Innovation, Research, and Development Manager

Innovation, Research, And Development Manager

Thank you for considering IT Concepts dba Kentro, where innovation drives opportunity and collaboration leads to success. Our dynamic community of experts is fully committed to advancing our customers' missions, fostering professional growth, and making a positive impact on our communities.

Our transition to Kentro in 2025 reflects a rich legacy built upon the foundation of IT Concepts. Rather than leaving ITC behind, we confidently embrace a future centered around the Core of More. By joining our supportive community, you will find that Kentro is dedicated to your personal and professional development. Together, we can drive meaningful change, spark innovation, and achieve extraordinary milestones.

Kentro is looking for a skilled and motivated Innovation, Research, And Development Manager to join our Technical Services team. As the Innovation, Research, And Development Manager, you will be responsible for translating internal and customer requirements into actionable tasks. You will also manage our innovation lab, research emerging technologies, and drive their integration into customer and our corporate environments. A key function will be working to define how we execute plans designed to enhance customer adoption of these solutions.

The Product Owner and Innovation Manager will join our Technical Services team, operating within a CMMI Development Maturity Level 4 / 5 framework. The successful candidate will play a pivotal role in leading our research and development (R&D) team to support our service delivery teams and contribute to organizational growth. Kentro's core capabilities focus on Infrastructure Modernization, Data and AI, Human Capital Management (HCM), Cybersecurity, and Healthcare. Kentro has also invested in partnerships with AWS, Microsoft, Google, UiPath, Salesforce, ServiceNow, Tableau, Databricks, among others. The innovation manager will use our core competencies, leverage our partnerships when / where it makes sense, and embrace emerging technology to guide what we create and how we innovate. Our innovations aim to create accelerators that differentiate Kentro from our competition and provide quality services for our customers.

Responsibilities :

• Focus on Priorities :
• Work closely with Tech Services leadership to focus R&D efforts.
• Be flexible, adapt when priorities shift and communicate impacts.
• Creating accelerators to drive value for our customers.
• Requirement Gathering and Analysis :
• Work closely with internal and customer stakeholders to gather and analyze business requirements.
• Translate internal and customer stakeholder needs into user stories, acceptance criteria, and technical specifications, considering cost, risk, and sustainability.
• Prioritize feature backlog based on business value and internal and customer stakeholder input.
• Innovation and Technology Leadership :
• Favor automation and AI where possible.
• Encourage taking calculated risks and failing fast.
• Lead the innovation lab by identifying, researching, and prototyping emerging technologies for integration.
• Oversee and manage demonstration environments to display new and existing technologies and processes to customers to drive value and adoption.
• Communicate the product vision, roadmap, and innovation initiatives to internal teams and customer stakeholders.
• Product Roadmap Management :
• Develop and maintain a clear product roadmap aligned with business objectives and a business case.
• Coordinate with development teams to define release plans and sprint goals.
• Communicate product vision and roadmap to internal teams and customer stakeholders.
• Team Collaboration :
• Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams including developers, QA engineers, designers, and project managers.
• Facilitate communication and foster a culture of collaboration and innovation.
• Provide guidance and support to development teams throughout the software development lifecycle.
• Project Execution and Delivery :
• Monitor project progress and identify risks and issues proactively.
• Automate the software delivery life cycle (SDLC) using pipelines and methodologies like DevSecOps or GitOps to deliver secure, high-quality solutions.
• Ensure timely delivery of high-quality software products that meet stakeholder expectations.
• Maintain project and product documentation.
• Plan for the operation and maintenance (O&M) that will be required upon delivery.
• Quality Assurance and Testing :
• Work with QA teams to define test plans and acceptance criteria.
• Review test results and ensure that product meets quality standards.
• Implement continuous improvement initiatives to enhance product quality and efficiency.
• Customer Engagement :
• Serve as the primary point of contact for customer interactions related to product features and functionality.
• Gather feedback from customers and incorporate it into product development process.
• Build strong relationships with customers to understand their evolving needs and preferences.

Location : McLean, VA- Option for Hybrid