Senior Director, Technology Innovation Lab Lead

Position Summary

Leads Stryker’s Innovation Lab, responsible for scouting, experimenting with, and prototyping frontier technologies that can transform how the company operates and delivers value. This Senior Director, Technology Innovation Lab Lead serves as the bridge between emerging technology and business needs, turning disruptive ideas into validated proofs of concept and actionable roadmaps. The role partners with internal CoEs, business stakeholders, and external partners to accelerate innovation, reduce risk, and build competitive advantage.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

• Technology Scouting: Identify and assess frontier technologies (AI, AR/VR, IoT, digital twins, etc.) with potential application to Stryker’s business.
• Experimentation & Prototyping: Rapidly design and deliver prototypes and pilots to validate feasibility, business value, and scalability.
• Partnerships & Ecosystem Engagement: Build relationships with startups, vendors, academia, and research institutions to co-develop innovations.
• Business Co-Creation: Partner with business leaders and product teams to align innovation efforts with strategic priorities and pain points.
• Transition to Scale: Define clear criteria and pathways for successful pilots to transition into enterprise platforms or business solutions.
• Innovation Culture: Foster a culture of experimentation, curiosity, and creativity across ETS and the broader enterprise.
• Thought Leadership: Represent Stryker at industry events and forums to share innovation stories and bring back insights.
• Governance: Manage an innovation pipeline and track ROI, learnings, and scalability outcomes.

Education & Special Trainings

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited university in Computer Science, Data Analytics, Business Analytics, Data Science, Computer Information Systems, a related technical field, or equivalent applicable experience is required.
• Master’s degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Engineering, Business Analytics, or a related field, or equivalent applicable experience, is preferred.

Qualifications & Experience

• 12+ years of professional experience in technology, innovation, or product development in large global Fortune 100 companies.
• At least 7+ years in leadership roles building or managing innovation programs, labs, or incubation functions.
• Strong background in rapid prototyping, experimentation, and emerging technology evaluation.
• Demonstrated ability to partner with business and IT to translate disruptive ideas into tangible outcomes.
• Proven success in managing vendor/startup ecosystems and external partnerships.
• Experience in regulated industries (healthcare, med-tech, pharma, life sciences) strongly preferred.
• Familiarity with agile delivery, lean startup, and design thinking methodologies.

Physical & Mental Requirements

• Strong creativity, problem-solving, and strategic thinking skills.
• Ability to simplify complex technology trends and communicate to executive and non-technical stakeholders.
• Comfortable with ambiguity and risk-taking in pursuit of innovation.
• Occasional travel required for partner engagement, industry events, and global alignment.
• Must demonstrate resilience, curiosity, and an entrepreneurial mindset.

Compensation & Benefits

Salary: $205,800.00 - $291,690.00, plus bonus eligible, generally eligible for short-term and long-term financial incentives, and comprehensive benefits. Individual pay is based on skills, experience, and other relevant factors. Health benefits include: Medical and prescription drug insurance, dental insurance, vision insurance, critical illness insurance, accident insurance, hospital indemnity insurance, personalized healthcare support, wellbeing program and tobacco cessation program. Financial benefits include: Health Savings Account (HSA), Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs), 401(k) plan, Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP), basic life and AD&D insurance, and short-term disability insurance.

Company Information

Stryker offers innovative products and services in MedSurg, Neurotechnology, Orthopaedics and Spine that help improve patient and healthcare outcomes. Alongside its customers around the world, Stryker impacts more than 150 million patients annually. Depending on customer requirements, employees and new hires in sales and field roles that require access to customer accounts as a function of the job may be required to obtain various vaccinations as an essential function of their role.

Key Skills/Competency

• Technology Scouting
• Rapid Prototyping
• Innovation Leadership
• Strategic Partnerships
• Emerging Technologies
• Digital Transformation
• Business Acumen
• Agile Methodologies
• Regulated Industries
• Thought Leadership