Job Description

At CN, we work together to move our company-and North America-forward. Be part of our Information & Technology (I&T) team, a critical piece of the engine that keeps us in motion. From enterprise architecture to operational technology, our teams use the agile methodology to automate and digitize our railroad ensuring our operations run optimally and safely and our employees can focus on value-added tasks. You will be able to develop your skills and career in our close-knit, safety-focused culture working together as ONE TEAM. The careers we offer are meaningful because the work we do matters. Join us!

Job Summary

CN Rail is a leading North American freight railway, headquartered in Montreal, Canada. The "Innovation Engine (IE)" is CN's in-house innovation function, responsible for developing and deploying innovations throughout CN's business. Joining the Engine is an opportunity to drive the next frontier in rail and logistics innovation.

The Manager, Innovation is responsible to manage and evolve the Innovation Team, made up of Experts. The incumbent will work closely with the CS&I VP and business executive-level leadership to develop and maintain a pipeline of high-value innovation opportunities and initiatives. The incumbent provides the internal team with subject matter expertise, strategic vision and guidance while simultaneously developing partnerships with innovative 3rd parties, all with the goal of establishing the Innovation Engine's reputation as a force for innovation.

Main Responsibilities

Develop the Innovation Practice & Pipeline

Manage and govern the innovation process according to the Technology Readiness Levels methodology, from ideation, through research, design and prototyping (TRL1-7)

Stay abreast of innovation needs (from across CN) and external trends (through scanning of competitors, adjacent industries, industry publications, etc.)

Oversee prioritization of high-value innovation opportunities and initiatives and in conjunction with the Head of Innovation, based on established prioritization criteria

Oversee POCs and prototyping, working with Innovation Leads, and relevant internal and external delivery teams as initiatives are scaled up to be production ready

Develop and oversee the pipeline investment budget

Direct all portfolio management efforts, including tracking of the pipeline and reporting to the Innovation Council (the governing body for the Innovation Engine), including value in the pipeline and financial impact

Oversee the development of "innovation enablement" capabilities, serving as a center-of-excellence on innovation best practices, methodologies, tools, etc.

Execute efforts to push innovation best practices into the core CN business, creating a culture of Innovation

Develop and execute an intellectual property & thought leadership strategy, set and manage targets for patent filings, thought leadership publications, etc.

Lead Innovation Partnerships

Be accountable for innovation partnerships between IE and internal partners: act as an enabler to the various BU Innovation teams and senior leadership for their innovation initiatives and pipelines.

Be accountable for innovation partnerships between CN and external partners: academia, industries and accelerators. Bring awareness to core CN business of the opportunities and benefits of these external partnerships.

Lead Innovation Team

Lead a team of Experts and Specialists

Partner with Human Resources (HR) to bring new talent to the organization by determining which skills and roles are required and making well reasoned hiring decisions

Provide a positive and welcoming onboarding experience to all new employees by ensuring they have access to the tools and resources needed to fulfill the job requirements

Recognize employee milestones such as service awards and retirements, as well as significant contributions and enhanced responsibilities

Focus on communication and foster collaboration by regularly providing updates to teams concerning ongoing initiatives and encouraging them to work together to accomplish common goals and learning

Handle employee performance to ensure that employees who are not meeting expectations are identified and supported through the performance improvement process

Create and enable a positive and engaging work environment by ensuring individual strengths are uncovered and leveraged

Participate in succession planning via contribution to the yearly talent review cycle and identifying employees with the potential for management and technical paths

Support employee development through regular career conversations with all employees, documented and tracked, and help them to reach their career goals

Ensure knowledge is preserved through cross-training of key skill sets

Working Conditions

The role has standard working conditions spread across both an office environment and home office.

Due to the nature of the role, the incumbent must be able to meet tight deadlines, handle pressure, and stress.

This role may require occasional business travel in accordance with CN policy for meetings

Requirements

Experience

Minimum 10+ years of relevant work experience, and specifically in the following areas:

1. Stakeholder management

~5+ years of strong stakeholder engagement experience, managing a senior and complex stakeholder landscape

Cross-functional leadership and execution

~5+ years experience leading cross-functional teams from across business units/functions to deliver important strategic projects

Experience co-ordinating cross-functional projects with vague or unclear inputs

2. Numeric and financial fluency

Experience and comfort with quantitative data and analysis, including portfolio management and budgeting (e.g. estimating value of pipeline ideas)

Education/Certification/Designation

Minimum Bachelor's degree in Commerce/Business, Engineering, Technology or equivalent.

Competencies

Familiarity with the current strategic and operational trends and challenges within the Rail and Logistics sectors

Builds a relationship with clients and provides valuable services

Is inspirational and innovative

Has very strong and impactful communication and presentation skills adapted for the audience and that inspires

Demonstrates analytical thinking, good judgement and a broad vision when making makes difficult and timely decisions

Solid capability to develop and lead strategic direction inline with company vision

Sets goals that are consistent with CN's plan and takes responsibility for achieving results

Has very strong and impactful communication and presentation skills adapted for the audience and that inspires

Deals with pressure and change by staying calm to quickly adapt to changes

Demonstrates organizational abilities

Collaborates with key internal stakeholders to enable higher productivity

*Any skills/attributes for these above would be considered as an asset

Technical Skills/Knowledge

Advanced knowledge of Innovation best-practices, methodologies, and tools including market analysis, scanning, research, benchmarking, etc.

Advanced knowledge of numeric and financial analysis, including value estimations, risk estimations, budget development, etc.

Knowledge of rail, transpiration and logistics businesses and market

Knowledge of CN's operations, strategy, and key leadership*

Knowledge of portfolio, product and program management

Strong ability to translate visions and innovative solutions into roadmaps and plans for prototyping and development

Some familiarity with CN's existing technology stack/capabilities, and technology roadmap across different business units*

*Any knowledge for any of the above would be considered as an asset

About CN

CN is a world-class transportation leader and trade-enabler. Essential to the economy, to the customers, and to the communities it serves, CN safely transports more than 300 million tons of natural resources, manufactured products, and finished goods throughout North America every year. As the only railroad connecting Canada's Eastern and Western coasts with the Southern tip of the U.S. through a 19,500 mile rail network, CN and its affiliates have been contributing to community prosperity and sustainable trade since 1919. CN is committed to programs supporting social responsibility and environmental stewardship. At CN, we work as ONE TEAM, focused on safety, sustainability and our customers, providing operational and supply chain excellence to deliver results.

For internal candidates, note that the grade level of the position will depend on the employee's experience.

CN is an employment equity employer and we encourage all qualified candidates to apply. We thank all applicants for their interest, however, only candidates under consideration will be contacted. Please monitor your email on a regular basis, as communication is primarily made through email.