The Director of Business Innovation will be a key leader in the VFS Innovation Lab driving the global innovation agenda at VFS.
Main responsibility is to identify opportunities for service innovation or operations optimization made possible by emerging technologies. A particular focus will be on disruptive technologies and exploring new business models that are needed for product-focused, process-driven and service-led innovations.
The incumbent plays a key role in establishing the function for new Fintech partnerships, contributing to the design of the innovation roadmap and structuring the development process for venture investment opportunities. The role requires an agile and networked based leadership style, open mindset and passion to deliver innovative value for our customers.
The position reports to the VP Strategy and Head of Innovation.
DESIRED OUTCOMES
- A well-articulated innovation roadmap that focuses fintech partnership development
- Fintech engagement strategy that maximizes available VFS resources
- Venture funding plan including VFS and 3rd party funds
- Defining and developing Fintech engagement capabilities in VFS
- Well defined development and approval process for new strategic partnerships to be implemented on a global basis
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
- Support evolution of VFS 2.0 by helping to identify pain points and gaps in existing services and delivery methods and opportunities to redefine business models
- Provide ongoing market intelligence on the fintech landscape
- Provide leadership to start-up engagement through innovation accelerator activities and internal development
- Further develop the innovation ecosystem in key VFS markets drawing from collaborators, venture capital, incubators, accelerators, universities and other organizations
- Lead start-up scouting, evaluation, mentorship and strategic partnership structuring
- Identify opportunities for venture investments and negotiate terms with potential partners (deal flow management)
- Work with the VFS Digital Innovation team to develop strategies to accelerate existing innovation activities or identify new opportunities
- Support Volvo Group Venture Capital to help to scale and further commercialize venture investments
- Develop plan to commercialize and scale services incubated by VFS internal development or through partners
- Coordinate 3rd party investment as required for scaling services and prototypes
- Support the Innovation team to establish a culture that brings together smart, talented, people from diverse backgrounds that enjoy a collaborative and innovative environment that supports flexible and agile working
- Be a member of the ThinkOpen Board (VFS Innovation Board). As a member of the ThinkOpen Board, you will be responsible for presenting innovation concepts and investment proposals and be responsible to review proposals generated from global VFS innovation activity
EDUCATION & PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
- MBA or graduate degree in Finance/Business Administration or related field preferred
- Have a solid understanding of the FinTech sector with relationships to incubators, accelerators, academia, service suppliers, professional services firms, start-ups, venture capitalists, regulators and government institutions within the industry
- +10 years of experience in venture investments.
- +5 years of recent experience with financial technology investing.
- Proven track record in a similar capacity, developing strategies to scale venture investments in financial services and/or commercial banking
- Demonstrated planning, change management, consulting and communication skills, analytical ability, negotiation and management skills
- Broad knowledge and perspective on current applications of new innovations in financial services, aware of how strategies might impact the marketplace
- Strong project management skills
- Innovative problem solving and strong analytical and quantitative abilities
- Solid financial acumen and ability to generate and interpret financial modeling
- Consistent top performer; demonstrated leadership capabilities
- Strong presentation and communication skills with experience in various business settings
- Ability to organize and structure new concepts into business plans
- Experience working in or with an international and multicultural environment
- Excellent spoken and written English, other languages would be an advantage
COMPETENCIES & SKILLS
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to draw conclusions from large amounts of information
- High level of strategic thinking and strategy development skills with ability to think broad and deep, i.e., to see the big picture as well as have a strong grasp on data and details
- Proven team player with the demonstrated ability to influence and involve others
- Excellent written and verbal communication (e.g., the ability to craft a clear and succinct message to all levels of an organization
- Highly target-driven, self-motivated and willing to take responsibility
- Having a customer oriented mind-set, following the latest trends and evolutions of digital capabilities
- Proven organizational development and design capabilities
- Excellent PowerPoint skills and high proficiency in Excel. Keen attention to detail and desire to take ownership of content in deliverables to senior management
- Strong project management, balancing multiple high priority projects simultaneously
- Strong leadership competencies on leading leader level
- Based in Greensboro, NC. International travel required
If interested, please apply here.
