NITRO Innovation Scout

Job description

Technology has always been at the heart of what we do and deliver at EY. We need technology to keep an organization the size of ours working efficiently. We have 250,000 people in more than 140 countries, all of whom rely on secure technology to be able to do their job every single day.  Everything from the laptops we use, to the ability to work remotely on our mobile devices and connecting our people and our clients, to enabling hundreds of internal tools and external solutions delivered to our clients.  Technology solutions are integrated in the client services we deliver and is key to us being more innovative as an organization.

EY Technology supports our technology needs through three business units:

Client Technology (CT) - focuses on developing new technology services for our clients. It enables EY to identify new technology-based opportunities faster, and pursue those opportunities more rapidly.

Enterprise Workplace Technology (EWT) – EWT supports our Core Business Services functions and will deliver fit-for-purpose technology infrastructure at the cheapest possible cost for quality services. EWT will also support our internal technology needs by focusing on a better user experience.

Information Security (Info Sec) - Info Sec prevents, detects, responds and mitigates cyber-risk, protecting EY and client data, and our information management systems.  

Role:  NITRO Innovation Scout
Grade:  Assistant Director

Location:  Dublin, Ireland


The Opportunity

The megatrends are rapidly changing the way the world works and it is important to scan the horizon to understand the changing markets and new technologies that can disrupt our businesses.NITRO (NextGen Innovation & Technology Research Organization), the innovation arm within EY’s Client Technology group is exactly tasked to help us do that. We focus on accelerating innovation by incubating new business ideas, through deep research and technology experimentation, that will result in competitive advantage and market differentiation. 

Innovation Scout is a strategic role, which will provide you with the opportunity to help EY teams to discover and execute future focussed ideas that are both technically feasible and financially viable.This role will be based out of Dublin, Ireland where you will be working very closely with the Wavespace team at Dublin.  

About us.

NITRO is the central innovation capability within EY’s client technology. We focus on deep technology research and incubation of business ideas that are forward looking and has application of emerging technology. 

Our focus areas include:

 

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Experimenting new technologies and drive adoption of emerging technologies that will help fulfil the business goals of the firm.

· 
Validating desirability, feasibility, viability of ideas through prototypes and PoCs

·  Delivering insights on trends, products and vendors
· 
Facilitating problem solving and ideation though innovation workshops

· 
Supporting practitioners to win deals through demonstration of technology assets

 

Responsibilities.

 

As an Innovation Scout, you’ll act as a conduit between the Wavespace Team at Ireland and NITRO team in Client Technology, to bring in technology incubation and related emerging tech capabilities to solve business problems. As part of the team, you’ll help our account teams to develop new and differentiated products and services as well as build lasting internal capabilities that enables sustained and consistent results. You will play a crucial role in streamlining innovation operations, reducing cost and increasing efficiency. Specific responsibilities include but are not limited to:

· 
Work closely with Ireland Wavespace to establish and manage relationships with key stakeholders in the regions and scout for new business challenges/ideas to be solved/incubated.

· 
Jointly work with Ireland Wavespace to proactively tap into their prototyping/proof of concepts needs of clients.

· 
Collaborate with SL teams to identify and prioritize innovation opportunities based on value today and relevance for tomorrow

· 
Generates future relevant strategies that are both technically feasible and financially viable

· 
Play an integral role in driving Innovation initiatives to improve the client experience and drive efficiency for our practitioners worldwide

· 
Execute on strategic priorities and identify future growth and expansion opportunities for both NITRO and Client Technology.

· 
Strike the right balance of technology and management expertise to lead and drive innovation initiatives working with stakeholders.

· 
Lead and deliver multiple innovation initiatives starting from ideation through prototyping working with innovation/technology consultants in Ireland.

· 
Manage expectations of our stakeholders throughout the innovation lifecycle

· 
Attend service line innovation events and develop connections with innovators and potential partners.

· 
Collaborate with mainstream implementation teams in Client Technology to transition and drive adoption of technologies and prototypes.

· 
Coach and train junior team members on innovation methodologies processes, tools and emerging technologies.

· 
Keeping up to date with emerging trends and technology.

Skill Requirements
· 
Technology savvy with knowledge of latest trends and technologies in the market (Examples include AI , Machine Learning, Mobile, Analytics, Cloud, IoT, Wearables, Robotics etc.)

· 
Deep understanding of EY’s innovation landscape, innovation methodologies and tools to support clients and client teams from ideation to scale.

· 
Thorough knowledge on EY’s technological landscape and reusable assets to help accelerate the institutionalization of innovation ideas.

· 
Ability to identify and prioritize innovation opportunities based on value today and relevance for tomorrow

·  Possess a flexible, future-oriented mindset and culture
· 
Should be passionate about Innovation, idea generation and corporate innovation

· 
Self-driven and highly motivated individual with extensive professional experience in the IT industry and innovation.

· 
Excellent communication and presentation skills that could be leveraged to socialize and market new ideas and concepts

· 
Strong tolerance for ambiguity and “can do” attitude with an open mind-set to work on any technology area

· 
Excellent customer relationship and expectation management skills

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Should have cross geography cultural awareness and experience in working with global customers

· 
Expertise in conducting Design Thinking workshops will be a plus.

· 
Good command on using MS PowerPoint to develop high quality, professional presentations

· 
Reasonable professional experience in Innovation or Design Thinking consultancy/ agency/ or equivalent corporate department with proven track record of Design Thinking innovation projects.

Education : Computer Science, MBA or equivalent graduation degree. Preferably certified Design Thinking Professional or an equivalent qualification
Experience :
· 
10-14 years of overall experience in the technology domain preferably in the innovation space.

· 
Experience in conducting ideation sessions/workshops.

· 
Experience with incubation and institutionalization of innovation ideas leveraging emerging technologies like AI and Blockchain.