travel done during work hours; overnight stays may be required.

What You Will Bring to the Team:

• Bachelor’s degree in business administration or a related field.
• Minimum five (5) years of experience in a leadership role reflecting progressive leadership responsibilities.
• OR Equivalent combination of the above education, training, and experience.
• Preferred Education and Experience: Bachelor’s degree in business administration or a related field.
• Expertise in Lean Startup and Customer Development: Deep, practical knowledge of Steve Blank’s Customer Development framework, Lean Innovation principles, and the Build-Measure-Learn feedback loop.
• Advanced framework certifications: Professional certification or formal training in Design Thinking (e.g., IDEO, Stanford d.school), Lean Startup, Agile, or Scrum methodologies.
• Advanced understanding of innovation methodologies, creative brainstorming, and workshop facilitation.
• Ability to manage time, plan, schedule, organize, and prioritize responsibilities to consistently meet deadlines.
• Strong hypothesis and risk mapping skills: ability to systematically decompose complex business ideas into testable, prioritized leap-of-faith assumptions.
• Ability to challenge senior stakeholders, resist organizational "solution-bias," and advocate for process integrity without alienating project teams.
• Entrepreneurial focus and the ability to see the big picture while simultaneously focusing on details and timelines.
• Must be able to write and communicate clearly and quickly to a variety of audiences.
• Ability to perform under pressure or opposition and handle stress in a manner that is acceptable to others and to the organization.
• Must be able to lead, work well with others, and build relationships with the Innovation project teams, resolving conflicts or jobsite issues as they arise.
• Have excellent problem solving and ability to communicate solutions.
• Have a passion for team-based planning and problem-solving and wholehearted commitment to building strong partnerships to support project goals.
• Proficient in Microsoft 365 including Word, Excel, and Outlook.

Why Christman?

Here at Christman, everyone is an owner. Through our employee stock ownership plan, each employee-owner shares in the collective success and wealth of our collective hard work and dedication. Through our excellent total compensation package, eligible employees will receive benefits including employee stock ownership plan (ESOP), medical/dental/vision insurance, HSA contribution, 401K contribution, professional development and tuition reimbursement, and much more!

The Christman family of companies is an Affiramtive Action/Equal Opportunity Employer that is committed to diversity. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, color, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, protected veteran status, or disability status.

Applicants must be authorized to work for any employer in the U.S. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment Visa at this time. As part of our company policy, this position requires successful completion of pre-employment screening, including but not limited to drug and background screening.

Notice to Recruiting Agencies (Unsolicited Resumes): The Christman Company does not accept unsolicited resumes from agencies. Please do not forward unsolicited agency resumes to our applicant tracking system, website, or to any Christman employee/affiliates. Any unsolicited resumes sent to Christman employees or its' affiliates will be considered property of The Christman Company and will be processed accordingly. Christman will NOT pay a fee for any placement resulting from the receipt of an unsolicited resume without an executed agreement and assigned to a specific search.

Founded in 1894, Christman is a national, employee-owned construction firm offering construction management, general contracting, and design-build services. Taking a comprehensive approach to support our clients needs, our self-perform affiliates empower us to enhance project outcomes. With over 500 employee-owners, we unite great people in great achievement, delivering projects that align with clients' goals through a collaborative, one-team approach. Our family of companies’ expertise spans multiple market sectors, including healthcare, education, and historic preservation, providing tailored solutions that add value to every project. Together, we strive to #buildmore for our clients, communities, and team. Interested in exploring a career with Christman? We're looking for talented people who are passionate about construction and who value integrity, informed decision-making and collaboration.