Design Director

Role Overview NRG’s Enterprise Innovation team is building a repeatable engine to identify, validate, and scale new growth opportunities and operational innovations aligned to enterprise strategy. We are seeking a Director, Venture Design & Innovation Delivery to own end‑to‑end execution of innovation concepts — from design sprint through prototyping, pilot, and transition to scale. This role serves as the internal execution owner and orchestrator, accountable for translating validated ideas into ventures, offerings, platforms, services, and new business models by coordinating cross‑functional internal teams and external delivery partners. While the role primarily leads and drives execution through others, the successful candidate is also comfortable stepping in directly when needed, particularly in early‑stage or high‑ambiguity phases, to accelerate learning and maintain momentum. This role reports into the Product & Enterprise Innovation team within the Technology organization. Key Responsibilities Execution Ownership & Orchestration Serve as the single point of accountability for concept‑to‑pilot execution across the Enterprise Innovation portfolio. Orchestrate internal contributors (business units, technology, data, security, legal, finance, operations) and external partners to deliver outcomes efficiently and with high quality. Define execution strategies, delivery models, roles, and decision rights for each initiative. Ensure clarity of scope, success metrics, risks, dependencies, and governance alignment. Step in directly when needed to unblock progress, validate assumptions, or accelerate delivery. Venture Design, Human‑Centered Design & Validation Apply Design Thinking and Human‑Centered Design (HCD) methodologies to deeply understand user needs, operational constraints, and business contexts. Lead structured design sprints, customer discovery, ethnographic research synthesis, journey mapping, and rapid experimentation. Own and drive translation of opportunity theses into testable venture, solution, and operating model hypotheses. Partner with Innovation Research, business leaders, and subject matter experts to shape opportunity framing and learning agendas. Establish disciplined experimentation practices, learning agendas, and insight capture. Prototyping, MVP & Partner Management Own the roadmap from prototype to MVP, defining execution strategies while leveraging external build partners and internal technology teams. Lead and ensure development of venture and solution requirements, experience flows, technical scopes, and delivery plans, partnering closely with delivery teams. Contribute directly to design, scoping, or validation activities when needed to maintain speed and quality. Lead vendor selection, onboarding, performance management, and financial stewardship. Ensure partners operate against clear outcomes, timelines, quality standards, and security/compliance expectations. Pilot Delivery & Scale Readiness Design and lead pilots in partnership with business and operational leaders. Ensure pilots are instrumented with measurable outcomes, operational readiness criteria, and adoption plans. Develop transition plans for successful concepts into operational ownership, including operating model, technology, and resourcing considerations. Support handoff into scale organizations and governance forums. Partner on portfolio prioritization, sequencing, investment decisions, and capacity planning. Maintain transparent reporting on execution progress, risks, financials, learnings, and value realization. Continuously improve playbooks, templates, and operating rhythms for repeatable innovation execution. Stakeholder & Ecosystem Leadership Build trusted partnerships across the enterprise and external ecosystem. Represent initiatives in executive reviews, steering committees, and governance forums. Required Qualifications, Skills & Experience 10+ years’ experience in product leadership, venture development, innovation delivery, or related fields. Required bachelor’s degree in IT, Business, Finance, Engineering, Innovation Management, or a related field. Advanced degree a plus. Demonstrated ownership of initiatives from discovery through MVP, pilot, and operational transition. Demonstrated experience leading human‑centered design and design thinking processes as part of broader venture or business development efforts. Demonstrated success navigating ambiguity, managing dynamic priorities, and delivering results in fast‑paced environments. A passion for innovation and a proactive approach to identifying and developing new opportunities for the business. Strong experience leading cross‑functional teams and external partners in complex environments. Experience working within large enterprises or regulated environments preferred. Strong product, service, or venture strategy capability; ability to define and test business models and value propositions. Financial acumen to manage budgets, vendor spending, and investment trade‑offs. Exceptional communication, executive presence, and influence skills. Working Conditions Located in Houston, TX office. Hybrid workforce segmentation, Monday‑Thursday in office. Open office environment. Some overtime required as special projects arise. Limited travel. EEO & Additional Information NRG Energy is committed to a drug and alcohol‑free workplace. To the extent permitted by law and any applicable collective bargaining agreement, employees are subject to periodic random drug testing, and post‑accident and reasonable suspicion drug and alcohol testing. EOE AA M/F/Protected Veteran Status/Disability. Level, Title and/or Salary may be adjusted based on the applicant’s experience or skills. EEO is the Law Poster (The poster can be found at #J-18808-Ljbffr