Job description
Duquesne Light Company, headquartered in downtown Pittsburgh, is a leader in providing electric energy and has been in the forefront of the electric energy market, with a history rooted in technological innovation and superior customer service. Today, the company continues its role as a leader in the transmission and distribution of electric energy, providing a secure supply of reliable power to more than half a million customers in southwestern Pennsylvania.
Duquesne Light Company is committed to creating a culture of inclusion. We value and respect the unique differences and experiences of our employees. We believe that our differences lead to better collaboration, innovation and outcomes. We want you to join our team!
The Innovation Specialist I partners with all business functions to bring new processes, technologies, and ways of working to DLC to benefit our customers and employees. This position will execute innovation initiatives to enhance and improve issues through innovation; ultimately ensuring that the company is maximizing the value of innovation. The Innovation Specialist will also direct the approach and culture of the Innovation Center including innovation focus areas, governance, approaches for continuous feedback and improvement, and developing and managing external relationships to help our business grow, our employees stay safe, optimize our cost structure, and open up new opportunities for DLC.
Job Responsibilities
Generate
- Manage and execute innovation initiatives from inception to successful completion
- Develop a detailed understanding of company safety, system, operational, technical, and business challenges that might be addressed by innovation
- Build and manage relationships with key internal stakeholders to be seen as a true partner for addressing strategic challenges
- Empower, coach, support, and champion individual innovators across all business functions
- May solicit, identify and define specific innovation ideas that address key company challenges
- Monitor and refine innovation metrics to drive accountability and measure success
Analyze
- Provide applied research and complex analyses to screen innovation opportunities and develop business cases for identified opportunities
- Provide thought leadership across business functions by executing market research, technology scouting, identifying and understanding competitive landscapes, market trends, insights and themes, finding potential collaborators or partners, and providing generally valuable and unique insights to the business
- Apply analytical skills and logic to areas of significant ambiguity using data (when/where available and often self-sourced) to generate actionable analysis easily understood by others without the same background or expertise
Manage
- Prioritize innovation opportunities continually to identify key hypotheses to be tested in a pilot program, design test plans to address identified hypotheses as quickly and cost-effectively as possible
- Challenge and improve existing business processes outside innovation based on market insights and learnings from innovation projects and partners
- Manage external service providers, ensuring on-time and on-budget delivery of service provision
- Demonstrate excellent project management skills by ensuring projects are delivered on time, on budget, and with strategic impact
Communicate & Engage
- Support change management initiatives, as appropriate, to foster a culture of acceptance, openness and collaboration
- Communicate scope and objectives of innovation-related work to various internal and external stakeholders including senior management
- Identify and cultivate external relationships and partnerships to understand and bring best practices, leading concepts and ideas to DLC
- Contribute to an inclusive and supportive high-performance environment with an emphasis on excellence, team building, coaching, feedback and employee development
Education/Experience Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree or equivalent degree required
- Educational background in business, engineering, operations, or information technology preferred
- Seven (7) years related work experience
- Innovation, research, product development, information technology, corporate strategy, or other related areas are preferred; Knowledge of the energy/utilities industry preferred
Scope
Primary Focus is on daily deliverables, outputs and reporting. Accountable for managing one's own time and work flow and leads projects and/or large project steps. Work is complex in nature requiring the incumbent to draw on previous knowledge to perform role. Acts independently the majority of the time, requiring guidance in only complex situations. Has well established capabilities, acts as a resource to less experienced staff on moderately complex issues.
Decision Impact
Problems and issues faced are vague and require analysis of multiple sources of information for solution. Draws on significant past experience to perform role. Accountable for direct level of reasoning and decision making.
Ideal Candidates will possess:
- Demonstrated ability to work, and build alignment with, a range of internal and external stakeholders
- Ability to manage and coordinate cross-functional teams
- Strong communicator with the ability to facilitate meetings, conceive, craft, and deliver presentations to diverse internal and external stakeholders, and manage expectations through both formal and informal communication channels
- Analytical capabilities, including ability to problem solve, identify and develop hypotheses, structure thinking, and find/use/apply data
- Strong project management abilities; able to prioritize continuously, manage ambiguity and multiple competing projects simultaneously under tight time constraints and budget parameters
- Highly organized, detailed oriented, self-directed, but flexible
- Working knowledge of potential innovation areas (e.g., distributed energy technologies, wearable devices, robotics, automation and AI, etc.) and approaches (e.g., design thinking, lean startup, etc.)
Skills:
The ability to collaborate, establish and develop strong business relationships; the ability to effectively communicate and advocate change across the organization; strong analytical skills to identify innovation opportunities that support business initiatives and are in line with industry trends; the ability to professionally challenge established processes and leverage previous experiences to influence key stakeholders; be an agile thinker and have the ability to adapt quickly to change and ambiguity; ability to identify opportunities to leverage technology to support and/or provide efficiencies in the business; and the ability to manage multiple projects and respond to competing priorities
Work Environment:
This position is classified as Persona Type C: Variable On-Site. Work is mostly remote/location-independent, and in-person work is driven by occasional role-specific tasks and critical business processes as directed by the immediate Supervisor or Manager.
EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER
Duquesne Light Company is committed to providing equal employment opportunity to all people in all aspects of the employment relationship, without discrimination because of race, age, sex, color, religion, national origin, disability, sexual orientation and gender identity or status as a Vietnam era or special disabled veteran or any other unlawful basis, as defined by applicable law, and fostering a workplace free of unlawful discrimination and retaliation. This policy affects decisions including, but not limited to, hiring, compensation, benefits, terms and conditions of employment, opportunities for promotion, transfer, layoffs, return from a layoff, training and development, and other privileges of employment. An integral part of Duquesne Light Company's commitment is to comply with all applicable federal, state and local laws concerning equal employment and affirmative action.
Duquesne Light Company is committed to providing equal employment opportunity to all people in all aspects of the employment relationship, without discrimination because of race, age, sex, color, religion, national origin, disability, sexual orientation and gender identity or status as a Vietnam era or special disabled veteran or any other unlawful basis, as defined by applicable law, and fostering a workplace free of unlawful discrimination and retaliation. This policy affects decisions including, but not limited to, hiring, compensation, benefits, terms and conditions of employment, opportunities for promotion, transfer, layoffs, return from a layoff, training and development, and other privileges of employment. An integral part of Duquesne Light Company's commitment is to comply with all applicable federal, state and local laws concerning equal employment and affirmative action.
Duquesne Light Company is committed to offering an inclusive and accessible experience for all job seekers, including individuals with disabilities. Our goal is to foster an inclusive and accessible workplace where everyone has the opportunity to be successful.
If you need a reasonable accommodation to search for a job opening, apply for a position, or participate in the interview process, connect with us at HR@duqlight.com and describe the specific accommodation requested for a disability-related limitation.
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