Innovation Manager Jobs
Innovation Manager jobs are open across technology, healthcare, financial services, consumer goods, and consulting, from mid-level to director, with specializations in product innovation, digital transformation, and corporate venturing. Scan the live roles below and apply to whichever ones fit.
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The Manager, Product Development, Footwear Innovation leads the footwear innovation development team in bringing athlete-focused products from concept through production. Working closely with cross-functional product creation teams across the US, Asia, and factory partners, you will guide the development process and ensure products consistently meet or exceed our standards for quality, fit, feel, ride, and performance for athletes through commercialization handoff. You will generate and communicate ideas grounded in engineering principles to solve problems for athletes, enhance footwear performance, and improve manufacturing efficiency, while applying strong problem-solving, decision-making, presentation, and communication skills.
You will connect the team’s work to broader business priorities and strategy, coach team members through assigned projects, and support their career development. In partnership with the Senior Manager, Footwear Innovation, you will help guide the team toward company objectives while building strong relationships with internal and external partners. Success in this role requires a collaborative leader who recognizes that teamwork is essential to Brooks culture.
Product Development & Technical Execution
- Lead thought around footwear innovation and problem solving for athletes and achieve on-time delivery in terms of seasonal calendars with high-level understanding of the concepts of footwear creation process-pattern engineering (pattern making, block system and grade rule), model making, costing implications, materials application.
- Lead meetings with cross-functional teams during various phases to review and evaluate issues and drive action plans with an in-depth knowledge of manufacturing process and the ability to learn new manufacturing techniques and lead implementation to apply them to products;
- Demonstrate strong problem-solving skills with persistent questioning to find out the “whys?” and be proficient at problem solving for development or production issues - understanding the upstream and downstream effects;
- Effectively communicate with Asia and US teams on any issues and viable solutions for construction, cost and aesthetics.
- Lead the innovation development team to ensure that products are manufacturable and meet highest level of performance, quality and fit expectations.
People Management & Team Development
- Manage team members (including goal setting, performance review, hiring decisions, team culture, etc.) and encourage team members to actively engage in questions, research, observing, networking and experimenting to inform project and program direction.
- Provide training and coaching for the developers to build their skill sets and develop opportunities for them to grow their career.
Partnerships & Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Develop strong working relationship with internal and external partners to enable joint problem solving to achieve win-win situations.
Market Awareness & Process Excellence
- Keeps abreast of market trends, category goals, new technology and consumer needs throughout the development process and engages appropriately to ensure projects are completed within corporate guidelines and goals for all facets of product creation.
- Work with Senior Manager to standardize the development process across teams and factories, deliver training and share the best practice to the cross-functional product teams.
Work Experience
- Bachelor’s Degree (preferably in Industrial Engineering, Design, etc.)
- 7+ years relevant experience in the product development of Athletic Footwear or extremely specialized in running category. Practical management skills and experience is required.
- 3+ years proven track record leading high functioning team
- Excellent verbal and written skills in English - Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from their counterparts at US headquarters, cross-functional colleagues, factory partners, etc.
- Excellent interpersonal communication and presentation skills; must be extremely detail-oriented.
- Strong organizational skills and independent work habits;
- Keen attention to detail in planning, organization and execution of tasks, while still seeing the big picture and understanding how all of the pieces fit together and affect one another.
- Ability to anticipate how a decision made can affect our customers, our partners, our products or other departments’ operations and/or morale; “connecting the dots.”
- Demonstration of innovation and initiative – always looking at improving our products and processes while also displaying a willingness to dive into the details and help out wherever necessary.
- Passionate participation in Brooks’ sports activities a plus, overridden by the ability to understand and empathize with the runner in order to develop loyal, engaging relationships with our customers and the Brooks community.
- Must be proficient with MS office application (Excel, Word and PowerPoint); Flex PLM , MS project , Illustrator experience a plus.
- Embraces and lives the Brooks values!
Benefits
Brooks is proud to offer a robust benefits package to our employees and their families!
- Benefits- including medical, dental, vision, life and AD&D insurance, disability insurance, HSA and employer contribution, FSA, family & fertility assistance, 401K Savings Plan and match, employee assistance program, and transportation assistance.
- Paid Time Off- Brooks offers generous time off including five weeks of paid time off, eleven paid holidays, paid sick and parental leave.
- Bonus- in addition to base pay, Brooks employees may also be offered an annual bonus based on company performance.
- Perks- including product discounts, employee recognition, fitness discounts, volunteer and donation benefits.
- Location- You will spend 4 days per week in our Seattle offices, as we believe our organization flourishes when connections, collaboration, creativity, problem-solving, and celebrations happen in person.
Compensation: The pay range for this position, based out of the Brooks Seattle HQ, is $126,670 - $202,714 per year. Base pay offered will vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience.
The Manager, Product Development, Footwear Innovation leads the footwear innovation development team in bringing athlete-focused products from concept through production. Working closely with cross-functional product creation teams across the US, Asia, and factory partners, you will guide the development process and ensure products consistently meet or exceed our standards for quality, fit, feel, ride, and performance for athletes through commercialization handoff. You will generate and communicate ideas grounded in engineering principles to solve problems for athletes, enhance footwear performance, and improve manufacturing efficiency, while applying strong problem-solving, decision-making, presentation, and communication skills.
You will connect the team’s work to broader business priorities and strategy, coach team members through assigned projects, and support their career development. In partnership with the Senior Manager, Footwear Innovation, you will help guide the team toward company objectives while building strong relationships with internal and external partners. Success in this role requires a collaborative leader who recognizes that teamwork is essential to Brooks culture.
Product Development & Technical Execution
- Lead thought around footwear innovation and problem solving for athletes and achieve on-time delivery in terms of seasonal calendars with high-level understanding of the concepts of footwear creation process-pattern engineering (pattern making, block system and grade rule), model making, costing implications, materials application.
- Lead meetings with cross-functional teams during various phases to review and evaluate issues and drive action plans with an in-depth knowledge of manufacturing process and the ability to learn new manufacturing techniques and lead implementation to apply them to products;
- Demonstrate strong problem-solving skills with persistent questioning to find out the “whys?” and be proficient at problem solving for development or production issues - understanding the upstream and downstream effects;
- Effectively communicate with Asia and US teams on any issues and viable solutions for construction, cost and aesthetics.
- Lead the innovation development team to ensure that products are manufacturable and meet highest level of performance, quality and fit expectations.
People Management & Team Development
- Manage team members (including goal setting, performance review, hiring decisions, team culture, etc.) and encourage team members to actively engage in questions, research, observing, networking and experimenting to inform project and program direction.
- Provide training and coaching for the developers to build their skill sets and develop opportunities for them to grow their career.
Partnerships & Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Develop strong working relationship with internal and external partners to enable joint problem solving to achieve win-win situations.
Market Awareness & Process Excellence
- Keeps abreast of market trends, category goals, new technology and consumer needs throughout the development process and engages appropriately to ensure projects are completed within corporate guidelines and goals for all facets of product creation.
- Work with Senior Manager to standardize the development process across teams and factories, deliver training and share the best practice to the cross-functional product teams.
Work Experience
- Bachelor’s Degree (preferably in Industrial Engineering, Design, etc.)
- 7+ years relevant experience in the product development of Athletic Footwear or extremely specialized in running category. Practical management skills and experience is required.
- 3+ years proven track record leading high functioning team
- Excellent verbal and written skills in English - Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from their counterparts at US headquarters, cross-functional colleagues, factory partners, etc.
- Excellent interpersonal communication and presentation skills; must be extremely detail-oriented.
- Strong organizational skills and independent work habits;
- Keen attention to detail in planning, organization and execution of tasks, while still seeing the big picture and understanding how all of the pieces fit together and affect one another.
- Ability to anticipate how a decision made can affect our customers, our partners, our products or other departments’ operations and/or morale; “connecting the dots.”
- Demonstration of innovation and initiative – always looking at improving our products and processes while also displaying a willingness to dive into the details and help out wherever necessary.
- Passionate participation in Brooks’ sports activities a plus, overridden by the ability to understand and empathize with the runner in order to develop loyal, engaging relationships with our customers and the Brooks community.
- Must be proficient with MS office application (Excel, Word and PowerPoint); Flex PLM , MS project , Illustrator experience a plus.
- Embraces and lives the Brooks values!
Benefits
Brooks is proud to offer a robust benefits package to our employees and their families!
- Benefits- including medical, dental, vision, life and AD&D insurance, disability insurance, HSA and employer contribution, FSA, family & fertility assistance, 401K Savings Plan and match, employee assistance program, and transportation assistance.
- Paid Time Off- Brooks offers generous time off including five weeks of paid time off, eleven paid holidays, paid sick and parental leave.
- Bonus- in addition to base pay, Brooks employees may also be offered an annual bonus based on company performance.
- Perks- including product discounts, employee recognition, fitness discounts, volunteer and donation benefits.
- Location- You will spend 4 days per week in our Seattle offices, as we believe our organization flourishes when connections, collaboration, creativity, problem-solving, and celebrations happen in person.
Compensation: The pay range for this position, based out of the Brooks Seattle HQ, is $126,670 - $202,714 per year. Base pay offered will vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience.
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Who's Hiring
Top Industries Hiring
- Technology & Software11
- Banking & Financial Services6
- Media & Entertainment2
- Consulting & Professional Services2
- Insurance1
What Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in innovation manager jobs.
- Bachelor's or master's degree in business, engineering, design, or a related field
- Experience leading cross-functional innovation or new product development initiatives
- Proficiency in design thinking, agile, or lean startup methodologies
- Demonstrated ability to manage an innovation pipeline from ideation through commercialization
- Strong stakeholder facilitation and executive communication skills
- Familiarity with tools such as Miro, Aha, or similar ideation and roadmapping platforms
Tips for Your Innovation Manager Job Search
Quantify your innovation portfolio outcomes
Hiring managers for this role want evidence that your ideas shipped and produced results. For each initiative on your resume, name the problem, the approach you championed, and the measurable outcome, whether that's revenue generated, cost avoided, or time to market reduced.
Distinguish your methodology from generic PM work
Many innovation manager postings filter out candidates who describe project management work without naming a specific framework. Call out your fluency with design thinking, lean startup, jobs-to-be-done, or stage-gate processes explicitly so your application clears that screen.
Apply early to roles that fit
Migrate Mate lists innovation manager openings from across the United States in one place, so you can find roles that match and apply directly to each listing.
Target postings by innovation stage
Job descriptions vary widely between companies running early-stage ideation labs and those scaling proven concepts. Reading the posting carefully to identify which stage the team is in lets you tailor your cover letter to the specific tension they're trying to resolve right now.
Prepare a case study for the portfolio review
Many innovation manager interviews include a structured case or presentation round. Having one polished end-to-end story ready, covering discovery, validation, stakeholder alignment, and results, is more persuasive than referencing three projects with partial detail.
Negotiate scope alongside compensation
Innovation roles are often new to an organization, which means mandate and budget can still be shaped. During the offer stage, clarify reporting lines, decision authority, and access to cross-functional teams. Ambiguity in these areas limits your ability to deliver after you start.
Innovation Manager Jobs: Frequently Asked Questions
Which companies are hiring the most innovation managers?
Netflix, Mastercard, and Colgate-Palmolive are hiring the most innovation managers right now, with openings concentrated in California, New York, and Texas, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of November 2026. Demand tends to be highest at large enterprises and consultancies running dedicated innovation labs or digital transformation programs.
How many innovation manager jobs are remote?
About 84% of innovation manager openings are fully remote or hybrid as of November 2026, with the highest remote share in digital transformation and corporate venturing roles. Positions tied to physical product development or on-site lab work are more likely to require regular in-person presence.
How do you become an innovation manager?
Most innovation managers move into the role after several years in product management, strategy, R&D, or management consulting. Building a record of launching or scaling new initiatives matters more than any single credential. Completing a recognized design thinking or agile certification adds credibility, and presenting a portfolio of real projects with measurable outcomes will carry your candidacy further than a resume alone.
How do you get hired as an innovation manager with little experience?
Start by identifying roles titled innovation analyst, innovation coordinator, or new ventures associate, which are designed as entry points into the field. Demonstrating that you've led an internal initiative, launched a side project, or contributed to a hackathon with documented results will differentiate you. Framing your application around a specific methodology you know well, rather than general enthusiasm for innovation, makes your candidacy more concrete to a hiring committee.
What does the innovation manager interview process look like?
Most processes include an initial recruiter screen, a hiring manager conversation focused on your experience leading ambiguous projects, and a structured case or presentation round where you walk through an innovation challenge from discovery to recommendation. Final rounds often involve meeting cross-functional stakeholders who assess whether you can build alignment across teams with competing priorities.
Where can I find and apply to innovation manager jobs?
You can find and apply to innovation manager jobs on Migrate Mate, which lists current openings from across the United States. Search for roles that match your background and seniority, then apply directly to each listing that fits.
See All 247+ Innovation Manager Jobs
Find roles that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
Find Innovation Manager Jobs