Jobs for Innovation & Business Development Lead At Ericsson – Lagos, Lagos, NG

Ericsson is the world’s leading provider of technology and services to telecom operators. Ericsson is advancing its vision of being the “prime driver in an all-communicating world” through innovation, technology, and sustainable business solutions.

We now stand on the brink of fundamental innovation opportunities across industries, public services and in private life. We are moving from the information society to the Networked Society, where the primary concern is not having access to information, but what benefit you get out of it.

It took 100 years to connect 1 billion places and 25 years to connect 5 billion people. The next step is connecting things. Ericsson envisions 50 billion connected devices as a starting point for new ways of innovating, collaborating, and socializing. The result will be simplified processes, higher productivity, real-time information allowing quicker, more informed decision-making or problem solving when relevant, and monitoring.
The Networked Society changes the logic of how society works. It is our job to take the lead in enabling this, and we are shaping our decisions around that. The ICT industry can help address our world’s major concerns in climate change, health care, education, and more.

Job description

Req ID: 85620

Ericsson Overview 

Ericsson is a world-leading provider of telecommunications equipment and services to mobile and fixed network operators. Over 1,000 networks in more than 180 countries use Ericsson equipment, and more than 40 percent of the world’s mobile traffic passes through Ericsson networks. Using innovation to empower people, business and society, we are working towards the Networked Society, in which everything that can benefit from a connection will have one. At Ericsson, we apply our innovation to market-based solutions that empower people and society to help shape a more sustainable world. 

We are truly a global company, working across borders in 175 countries, offering a diverse, performance-driven culture and an innovative and engaging environment where employees enhance their potential everyday. Our employees live our vision, core values and guiding principles. They share a passion to win and a high responsiveness to customer needs that in turn makes us a desirable partner to our clients. To ensure professional growth, Ericsson offers a stimulating work experience, continuous learning and growth opportunities that allow you to acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to reach your career goals. 

Description 

Lead and drive innovation activities as well as encourage the right conditions for creativity and innovation, with the purpose to create value from ideas within a defined strategic scope, including new products, services, business models, processes, and ways of working. Identify and develop new business opportunities with the purpose to capture value in new areas, typically outside and beyond current core businesses. 

Main Responsibilities 

  • Manage a team of innovation and business development experts across multiple countries
  • Help build and define the ways of working for this new business unit wirh the Ericsson GCU
  • Work with technical experts to help our customer’s maximize the benfits from the existing technologies in the network
  • Work closely with customer teams to develop the next generation of products and services that will drive the customers business.
  • Establish a relationship with stakeholders inside and outside the company to promote an innovation ecosystem
  • Help define and set the strategy for the teams and ensure there is a robust mechanism for tracking and measuring success.
  • Promote and position Ericsson as a leader in the ICT area
  • Drive and create new business opportunities for Ericsson by creating new customer offerings and sourcing 3PP partner solutions
  • Build a close relationship with customer CIOs and CMOs in order identify business needs
  • Promote knowledge sharing and solution re-use across the innovation teams

Typical Interfaces 

  • Relevant LTs and boards, including strategy, technology and portfolio management
  • Customers CIO and CMO teams
  • Partners for jointly exploring new business opportunities
  • Internal subject area experts, e.g. product, solution and innovation managers, innovation coaches, new business development & innovation 

    Behavioral competences 

    • Creating and innovating
    • Commercial thinking
    • Persuading and influencing
    • Analyzing
    • Leading and supervising
    • Relating and networking

    Qualifications and Experience 

    • MBA, MSc or similar theoretical background
    • Business building, entrepreneurial experience
    • Opportunity and business case development, and business modeling experience
    • Coaching and facilitation experience
    • Qualification as an Innovation coach would be an advantage.
    • Experience working in a marketing or related role
    • Previous Management experience and experience leading teams

    DETAILED RESPONSIBILITYES & TASKS 

    RESPONSIBILITYES 

    TASKS 

    Perform and facilitate foresight, insight, ideation (Innovation Manager, Innovation Coach)

    Drive foresight and scenario development (outside-in, from the future and back perspective) 

    Analyze markets, customers and users to identify key insights and stakeholder values per area/opportunity 

    Drive and facilitate idea generation sessions with internal and external participation 

    Drive pre-studies, business case/plan creation (Innovation Manager, Innovation Coach, Business Builder) 

    Describe and develop business concept incl. values for stakeholders and effort to realize 

    Business model and business case development, investment and risk analysis 

    Shape and align expectations of internal and external stakeholders, customers 

    Prepare decision-making (communication, networking, presentation) 

    Initiate and drive innovation activities/funnel (Innovation Manager) 

    Define innovation objectives and scope based on business goals and strategy 

    Seek mandate for, establish and drive an innovation initiative, process 

    Secure relevant people, funding and time 

    Define and set-up a systematic way of working, incl. innovation process, funnel 

    Define selection criteria and identify/establish relevant decision-making board 

    Define roles and competences development needs 

    Identify and make available relevant tools, methods 

    Propose incentives and recognition. Set relevant KPIs, measure, follow-up 

    Communicate innovation needs and success stories to engage relevant stakeholders 

    Manage the opportunity flow: screening, pre-study, realization, commercialization 

    Collaboration and knowledge sharing in internal and external innovation networks 

    Build relations and engage customers and partners in joint innovation activities 

    Promote a culture that supports innovation (Innovation Manager, Innovation Coach, Line Manager) 

    Create awareness of what innovation is and why it is important 

    Drive activities to strengthen innovation capabilities, boost creativity and accelerate implementation 

    Communicate innovation strategy and innovation success stories 

    Build new business, incl. team creation, internal alignment, commercial trials, market launch (Business Builder) 

    Create team and secure resources, competences and network for realization 

    Build internal support and alignment 

    Build prototype, manage experiments, trials and validation with internal and external stakeholders 

    Manage customers and partner relations 

    Make build, buy or ally decisions. Manage M&A, minority investment, partnership and alliances issues 

    Venture execution, commercial launch and initial scale-up 

    Coach and facilitate opportunity development (Innovation Coach) 

    Coach and support other persons to develop ideas/opportunities 

    Use tools and methods to identify opportunity value and estimate effort 

    Encourage and motivate, build relevant relations internally and externally 
    APPLY NOW