Evernorth - Solution Design & Innovation Lead
Interactive Position Description
Innovation and Strategy Leader with 16+ years’ experience developing products, services, brands & businesses that drive sustainable top-line growth for organizations and improve the lives of their customers.
Cross-industry experience and clients include Samsung, Delta Faucet, Boston Beer, Clorox, Travelers, Bosch, University Hospitals, Citi, Johnson & Johnson, iRobot, and Philips.
Interactive Position Description
To connect the Solution Design & Innovation Lead position description and my experience, I’ve hyperlinked keywords to proof points and outcomes.
Overview
The Solution Design & Innovation Lead will be an integral member of the Evernorth Enterprise Innovation team which operates in state-of-the-art labs across the country, is responsible for developing and managing programs and services that allow our 100 million members to make better drug, pharmacy and health choices. Rooted in health decision science, this department is responsible for the creation of new and compelling solutions for existing and potential customers, clients, providers, and other key stakeholders by uniquely delivering against healthcare’s biggest challenges. .
Collectively, this team uses a multi-disciplined approach for building deep human understanding and then translates this knowledge into meaningful and differentiated new strategic business opportunities. This role will partner with others on the team as well as with cross-functional teams and external partners to turn insights and data into business opportunities.
This role will also translate problem areas and early stage concepts into in-market and operational realities, and requires flexibility in thinking, the willingness to take on different roles at different times, and the ability to work across a range of teams, functional areas, and systems to ensure success.
Job Responsibilities
Applying a wide array of human-centered design tools, techniques, and methods throughout the design and development cycle that support the exploration and evaluation of a broad range of concepts and solutions, with the ability to gain deep understanding of users and facilitate multi-disciplinary workshops and ideation sessions.
Bringing emerging concepts to life through visual designs (e.g. sketches, illustrations, computer renderings, workflows, … ), prototypes (e.g. paper, click-thru, video, …), and / or other methods that communicate the idea in a compelling way to test and optimize solutions with customers, providers, and other external stakeholders, as well as inspiring internal partners across the organization.
Connecting the up-front Discovery Phase with the back-end Execution Phase of the innovation process by driving concepts from ideation to developing them into tangible, testable prototypes to validate with stakeholders.
Leading desirability, viability and feasibility assessments, execution, and planning for concept tests and pilot.
Defining clear and robust learning agendas, creating tests to interrogate key uncertainties, and building measurement plans for concept evaluation, culminating in the development of business recommendations to proceed to scale, to conduct a further pilot or test, or to terminate and codify key learnings
Collaborating with internal partners to develop the initial set up and provide guidance and support throughout initial testing
Aiding in the identification and development of test & learn pilots and/or qualitative and quantitative research that validates new concepts with targeted end users. Includes guiding further concept iterations based on results, documenting detailed design criteria of validated solutions, and supporting the development of specific business cases to secure appropriate approvals and funding for full-scale development.
Managing both internal stakeholder and external vendor relationships and project plans to ensure success of concept test or pilot.
Inspiring business leaders, stakeholder partners, and other team leaders to think outside-the-box, be comfortable with ambiguity, embrace failure as a learning, and treat each test as a step in the process of building great solutions for our business, stakeholders, and customers.
Enabling and supporting a culture of innovation across the organization through effective process development, project management and use of facilitation / soft skills, particularly within established teams driving innovation activities.
Participating in a lead role on cross-functional innovation activities; managing meetings with cross functional teams to ensure needs are being met on time, on budget, and with high quality.
Being an active, engaged, and proactive member of the Disruptive Solutions Design / and Evernorth Innovation working team.
Qualifications
8-12 years relevant experience with Bachelor’s Degree in or Master’s degree and 6-10 years of relevant experience.
Advanced degree in Human Centered Design preferred, or extensive experience commensurate with a post-graduate degree.
7+ years leading innovation or design projects
A professional history that illustrates an ability to overcome challenges and deliver strong results
Preferred experience in health care industry, experience in a product or innovation organization a plus
Experience leading and executing projects using human-centered design methodologies.
Experience integrating customer research insights and prototype test results into concept design
Extensive project and program management skills using various programs to prepare and execute business plans.
Creative problem solver and solution developer when presented with complex and conflicting requirements
Ability to manage a project from end-to-end including eliciting stakeholder goals, study design, development, data analysis and reporting.
Ability to support simultaneous projects and product teams. Managing roadmaps, communicating progress and setbacks to stakeholders, and aligning insights delivery to milestones.
Demonstrated experience working in a matrix organization to drive business results where the organizations providing critical services do not report to the accountable leader such as project management, operations, IT, finance, legal, etc.
Ability to work with integrity, align our efforts, collaborate to achieve results, work with passion, maintain mutual respect in light of adversity, and deliver high value services to our clients and beneficiaries.
Self-starting individual that is capable of working independently, producing significant results both individually and through leading and working with others.
Exceptional ability to develop compelling presentations and reporting to align a broad and diverse audience behind an initiative to accomplish significant results and maintain focus through project completion.
Ability to work under pressure with strict timelines.
References (Client, Supervisor and Direct Reports)
Karen Oettle – Director New Ventures, Assurant Insurance
Relationship: Former client in 2013-15 while at F212
Patrick O’Brien - VP Strategy & Innovation, Prudential Financial
Relationship: Former client in 2015-16 while at Idea Couture
Brad Purnhagen – Innovation Director, Cincinnati Insurance
Relationship: Client in 2019-2021 while at LPK
Jen Knowles – Former SVP Marketing, Babies R Us
Relationship: Former client in 2014-15 while at F212
Suzanne Sysko Clough, MD - Chief Medical Officer at WellDoc
Relationship: Former client in 2009-10 while at Essential Design
Eric Sillies – Senior Experience Director, VMLY&R
Relationship: Direct report 2018-2022 at LPK
Ruth Prentice – Experience Director, Verizon
Relationship: Direct report 2009-2010 at Essential
Scott Stropkay – Partner, Essential Design
Relationship: Supervisor 2006-2010 while at Essential