Senior Manager - Innovation & Ventures (Catalyze)

As Senior Manager - Catalyze, you will drive innovation through partnerships with startups and strategic investments. You will identify and solve high-priority business problems by collaborating with internal teams, startup founders, VCs and other stakeholders in the startup ecosystem. You will lead the full innovation lifecycle problem discovery, startup evaluation, POC execution, and scaling impactful solutions ensuring measurable business outcomes for Lowe s.
This role demands a balance of strategic thinking, entrepreneurial energy , cross-functional leadership, and operational excellence , playing a critical part in Lowe s innovation transformation.
This is your chance to help solve high-priority challenges for one of the largest retailers in the world by partnering with cutting-edge startups and delivering innovative solutions that transform the business.

Key Responsibilities
1.Problem Discovery & Solution Leadership
Stakeholder Collaboration: Conduct problem discovery workshops with internal teams to uncover high-impact business challenges.
Problem Ownership: Define and take end-to-end responsibility for problem statements and innovative solution delivery.
Innovation Roadmap: Develop and maintain a strategic innovation roadmap in alignment with business priorities , with cross functional leadership.

2. Startup Partnerships & Investment Pipeline
Startup Engagement: Build and manage relationships with startups, VCs, and accelerators to maintain a strong innovation pipeline.
Partnership Development: Identify startups that align with Lowe s goals and develop structured engagement models to create mutual value.
Investment Strategy: Evaluate startups for potential investments, conducting due diligence in partnership with finance, legal, and tech teams.

3. POC Execution & Scaling
POC Management: Drive the execution of Proofs of Concept (POCs) , ensuring alignment with business objectives and measurable success metrics.
Cross-Functional Leadership: Coordinate across business, product, and tech teams to support POC implementation and scale-up of successful initiatives.
Program Optimization: Continuously refine program processes, including timelines, reporting frameworks, and collaboration models, to accelerate innovation cycles.
Scale-Up Support: Work with functional leaders to transition successful POCs to scaled deployments, ensuring alignment with enterprise systems and processes.

4. Stakeholder Engagement & Communication
Internal Collaboration: Serve as a key liaison between startups and Lowe s internal teams, ensuring alignment on innovation goals.
Leadership Updates: Provide regular, impactful updates to senior leadership on program progress, milestones, and business outcomes.

5. Innovation Events & Ecosystem Branding:
Event Leadership: Organize signature innovation events (e.g., Innovation Xchange) to showcase startups and drive internal engagement.
Brand Presence: Represent Catalyze at key external events to strengthen Lowe s positioning in the global startup ecosystem.

6. Team Leadership & Program Management:
Team Development: Mentor and guide team members, promoting a culture of high performance and continuous learning.
Operational Excellence: Refine processes for startup engagements, program execution, and reporting to optimize innovation cycles.

Key Success Metrics
Successful Delivery: Tangible results and measurable business impact from executed POCs and scaled initiatives.
Innovation and Investment Pipeline: A strong pipeline of high-potential startups and partnerships aligned with business priorities.
Cross-functional Collaboration: Enhanced collaboration across internal functions to accelerate innovation efforts.
Brand Strength: Strengthened reputation of Lowe s as a key player in the startup and innovation ecosystem.
High-Performing Team: A motivated and high-performing Catalyze team delivering results at scale in a fast-paced environment.

Key Qualifications

1. Experience & Expertise
Strategic Innovation: Proven experience leading innovation programs, corporate ventures, startup partnerships, or entrepreneurship
Techno-Business Acumen: Strong understanding of both technical and business aspects of innovative solutions. Ability to assess the strategic fit of startups for enterprise-scale impact.
Entrepreneurial Mindset: Ability to thrive in a dynamic, fast-paced environment with a high degree of ownership and accountability.
Cross-functional Leadership: Experience collaborating with diverse stakeholders across functions like tech, product, legal, finance, and marketing.
Analytical and Strategic Thinking: Strong problem-solving skills with the ability to translate high-level strategies into actionable plans.

2. Preferred Background
Experience: 8-12 years in innovation, startup engagement, venture capital/accelrators , or enterprise strategy.
Education: Bachelor s degree in business, engineering, or a related field; MBA preferred but not mandatory.
Startup Ecosystem Exposure: Experience in startup ecosystems, entrepreneurial ventures, or VC-backed initiatives is highly valued.

3. Skills & Competencies
Exceptional communication and storytelling skills, with the ability to engage and influence senior stakeholders.
Strong program management capabilities, with attention to detail and a focus on driving measurable results.
Proactive problem-solving and ability to anticipate challenges in complex, multi-stakeholder environments.
Collaborative, hands-on team player who thrives in a highly dynamic and entrepreneurial environment.