Product Innovation Manager (1 year contract)

IMI plc
We are a global specialist engineering company that creates breakthrough solutions. We are curious and like to solve problems, partnering with our customers to solve the demands of today and prepare for the challenges of tomorrow. We embrace innovation and care about outcomes that are good for business, everyday life and making a better world – creating lasting impact for everyone.

We design, build and service highly engineered products in fluid and motion control applications. We focus on five market sectors: Industrial Automation, Process Automation, Climate Control, Life Science and Fluid Control, and Transport.

Role Overview
We are looking for a Product Innovation Manager to drive early-stage innovation across the Growth Hub, turning opportunities into validated business concepts.

Reporting to the Growth Hub Director, you will lead Phase 0-2 innovation sprints, helping teams identify opportunities, challenge assumptions, test ideas, and build evidence-based business cases. Once opportunities are validated and ready for scaling, ownership transfers to the relevant sector teams.

This role is responsible for identifying, shaping, and accelerating innovative product concepts from initial opportunity through technical feasibility, customer validation, and business case development. Working closely with engineering, product management, commercial teams, and customers, you will help translate market needs and emerging technologies into new products and growth opportunities.

This is a highly visible role for someone who combines strong engineering and product development expertise with commercial awareness and a passion for innovation.

You won't be managing innovation from a distance. You'll be in the room where ideas are tested, challenged, validated, and transformed into future businesses.

We are offering one year contract to start.

Location: Flexible/Remote across the Netherlands with regular travel to IMI sites.

Key Responsibilities

Lead the exploration and development of new product and technology opportunities across Process Automation.
Facilitate cross-functional innovation activities involving Engineering, Product Management, Operations, Commercial and Customer teams.
Drive the front-end innovation process from opportunity identification through concept development and validation.
Conduct customer discovery activities to understand unmet market needs and emerging industry trends.
Translate customer and market insights into product concepts, value propositions and development roadmaps.
Evaluate technical feasibility, market attractiveness and business potential of new product opportunities.
Collaborate with engineering teams to develop prototypes, proof-of-concepts and validation plans.
Support the development of business cases and investment proposals for new growth initiatives.
Promote a culture of innovation, customer-centricity and continuous improvement across the organization.
Identify emerging technologies and assess their application within Process Automation markets.

What we are looking for

Degree in Engineering, Product Development, Industrial Design or a related technical discipline.
Proven experience in new product development, product engineering, R&D, innovation, or technology development.
Strong understanding of industrial products, manufacturing environments, and engineering development processes.
Experience leading multidisciplinary teams through concept development and product validation.
Strong customer focus with the ability to translate market needs into technical solutions.
Commercial awareness and ability to evaluate business opportunities alongside technical feasibility.
Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills.
Ability to influence and collaborate across engineering, commercial, and operational functions.
Curious mindset with a passion for emerging technologies and innovation.
Experience within industrial automation, process automation, flow control, instrumentation, valves, pumps, or related sectors would be advantageous.

Why Join IMI?
This is a unique opportunity to help shape the future of innovation within Process Automation. You will work with senior leaders, experts, and innovators across the organization to identify new growth opportunities, build innovation capability, and turn promising ideas into future businesses.

IMI is an inclusive employer; diversity is very important to us, and we want to receive applications from people from all backgrounds