Innovation Coach

Job Summary:

The Good Shepherd Innovation Grants support employee-led ideas to advance rehabilitation science, education, and practice. This funding opportunity aims to facilitate innovation and sustained collaboration among diverse teams who strive to improve the lives of people with disability and recovering from injury or illness across the care continuum. The Innovation Coach will be responsible for the advancement and quality improvement of the program, educating and mentoring associates on the process and skills of innovation, fostering associate engagement with the program, and collaborating with management and leadership to support associate participation and successful project outcomes. The Innovation Coach will serve as the Grant Administrator for Good Shepherd Rehabilitation and collaborate with the Grant Administrator at Good Shepherd Penn Partners to ensure the program's success at both entities.

The incumbent will oversee the application cycles, including but not limited to associate recruitment, program communications, and the panel review process. During the grant phase, the Innovation Coach will mentor the Grant recipients on ideation and customer discovery, prototyping, navigating barriers, and finding solutions as they trial and implement their ideas. S/He will create individualized learning opportunities aligned with project goals to facilitate the actualization of the proposed project idea. In collaboration with the Good Shepherd Penn Partners Grant Administrators, the Innovation Coach will design and implement grant opportunities, coach grant recipients along project ideation and implementation stages, maintain external partnerships, monitor financial expenses, and ensure compliance with grant procedures. The Innovation Coach will assess the overall program impact through an annual innovation report provided to leadership teams at both organizations.

In addition to leading the Good Shepherd Innovation Grants program, the Innovation Coach will collaborate with the Good Shepherd Learns, Creates, and Research teams to advance innovation efforts throughout Good Shepherd Rehabilitation.

The ideal applicant demonstrates a history of success in working with others to translate ideas into finalized programs, businesses, services, and products. S/He is highly optimistic, demonstrates excellent interpersonal and communication skills, is organized, and excels at people management. S/He will be able to manage multiple projects and possess a firm understanding of business development. Applicants with experience using and leading human-centered design initiatives are strongly encouraged to apply.

Essential Functions:

• Manages daily operations of the Good Shepherd Innovation Grants program.
• Works across the organization to foster a culture of learning and innovation through events, workshops, and other components of the Good Shepherd Innovation Grant Program, and as part of the Good Shepherd Learns, Creates, and Research Team.
• Collaborates with employees to facilitate the generation of innovative ideas that become actionable projects with the potential to advance the field of rehabilitation.
• Serves as a resource for employees during the application process and assists employees as they form a team and prepare application materials.
• Responsible for designing, coordinating, and managing all aspects of the application process. This includes but is not limited to developing any materials, communications, and scheduling.
• Leads effective review panel meetings by organizing materials, presenting projects, and acting as a neutral clarifying perspective during the review process.
• Empowers project teams to successfully complete awarded projects to completion by identifying & meeting learning needs, providing direct mentorship and coaching from start to finish.
• Collaborates across departments within Good Shepherd Rehabilitation and Good Shepherd Penn Partners to facilitate project success
• Helps teams navigate organizational and regulatory hurdles to project design and implementation.
• Maintains program-related files and documentation.
• Oversees and manages external grant funding in collaboration with Finance.
• Promotes awareness and engagement of the program and supported projects to internal and external audiences through collaboration with Marketing and Communications departments.
• Communicates project updates to Grant Administrators and leadership.
• Performs and delivers an annual assessment of the program in terms of process, associate satisfaction, and impact to organizational leadership.
• Assists in the development and execution of events to support the program including but not limited to, networking events, brainstorming sessions, community events, shared learning experiences, and dissemination opportunities.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

Education

• Bachelor's degree with focus on business, healthcare, and or entrepreneurship required.
• Masters Degree with focus on business, healthcare, and or entrepreneurship preferred.

Work Experience

• One (1) to two (2) years of experience in a similar role required.
• Two (2) to four (4) years of experience in a similar role preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to execute a project from concept to prototype required.
• Ability to meet project timelines and goals by leading and collaborating with others required.
• Experience applying Design-Thinking principles and tools to product/program creation strongly preferred.
• Experience working with adult learners at all stages of development preferred.
• Past exposure and experience designing and operating a business incubator/idea accelerator strongly preferred.

Licenses / Certifications

• N/A

Skills and Abilities

• Excellent project management skills.
• Ability to accomplish timely project goals through coaching others.
• Excellent communication abilities in all mediums.