Director, Strategic Innovation

Benefits OverviewA career at CoBank can offer you the opportunity to make a personal impact on the people and communities where we do business. In order to be the best, we hire the best!Benefits Offered by CoBankCareers with a purposeTime-Off Packages, 20 days of vacation, 10 paid sick days and 11 paid holidaysCompetitive Compensation & IncentiveHybrid work model: flexible arrangements for most positionsBenefits Packages, including Medical, Dental and Vision coverage, Disability, AD&D, and Life InsuranceRobust associate training and development with CoBank UniversityTuition reimbursement for higher educationOutstanding 401k: up to 6% matching and additional 3% non-elective contribution & Student Loan MatchCommunity Impact: United Way Angel Day, Volunteer Day and Associate Directed ContributionAssociate Resource Groups: creating a culture of respect and inclusionRecognize a fellow associate through our GEM awardsJob DescriptionThe Director, Strategic Innovation leads CoBank's enterprise innovation function and is responsible for translating emerging technologies, market trends, customer needs, and business challenges into practical opportunities that advance the bank's strategy and long-term competitiveness. Working in conjunction with the Strategic Analysis team, this role executes the vision, governance, operating model, and portfolio discipline for innovation across the organization. Working closely with executive leadership and internal stakeholders, the Director leads ideation, research, experimentation, proofs of concept, prototypes, and incubation efforts that can be scaled into business value. The role requires a strategic, entrepreneurial, and highly collaborative leader who can navigate ambiguity, influence across a matrixed environment, communicate effectively with both technical and non-technical audiences, and foster a culture of disciplined innovation, curiosity, and measurable impact. This role is accountable for fostering creativity, driving the development of cutting-edge solutions and delivering tangible value through the consistent delivery of impactful innovation use cases.Essential FunctionsLeads CoBank’s Strategic Innovation function, including direct people leadership, operating model development, portfolio management, and cross-functional engagement to identify, evaluate, and advance high-value innovation opportunities.Drives the innovation planning process and guide technology innovation roadmaps aligned to CoBank’s strategy and priorities.Manages the innovation portfolio and concept pipeline from discovery through ideation, business case articulation, proof of concept, prototype, incubation, and development. Responsible for innovation budget recommendations and resource allocation decisions.Collaborates effectively with a dedicated team of software development professionals to deliver innovation use cases that drive business value and that are compatible with the bank’s broader information technology environment, roadmap and business processes.Partners with internal stakeholders to evaluate feasibility, manage risks, define success measures, and ensure innovation efforts are practical, secure, compliant, and scalable. Establish innovation performance metrics and reporting to executive leadership.Engages executives, senior leaders, product owners, technologists, and subject matter experts to understand business needs, frame problems, prioritize opportunities, and guide solution development using agile, iterative, and human-centered approaches.Collaborates with stakeholders to understand business needs and challenges. Collaborate with data, technology, and operations to develop potential solutions within an agile framework.Builds innovation capability across the organization by facilitating idea generation, experimentation, knowledge sharing, change adoption, and disciplined learning from successes and failures.Conducts market research to identify capability gaps and opportunities for new innovation.Identifies and cultivate strategic partnerships with fintechs, startups and other external partners to enhance innovation capabilities.Represents CoBank as a credible thought leader on innovation, emerging technology, and financial services modernization within relevant industry forums, particularly across the Farm Credit System.As a people manager at CoBank, you will be expected to manage and lead associates. Responsibilities include, but are not limited to, associate performance management, talent strategy, workforce planning, change management, conflict resolution, and relationship management. You will drive and be accountable for the team’s development, alignment with the division’s objectives, as well as with CoBank’s strategy and mission.EducationBachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Technology, Business, or a related field requiredWork Experience12 years of progressive experience in banking, financial services, cooperative finance, agribusiness finance, or another highly regulated environment required7 years of supervisory/management experience required4 years of leadership experience in innovation strategy, product management, digital transformation, venture research, process optimization, customer experience, or related discipline requiredPrior Experience leading cross-functional teams to develop business cases, evaluate technology-enabled opportunities, and deliver proofs of concept, prototypes, or scalable solutions requiredStrong understanding of emerging technologies, fintech trends, data and analytics, artificial intelligence, automation, digital banking, and their potential application in financial services and agriculture-oriented lending.Ability to understand modern technology platforms, cloud services, data architecture, application development concepts, and vendor solutions sufficiently to evaluate opportunities and engage credibly with technical teams.Familiarity with tech stacks like React, Vue.JS, Node.JS, Python, AWS native services, and other open source software.Demonstrated ability to move between strategic executive dialogue and detailed technology, process, product, and operating model discussions.Excellent collaboration skills, with the ability to work effectively with cross-functional teams in a matrixed organization.Demonstrated experience building business cases, defining success metrics, measuring outcomes, and transitioning successful innovation concepts into implementation pathways.Excellent interpersonal, facilitation, and presentation skills.Ability to interpret technical concepts for various audiences.Demonstrated ability to lead multiple workstreams simultaneously.Physical Exertion DetailsSedentary Exerting up to 10 pounds of force occasionally (Occasionally: activity or condition exists up to 1/3 of the time) and/or a negligible amount of force frequently (Frequently: activity or condition exists from 1/3 to 2/3 of the time) to lift, carry, push, pull, or otherwise move objects, including the human body. Sedentary work involves sitting most of the time, but may involve walking or standing for brief periods of time. Jobs are sedentary if walking and standing are required only occasionally and all other sedentary criteria are met.Travel Requirement DetailsOccasional Travel occurs infrequently (typically, once a month or less).About CoBankThe typical base pay range for this role is between $177,100 - $217,900. Compensation may vary based on individual job-related knowledge, skills, expertise, and experience. This position is eligible for a discretionary annual incentive program driven by organization and individual performance. The listed salary, other compensation and benefits information is accurate as of the date of this posting. This job will be posted for a minimum of five (5) business days or until the position is filled. CoBank reserves the right to adjust compensation for all positions and to modify or discontinue benefits programs at any time in its sole discretion, subject to applicable law.CoBank is a cooperative bank serving vital industries across rural America. The bank provides loans, leases, export financing and other financial services to agribusinesses and rural power, water and communications providers in all 50 states. The bank also provides wholesale loans and other financial services to affiliated Farm Credit associations serving more than 76,000 farmers, ranchers and other rural borrowers in 23 states around the country. CoBank is a member of the Farm Credit System, a nationwide network of banks and retail lending associations chartered to support the borrowing needs of U.S. agriculture, rural infrastructure and rural communities. Headquartered outside Denver, Colorado, CoBank serves customers from regional banking centers across the U.S. and also maintains an international representative office in Singapore.REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONWe are committed to ensuring that our online application process provides an equal employment opportunity to all applicants, including qualified individuals with disabilities. If you are an applicant with a disability, or are assisting an applicant with a disability, and require accessibility assistance or would like to request a reasonable accommodation for any aspect of the application process, including completing an application, interviewing, or otherwise participating in the employee selection process, please submit a request by emailing View email address on click.appcast.io. Include your contact information and specific details about your requested accommodation.Applicants must be authorized to work for any employer in the U.S. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment visa at this time.CoBank is an Equal Opportunity Employer.All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran.