Open Innovation Associate

About Us

We are a strategy and innovation consultancy that helps organizations thrive in the face of change. Thorny problems are our strong suit.

We’re a team of consultants who are energized by big, messy problems. We are strategists, analysts, designers, and editors who bring agility and flexibility to projects focused on stemming chronic disease, closing the skills gap, rethinking the future of work, supporting digital transformations, using data to make smart cities safer, developing sustainable business models, and making moonshot investments.

We help companies thrive in the face of change. Our clients are “innovation mavericks” — leaders inside global corporations, nonprofits, and federal agencies who are tasked with helping their organizations adapt to the technological, economic, political, and social norms of the 21st century. We’re the strategy and innovation consultants they call when there’s no playbook for the problem they’re trying to solve.

Our open innovation practice was established in 2011. We are particularly focused on open innovation for impact, making use of incentive prize mechanisms to accelerate innovations such as artificial organs (Artificial Kidney Prize), early biothreat detection (DHS Hidden Signals Challenge), access to career and technical education (the Ed Prizes challenge series), and improving our understanding of Earth’s magnetism (NGA MagQuest).

We have an equal appreciation for strategy and execution. We offer our clients the upfront thinking that goes into careful strategy development and can become partners in execution to ensure those strategies are implemented.

We believe that career choices are not binary; you can have a challenging and rewarding career as part of a high-performing team and also live your life. Our clients appreciate that we bring the highest level of excellence to everything we do, and our team appreciates that we are extraordinarily efficient so that you aren’t expected to be online later.

Please note: for employment at Luminary Labs, you must be fully vaccinated (including booster) for COVID-19 to ensure compliance with enhanced health and safety protocols.

We are not actively hiring for this role at the moment; however, given the fast-paced nature of our work, our hiring needs can change quickly. We collect applications on a rolling basis, so if you’re interested in this or other roles at Luminary Labs, we encourage you to apply. If your background and skillset are a fit, we’ll reach out and provide more information on anticipated timing.

The Role

Luminary Labs seeks Open Innovation Associates to support strategy formation and program execution for our Fortune 500, nonprofit, and government clients.

Please note that our team has embraced a hybrid model for our five-day work week, with two synchronous days in the office and three days wherever you work best. This role is based in New York City and will join our team in the office on Tuesdays and Wednesdays most weeks.

About You

You are known for quickly ramping up on any subject and are excited to help design and deliver groundbreaking open innovation programs. You enjoy solving problems, large and small, and think both critically and expansively in doing so. You have experience super-flexing across a range of activities, sometimes outside of your comfort zone. Your are hungry to learn and grow while delivering results that exceed client expectations.

You care about the impact your work has on the world and have been looking for a career path that is both high-performance and high-impact.

People love to have you on their team. You love to be part of a team.

Role and Responsibilities

• Lead program design. Develop essential program content elements (e.g., call-to-action, criteria, incentives, timelines), craft and lead portions of presentations (e.g., client workshops, public-facing program webinars), and support execution of critical events (such as boot camps and demo days).
• Program and project execution. Support elements of the programs (which run from six months to three years), including strategy, communications, visual design, web development, outreach, judging, and events. Develop, own, and manage the overall project work plans. Coordinate with internal teams (e.g., strategy, communications, design) on workstreams to ensure high-quality execution and deliverables.
• Communications and outreach. Help develop the voice of the challenge and increase awareness by providing input into the social media strategy, authoring blog posts, and supporting outreach to the innovator community.
• Client service. Earn respect and trust of our clients to serve as a go-to point of contact, including responding to requests, coordinating meetings, developing agendas and reports, and communicating updates and action items. Maintain empathy and perseverance to ensure successful execution of the program.
• Open innovation champion. Keep your finger on the pulse of what is going on within the open innovation landscape, expand and deepen our capabilities, and be an internal expert on open innovation.
• Connect the dots. Quickly get up to speed on new client industries, and keep your finger on the pulse of incumbents and newcomers. Identify key nodes in any given industry network, participate in industry events, stay abreast of relevant news and trends, tap into the network to drive value for our clients, and contribute to thought leadership work.

Desired Skills and Experience

• 2-4 years of experience; client services experience a huge plus
• Demonstrated work and/or educational experience in synthesizing data, drawing meaningful insights, and providing actionable strategies
• Exceptional attention to detail - quick to catch internal inconsistencies in documents and strong ability to recall key insights and decisions that impact project thinking
• Stellar communication skills and a high EQ, with an ability to strike the right tone with clients in e-mails and verbal communications
• Passionate about technology, and the opportunities it presents to our clients
• Good technological literacy and ability to quickly learn and navigate the full functionality of tools like Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Dropbox, and Google Docs
• Quick learner who is eager to absorb feedback
• Enjoy solving complex problems using analytic and creative methods
• Ability to structure thinking in an easy to follow manorHave a strong record as a high performer in academic, volunteer, or work activities, with noted leadership accomplishments
• Strong numeracy; Excel skills a plus
• Entrepreneurial mindset, but experience working with corporate clients
• Are super-flexible, adaptable, realistic, practical, and agile
• Thrive in a fast-paced and dynamic environment

Investing in our people is a high priority. Benefits include:

• Competitive compensation and formal bonus structure
• Health benefits package (80% of premium is covered for health, dental, and vision)
• Competitive vacation package
• Paid family leave
• 401k plan with matching
• Pre-tax transit check
• Cell-phone reimbursement
• Fitness reimbursement
• Education stipend and growth opportunities
• Charitable donation matching
• Opportunities to mentor and be mentored

Does this sound like you?

Please submit your resume and cover letter. In your cover letter, show us three examples of ideas, companies, or teams that you consider to be at the forefront of innovation. Let us know your availability for employment. If available, also send us examples of your own work or thinking online (blog posts, Slideshare examples).

Candidates must be authorized to work in the US. No agencies please.

The total compensation package for this role includes a base salary in the range of $75,000 to $90,000 plus a discretionary annual performance bonus. The starting salary for this role is at the lower bound of the salary range; an individual's starting salary will depend on the individual’s relevant knowledge, skills, and experience.