Manager, Innovation and Continuous Improvement

Description of the Position

The Manager, Innovation & Continuous Improvement will support SickKids Foundation’s continuous improvement and innovation priorities by managing assigned projects and workstreams that build our innovation capabilities and help improve how we work across the organization.

Reporting to the Director, Innovation & Process Improvement, the Manager will apply continuous improvement, project management, innovation and change-management methods to analyze operational challenges, identify opportunities for improvement and new value creation, coordinate implementation, measure results and help leaders and teams adopt improved ways of working.

Working collaboratively with project sponsors, process owners and cross-functional teams, this role will bring a practical, structured approach to problem-solving, process improvement and innovation initiatives across the Foundation.

Key Responsibilities

You will:

Plan and manage assigned continuous improvement projects, working with the Director, project sponsors and participating teams to establish clear problem statements, workplans, milestones, stakeholder involvement, risks and measures
Gather and analyze operational information, identify root causes, develop improvement options and recommendations, and coordinate implementation and progress against agreed outcomes
Apply continuous improvement, innovation, project management and process-management methods, tools, templates and standards, adapting them where appropriate to support the needs of specific projects and teams
Support leaders and process owners in understanding and consistently using innovation and improvement tools and practices, identifying opportunities to strengthen adoption and effectiveness
Coordinate assigned innovation programs, events and pipeline activities, helping teams document ideas, develop concepts and prototypes, conduct iterative tests and capture evidence and learning
Facilitate discovery, synthesis and structured problem-solving sessions with cross-functional teams and stakeholders
Provide practical guidance and coaching to project participants on improvement methods, change adoption and new ways of working
Work with project sponsors and process owners to establish baseline measures, track financial and non-financial results, assess progress and document lessons learned
Coordinate reviews of completed or maturing initiatives and recommend follow-up actions to support continued improvement
Manage multiple assigned projects and activities, maintaining workplans, schedules, risk and issue logs, decision records, status reports and benefits tracking
Monitor approved project expenditures and resource requirements and identify risks, dependencies or issues requiring escalation
Prepare clear recommendations, project updates and reporting for leaders, sponsors and other stakeholders

Qualifications

While we know that for any job posting no one candidate will possess the qualifications being sought in equal measure, below is an outline of the qualifications we believe are important for a candidate to bring to the position or for the successful candidate to develop while in the role:

Relevant university degree in a field such as design, engineering, human behaviour, innovation, business, or a related discipline, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
5+ years of progressive experience in continuous improvement, process improvement, innovation, project management, operational excellence or similar cross-functional work
Strong knowledge of continuous improvement and project management practices, with practical knowledge of innovation, process analysis, facilitation, change management, stakeholder engagement and performance measurement
Experience applying recognized improvement methods such as Lean, Six Sigma or an equivalent approach within a complex organization
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to assess operational information, identify root causes and develop practical recommendations
Strong project management and organizational skills, with the ability to coordinate multiple initiatives, priorities, stakeholders and dependencies
Demonstrated facilitation skills, including experience leading process-mapping, discovery and structured problem-solving sessions
Strong interpersonal and stakeholder-management skills, with the ability to build relationships and coordinate cross-functional participants without formal authority
Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain improvement and innovation concepts in practical language and communicate recommendations clearly to leaders and employees
Experience supporting organizational change and helping teams adopt new processes, tools or ways of working
Ability to establish and monitor financial and non-financial measures and use results to assess progress and identify opportunities for further improvement
A relevant continuous improvement or project management certification is considered an asset