Innovation Facilitator

CIC Captains of Innovation (COI) seeks a dynamic, seasoned, creative, and energetic individual to join our team as Innovation Facilitator. The Innovation Facilitator will co-develop and execute facilitated workshops for the COI team – primarily for the benefit of COI’s client portfolio, which is comprised of global corporations and growth companies working to innovate their business models and find new technologies to disrupt their industries or avoid disruption. A strong candidate will have a proven record of professional success, with excellent writing skills, and a robust background in business innovation and workshop or design  facilitation.

The Innovation Facilitator will work with the Director of Implementation to provide high-quality, personalized, and impactful service, and will work fluidly across a multitude of client industries and sectors while deploying a wide-ranging set of skills and deliverables. 

ABOUT CAPTAINS OF INNOVATION

COI – CIC’s internal boutique consultancy – is a full spectrum corporate innovation program designed to help large organizations find new products, services, business models, and technologies in today’s global hyper-competitive environment.  

COI helps corporations and large organizations focus on the full spectrum of innovation, while leveraging the power of the innovation ecosystem in concert with CIC and Venture Café.  COI provides bespoke, white-glove service to help clients design new products, find new technologies, connect with startups, and build innovative business models.

ABOUT CIC

CIC is a global leader in building and operating innovation communities. Founded in 1999 in Cambridge, MA, CIC is one of the first companies to offer flexible office space and coworking options, providing a platform for the world’s most impactful entrepreneurs to innovate better and faster. 

We have locations in Boston, Cambridge, Philadelphia, Providence, Rotterdam, St. Louis, Warsaw, and Tokyo and are growing into other cities within the US and abroad. CIC has supported over 6,000 startups, growth companies, and branches of larger organizations, representing for-profit, mission-driven, and non-profit sectors across a wide array of industries.  

CIC co-founded a number of mission-aligned organizations including Venture Café, CIC’s primary non-profit programming partner, and CIC Health, offering COVID-19 testing services to companies and the public. 

We invite you to explore all our openings and learn more about our teams here. 

YOUR DAY-TO-DAY WORK

This person will be a member of the COI staff and report to the Director of Implementation.

Responsibilities may include, but are not limited to:

• Co-creating and facilitating workshops that assist COI’s corporate clients in developing and deepening their innovation strategy.

• Co-hosting preparatory consultations with the client to scope their needs in advance of the workshops. 

• Liaising between clients, COI senior management, and COI staff about client needs, progress, and expectations for the workshops. 

• Creating materials for use during client workshops, and coordinating with experts to create impactful workshop content.

• Actively facilitating events to accomplish the client's goals, embracing improvisation and directing discussions to respond to in-the-moment changes. 

• Preparing and delivering high-quality final reports and outbriefings after the workshop, and ensuring reports are cogent, comprehensive, and consistently meet brand standards.

• Demonstrating a comprehensive understanding of the client’s business, products, and services along with the broader industry, particularly related to client objectives.

• Working with external implementation partners to exceed intended outcomes and results. External implementation partners play a vital role in the health and success of the COI program. Identifying, on-boarding, building, maintaining, and supporting these partnerships is a key role of this position.

• Along with other key members of the COI staff, the Innovation Facilitator will provide client engagement / implementation support on an as-needed and as-directed basis, outside of facilitation-related responsibilities.

ABOUT YOU

The ideal candidate will possess the following characteristics and demonstrate the following skills:

• A talented facilitator with a strong passion for startups, innovation, and entrepreneurship and deep familiarity with corporate business needs.

• Strong relationship management, listening, and self-preparation skills, with the ability to translate business goals into program delivery and services.

• Effective speaker, writer, presenter, and workshop facilitator with a willingness to seek new approaches and practices to ensure facilitated events meet clients’ needs.

• A natural workshop leader and improviser who is personable, happy to help others, and drawn to a very busy, continually-evolving environment. Ability to work well as part of a small (but mighty) team.

• Passion and willingness to both learn and teach; a love for problem-solving and comfort working with ambiguity.

• Experience and ease working with companies of various sizes, cultures, and native languages, and ability to shift approach based on the needs and workstyle of the client.

• An independent worker and self-starter with a strong work ethic.  

• Commitment to view their work as mission-based and an opportunity to make a powerful contribution to a larger effort.  

• Strong relationship with technology; Mac and CRM proficiency required.

YOU HAVE

• A Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience

• At least 3-5 years of relevant professional experience

• A demonstrated background in workshop facilitation

• A deep willingness to collaborate with innovation-minded colleagues

• Strong writing and communication skills

• A passion for accelerating corporate innovation

•Ability to travel ≤10% of the time, as needed, at various times of the year

If you don't meet all the requirements or qualifications but bring some other unique skills and experience that would be valuable in this role, please apply and highlight those attributes for us in your cover letter.

OUR OFFER

• A competitive salary commensurate with experience.

• 100% company paid premium healthcare and dental benefits.

• 100% company paid long and short-term disability, and life insurance.

• 401k (must be 21+)

• Three weeks of vacation (more with seniority) plus thirteen holidays from the start.  

ATTRACTIONS OF THE JOB

In addition to helping our clients achieve great things, we work to ensure that our employees are healthy and supported.

Some of the benefits of being here include:

Fun people in a dynamic space. We pride ourselves on finding driven and bright collaborators who are eager to lend their own unique skills to the team, as well as to our inspiring clientele. The number one reason CICers say they like working here is because of their colleagues

• Personal growth. This is a great opportunity to learn and develop skills within the epicenter of the innovation community at a growing company.

• Discounted services and memberships on tools to make your life happier/healthier such as gym memberships, tech and design support, hotel stays, and other fantastic options.

• Central location. Captains of Innovation is located within CIC’s Cambridge space, a stone’s throw from the Kendall Square MBTA Red Line stop.

CIC and COI are committed to building teams that reflect the fabric of the cities we support. We welcome all candidates regardless of race, color, ancestry, gender identity or expression, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, Veteran status, or any other legally protected status. Any other human expressions and experiences not mentioned here are equally welcome. If you require an accommodation please let us know. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer.