Description & Requirements
Be part of something great
Maximus is a global organisation that specialises in providing health and employment services to millions of people every year. Here in the UK we employ around 5,000 people across the country to deliver services that have a profound impact on people’s lives. From assessments and health services to employability programmes and specialist support, we do work that matters with people who care.
Salary £57,940 - £62,820
Benefits include:
- 25 days annual leave
- 9% combined pension
- Flexible benefits package
- Holiday trade scheme
Are you passionate about fostering a culture of innovation and unlocking ground-breaking ideas within an organisation? Maximus is seeking a dynamic and engaging Innovation Specialist to join our transformation team in the UK. This crucial role will be dedicated to stimulating and capturing transformational innovative ideas from across all levels of the organisation, including our employees, commissioners, and end customers. You will be the catalyst for identifying disruptive innovations, differentiating from continuous improvement initiatives which typically focus on incremental changes. By democratising idea generation and actively nurturing contributions, you will ensure a constant influx of diverse perspectives and creative solutions, empowering everyone to own innovation and contribute to Maximus's future success.
Run targeted engagement initiatives, working closely with the wider Innovation team and embedding within operational areas to identify and explore opportunities with the greatest potential for transformation. Ensure any incremental improvement ideas are appropriately routed to Continuous Improvement teams.
· Create and implement tools, training programs, and resources to enable teams within operations to self-identify and prioritise ideas for innovation, thereby improving the quality and flow of transformational ideas into the innovation pipeline.
· Design and execute innovation campaigns, hackathons, and open innovation initiatives, engaging with external parties such as technology partners, universities, and non-competitive analogous organisations to generate fresh perspectives and solutions. Consolidate business challenges from Operations to feed into these engagements.
· Develop promising innovative ideas to a level that enables a clear understanding of their likely impact and create initial business cases, outlining key information required for review by the change board.
· Conduct horizon scanning of technology trends which will impact Maximus and also potentially form part of our future solutions.
· Drive a company-wide culture of innovation by actively engaging and educating employees in the idea generation process, providing recognition, feedback, and support for their contributions.
· Proven experience in fostering innovation and generating ideas within an organisation.
· Experience in design thinking approach or lean start up
· Understanding of different innovation methodologies and frameworks.
· Experience in designing and facilitating workshops, training sessions, and brainstorming activities.
· Excellent communication, interpersonal, and engagement skills with the ability to connect with and inspire people at all levels.
· Experience in developing basic business cases or proposals for new initiatives.
· Ability to work independently and collaboratively with diverse teams.
· A passion for driving transformative change and challenging the status quo.
Desirable Qualifications and/or Experience:
· Experience in running hackathons or open innovation challenges.
· Familiarity with tools and platforms that support idea management and collaboration.
· Experience in the employability services sector or a similar domain.
· Understanding of continuous improvement methodologies and how they differ from transformational innovation.
· Experience in presenting ideas and concepts to stakeholders at various levels.
Individual Competencies:
· Innovation & Creativity: A natural ability to think outside the box and inspire others to do the same.
· Engagement & Influencing Skills: Ability to connect with and motivate individuals and teams to contribute their innovative ideas.
· Facilitation Skills: Excellent ability to design and lead effective workshops and idea generation sessions.
· Communication & Interpersonal Skills: Exceptional verbal and written communication skills with the ability to build rapport and influence stakeholders.
· Strategic Thinking: Ability to understand the broader business context and identify ideas with the potential for significant impact.
· Collaboration & Teamwork: Ability to work effectively with diverse teams across the organisation and with external partners.
· Proactiveness & Initiative: A self-starter who can identify opportunities and drive innovation initiatives forward