Director of Innovation

Ready to shape the future of innovation? Interstates is seeking a forward-thinking Director of Innovation to set direction, lead top talent, and champion a company-wide culture of creativity and transformation.
In this influential role, you'll drive our innovation roadmap-balancing quick wins with long-term strategy-while leading a skilled team of innovators and technology specialists. You'll connect vision to execution, guiding ideas from concept to scalable products and operational solutions that make an impact for both Interstates and our clients.

You'll collaborate across engineering, technology, field operations, and executive leadership, building partnerships inside and outside the company-including with vendors, startups, and leading organizations. As a servant leader and systems thinker, you'll cultivate continuous learning, strategic agility, and the mindset needed to keep Interstates ahead in a rapidly changing landscape.

If you're passionate about cross-functional collaboration, leading technology-driven change, and taking innovation from spark to tangible results, we want to connect with you. Apply today to lead Interstates into its next era of innovation.

Key Responsibilities

Strategy, Roadmap, and Portfolio
* Align all innovation efforts with Interstates' strategy, growth plans, and long-term vision.
* Maintain an innovation roadmap focused on a 1-3-year horizon; balance near-term wins with medium and long-range adoption plans.
* Track innovation metrics and ROI including for long-term revenue growth; manage a transparent portfolio of initiatives from intake through adoption through the innovation process. These may include collaborations with other clients and offer-focused leaders on offer and product development as well as other innovative solutions.
* Drive product/offer, service, and business innovation (e.g., business model, etc.) for Interstates.

Leadership and Team Development
* Lead, coach, and develop a team of innovation and technology SMEs; build capabilities and talent pipelines.
* Apply process-driven rigor to guide the innovation lifecycle and continuous improvement methods related to product and project management.

Culture and Communication
* Foster a company-wide culture of innovation that encourages collaboration, calculated risk-taking, and continuous learning.
* Champion communication-share outcomes, lessons, and success stories internally and externally; shape mindsets and recommend/offer education that builds an innovation culture.

Cross-Functional Collaboration, Client Interaction and Field Engagement
* Serve as a connector across field operations, engineering, IT/OT, analytics, and executive leadership; facilitate ideation, working groups, and pilots work externally with clients as well as internally with leaders as well as technical experts.
* Coordinate with the Technology Center of Excellence to align research, prototyping, and standardization with Interstates and deployment practices.
* Lead change management, stakeholder engagement, and effective hand-offs of products and offers to other teams within the organization as a key transition in the Innovation process.

Experience and Education
* 8-12+ years' experience in technology leadership/innovation strategy.
* Demonstrated ability to lead innovation across technical and product-based teams.
* Bachelor's degree in engineering, Construction Management, Computer Science, Business, Product Management or Innovation Management or related fields; master's preferred.

Essential Skills & Experience
* Exceptional interpersonal and cross-functional communication skills; proven ability to navigate director, senior leader, and executive levels.
* Able to translate enterprise strategy into actionable innovation bets and measurable outcomes.
* Strong alignment to Interstates' core values; track record of people leadership and development.
* Product management orientation (vs. project-only) with systems-thinking ability
* Proficiency in evaluating ROI, technical feasibility, and long-term viability; experience with collaborative innovation platforms.
* Process orientation with the rigor needed to scale innovation as momentum grows and who can navigate the explore journey of innovation where you search and pivot with opportunity.

Desired Attributes
* Skilled at building internal innovation ecosystems and networks-both within Interstates and across the broader innovation community.
* Maximizes partnerships for organizational value; adjusts portfolio based on results.
* Brings credible innovation experience, with emphasis on the approach taken and why it worked.

Innovation Pipeline and Productization
* Identify, evaluate, prototype, and pilot emerging technologies relevant to electrical construction, industrial automation, data analytics, and OT systems.
* Implement structured intake and evaluation processes to vet ideas early; improve the innovation process over time.
* Envision productization of validated solutions and create clear handoffs to offer category teams to scale long-term.
* Coordinate agile innovation teams to drive best practices and implement successful solutions.

External Partnerships, Market Sensing, and Client Insight
* Build and manage strategic relationships with startups, vendors, universities, consortia, and government programs; assess partner value and adjust the portfolio as needed.
* Evaluate competitors and market trends to identify threats and opportunities; maintain robust external and vendor relationships.
* Build and maintain client relationships to understand future needs and inform innovation priorities.

Continuous Learning and Expertise
* Engage in continual learning to build and maintain a baseline of expertise across Manufacturing, Construction, Automation, Software Development, OT, IT, and Analytics.

What We Offer

Opportunities for professional growth and career advancement.
Engaged, collaborative teams and a culture focused on innovation and quality.
Support for licensure, continuing education, and professional development.
Inclusive environment with competitive benefits.

Travel: Occasional site travel may be required.
Accommodations: Reasonable accommodations will be made for qualified individuals with disabilities.

Compensation: The pay range for this position is $135,000 to $170,000+ benefits. Our salary ranges are determined by the experience and education required, and level of responsibility. The range posted for this role represents a range that Interstates, in good faith, believes it is willing to pay at the time of this posting. The pay is determined by job related skills, training, education, and experience.

Application End Date: November 30th, 2025

Work Environment & Physical Requirements
All employees, even those in traditional office positions, may be expected to visit and/or perform work on job sites, requiring flexibility to adapt to diverse environments.

Office work is performed primarily in a modern office setting equipped with collaborative tools and technology. Employees will spend significant time operating personal computer equipment, with extended periods of screen time. Noise levels are low to moderate, with occasional interruptions from office activity or equipment. Flexibility in work arrangements may allow occasional remote work, depending on the assignment and business needs. Employees may be required to travel to various locations for meetings or project coordination.

Jobsite work involves exposure to outdoor weather conditions, uneven surfaces, elevated noise levels, and various workplace hazards, including the risk of electrical shock. Adherence to strict safety protocols is essential. Interstates provides all necessary personal protective equipment (PPE), including hard hats, gloves, high-visibility gear, safety glasses, and role-specific safety gear. Interstates prioritizes employee safety, offering comprehensive training and support.

* Reasonable accommodation may be made to support individuals with disabilities in performing essential job functions.

Interstates Describes Its Culture as: Family-Like:

Caring co-workers treat each other like family
Be treated like an individual, not just a number
Flexible schedules allow you to focus on your personal life as well as work-life
Lunch gatherings and social activities promotes fun and camaraderie
Support charities and your community through events sponsored and hosted by Interstates

Benefits:

Competitive Pay so you know you are valued
401(k) to help you plan for your future
Health, Dental, and Vision Insurance with different options to meet your needs
Vacation so you can focus on you
Performance Bonus
Established Career Paths to help plan your future
Career Coaches that are focused on your success

Ready to take your engineering career further?