Job Description

This role exists to determine the best way to solve validated business problems through Innovation & AI.

The Innovation & AI Product Incubation Lead transforms strategic opportunities into validated Innovation & AI solutions through discovery, experimentation, prototyping, and pilot execution. This leader owns the end-to-end incubation process - from discovery and user research through POC / prototype, solution definition, proven hypothesis and transition into Product Engineering for productizing the solution and working closely with Product Engineering (Covista Product Management & engineering team) to execute and deliver on the business outcome.

The role partners closely with Innovation & AI Product Strategy, Innovation Engineering, Product Families, UX, Architecture, and Engineering to reduce delivery risk before future investment into productizing the solution. It is a highly collaborative, inward-facing product leadership role focused on building the right solution, validating assumptions quickly, and ensuring Product Engineering receives well-defined, execution-ready initiatives.

Core Mission

Answer one question: What is the best solution to this business problem, and is it worth scaling?

This role leads discovery, validates customer and business assumptions, prototypes solutions, and prepares initiatives for successful transition into Product Engineering.

What Success Looks Like in Year One

• A repeatable discovery-to-prototype process that consistently surfaces whether an idea is worth building, fast
• A track record of clean handoffs - Product Engineering accepts what it receives without reworking the problem
• POC & Prototypes that produce a clear, data-backed answer on whether to scale, pause, or sunset

Product Discovery

• Conduct user research
• Define product vision
• Validate user problems
• Validate opportunities identified through Innovation & AI Product Strategy

Product Incubation

• Lead design thinking workshops
• Build product hypotheses
• Validate desirability, feasibility, and viability
• Define an experimentation strategy to determine the Minimum Marketable Product (MMP) needed to validate business value

Innovation & AI Solution Definition

• Partner with Innovation & AI engineers
• Define Innovation & AI use cases
• Evaluate Innovation & AI capabilities
• Define data requirements
• Assess technical feasibility
• Manage Innovation & AI risks

Product Leadership

• Create PRDs
• Prioritize discovery activities, prototypes, and poc learning
• Define user stories
• Establish success metrics
• Partner with UX
• Drive iterative learning

Pilot Leadership

• Define pilot strategy
• Lead pilot execution
• Measure adoption
• Validate business outcomes
• Refine based on learning

Transition to Product Engineering

• Recommend readiness for transition into Product Engineering based on validated customer, technical, and business outcomes
• Partner with Product Families
• Support engineering execution
• Ensure knowledge transfer
• Remain engaged through delivery
• Support enterprise rollout
• Continue partnering through delivery to protect validated assumptions and intended business outcomes

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree Required and Master's Degree Preferred.
• Ten (10) plus years of professional experience, preferably with supervisory experience.
• Experience leading Innvoation & AI Products
• Track record of leading successful teams that generate consistent revenue growth, implementing programs and developing competitive response campaigns.
• Requires critical thinking and problem solving skills, strong teamwork, negotiation and delegation capabilities.
• UX research experience.
• Clear indication of progressive responsibilities including a track record of managing complex issues, preferably in a dynamic, high pressure culture demanding high quality thinking and output.
• Superior team skills with proven ability to collaborate successfully with all organizational functions and levels with emphasis on building strong, productive relationships.
• Must possess excellent problem solving and strategic thinking abilities.
• Ability to influence and partner with internal and external customers.
• Must possess excellent written and verbal communications skills.
• Experience building MVPs

Additional Information

In support of the pay transparency laws enacted across the country, the expected salary range for this position is between $80,336.75 and $140,851.54. Actual pay will be adjusted based on job-related factors permitted by law, such as experience and training; geographic location; licensure and certifications; market factors; departmental budgets; and responsibility. Our Talent Acquisition Team will be happy to answer any questions you may have, and we look forward to learning more about your salary requirements. The position qualifies for the below benefits.

Covista offers a robust suite of benefits including:

• Health, dental, vision, life and disability insurance
• 401k Retirement Program + 6% employer match
• Participation in Covista's Flexible Time Off (FTO) Policy
• 12 Paid Holidays
  
  For more information related to our benefits please visit:
  https://careers.covista.com/benefits
  
  You are also eligible to participate in an annual incentive program, subject to the rules governing the program, whereby an award, if any, depends on various factors, including, without limitation, individual and organizational performance.