Senior Innovation Associate, Innovation Programs & Services (6 Month Temp)

CareQuest Innovation Partners; United States; Remote; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

CareQuest Innovation Partners is seeking an experienced Senior Innovation Associate to drive strategic programs expanding access to care and advancing oral health innovation. You will work across multiple teams, coordinating flagship events and partnerships while engaging senior stakeholders and managing cross-functional initiatives.

You will contribute to planning and executing programs like SMILE Health Accelerator and ACCELERATE, with a strong emphasis on analytics, reporting, and stakeholder

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a business or healthcare-related field (or health-related coursework).
• 3-5 years of professional experience in healthcare, consulting, strategy, innovation, or program management, including experience engaging senior stakeholders and managing complex cross-functional initiatives.
• Excellent interpersonal and written/verbal communication skills for executive stakeholders; ability to tailor materials to different audiences.
• Experience being client-facing to build relationships and represent CareQuest Innovation Partners in the ecosystem.
• Experience working on small, collaborative teams with an "all hands-on deck" approach.
• Ability to drive to outcomes in a fast-paced, results-oriented environment and manage multiple priorities within a multi-disciplinary team.
• Ability to use AI-enabled tools to accelerate administrative, analytical, and communication tasks.
• Problem solving in risks and issues amid complexity or ambiguity.
• Passion for improving healthcare through innovation.

Responsibilities

• Program Management & Innovation Operations: execute SMILE Health Accelerator and ACCELERATE program activities, KPI development, analyses, reporting, and stakeholder engagement.
• Monitor program performance and synthesize insights and recommendations for leadership and partners.
• Develop reports, presentations, and executive updates that communicate outcomes, lessons learned, and strategic implications.
• Ecosystem Engagement & Flagship Convening Event: plan and execute flagship ecosystem events (Demo Day, virtual convenings).
• Collaborate with vendors to ensure timely delivery of communications, project plans, materials, and run-of-show documents.
• Manage project plans, budgets, timelines, logistics, communications, and stakeholder deliverables for ecosystem events.
• Coordinate across startups, investors, industry partners, speakers, and internal teams for high-quality execution.
• Conduct secondary market research to support partner engagements and strategic initiatives.
• Support external relationships via partner proposals, briefing materials, and strategic recommendations.

Skills

Stakeholder engagement

Executive communications

Cross-functional collaboration

AI-enabled tools

Problem solving

Time management

Presentation skills

Education

Bachelor’s degree in business or healthcare

Master’s degree (preferred)

Job description

Career Opportunities with CareQuest Innovation Partners

A great place to work.

Careers At CareQuest Innovation Partners

Are you ready for new challenges and new opportunities?

Join our team!

Current job opportunities are posted here as they become available.

CareQuest Innovation Partners works together with our ecosystem of leading industry partners, startups, and investors, to fund, scale, and convene transformative solutions to improve overall health through oral health - for all. Join us on that mission - to improve overall health, through oral health, for all!

We are uniquely positioned to:

• Fund: We mobilize critical capital, including our own, to accelerate innovation & investments in oral and integrated health, catalyzing adoption and reducing innovation risk.
• Scale: We activate industry leaders to advance our shared mission through sustainable, in-market implementation of solutions that reach and help people, especially the underserved
• Convene: We source, curate, and connect innovators, catalyzing collaboration; create environments for innovation to thrive; and elevate oral health in overall health.

As a Senior Innovation Associate, you will play a key role in advancing strategic initiatives that shape the future of oral health. Over six months, you will contribute to projects designed to expand access to care, drive innovation & improve health outcomes, and increase awareness of CareQuest Innovation Partners' impact among healthcare, industry, and community stakeholders.

CareQuest Innovation Partners is a for-profit, mission-focused subsidiary of CareQuest Institute for Oral Health, the largest foundation focused on improving oral health. You will work in a multidisciplinary Innovation Programs & Services team and in close collaboration with key functions across the enterprise, including Analytics & Business Intelligence, Marketing and PR, and Ventures/Investing to advance our mission and drive meaningful impact.

Role Objectives:

• Advance CareQuest Innovation Partners' strategic initiatives by supporting the planning and execution of key programs and events, including our flagship convening and ACCELERATE innovation portfolio, to drive impact across the oral health ecosystem.
• Drive progress across strategic programs and special projects by coordinating cross-functional stakeholders, managing key deliverables, and helping bring high-impact convenings, partnerships, and thought leadership efforts to fruition.

Primary Responsibilities:

1. Program Management & Innovation Operations

• Partner with internal and external stakeholders to execute SMILE Health Accelerator and ACCELERATE program activities including project scoping, KPI development and analyses, reporting, and engaging key stakeholders to ensure timely delivery.
• Monitor program performance and synthesize insights and recommendations for leadership and partners.
• Support development of reports, presentations, and executive-level updates that communicate program outcomes, lessons learned, and strategic implications.

2. Ecosystem Engagement & Flagship Convening Event

• Support end-to-end planning and execution of flagship ecosystem events, including Demo Day and virtual ecosystem convening events.
• Collaborate with vendor to ensure timely delivery of executive communications, project plans, program and presentation materials, and run-of-show documents.
• Manage project plans, budgets, timelines, logistics, communications, and stakeholder deliverables associated with major ecosystem events.
• Coordinate across startups, investors, industry partners, speakers, and internal teams to ensure high-quality event execution and participant experience.
• Conduct secondary research on market trends, payers, providers, investors, startups, and innovative care models to support partner engagements and strategic initiatives.
• Support new and existing external relationships through the creation of partner proposals, briefing materials, and strategic recommendations to advance mission-aligned initiatives.

Required Skills and Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in a business or healthcare-related field (or health-related coursework)
• 3-5 years of professional experience in healthcare, consulting, strategy, innovation, or program management, including experience engaging senior stakeholders and managing complex cross-functional initiatives.
• Possess excellent interpersonal and written / verbal communication skills honed for executive stakeholders, with ability to create and tailor materials to different audiences
• Experience being client-facing to build relationships and represent CareQuest Innovation Partners in the ecosystem
• Experience working on small, collaborative teams with an "all hands-on deck" approach
• Ability to drive to outcomes in a fast-paced, results-oriented environment and manage multiple priorities within a multi-disciplinary team
• Ability to use AI-enabled tools to accelerate administrative, analytical, and communication tasks
• Can problem solve risks and issues amid complexity or ambiguity
• Passion for improving healthcare through innovation

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in business administration, healthcare administration, public health, marketing, or a related field.
• Experience in healthcare related environments such as health/dental insurers, health/dental providers.

Why Join CareQuest Innovation Partners?

You will have the opportunity to work at the intersection of healthcare, technology, and innovation, helping to create transformative solutions that improve oral and overall health.

CareQuest Innovation Partners is an equal opportunity employer and encourages applications from diverse backgrounds.