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Director Innovation Jobs in Virginia (NOW HIRING)

Do you thrive in a role that values integrity, innovation, and servant leadership? If yes, then this exciting Hospitality Director position at Chick-fil-A is perfect for you! Working at Chick-fil-A ...

Do you thrive in a role that values integrity, innovation, and servant leadership? If yes, then this exciting Hospitality Director position at Chick-fil-A is perfect for you! Working at Chick-fil-A ...

Operating at the intersection of engineering leadership, talent strategy, and innovation velocity, the Sr. Director ensures that engineering teams are ready on day one of project funding and are ...

Director of Research Apply now Back to search results Job no: 536351 Work type: Research Faculty ... research, innovation, and workforce development where cutting-edge ideas take shape, talent ...

Showing results 41-60

Director Innovation information

See Virginia salary details

$33.2K

$116.5K

$193.8K

How much do director innovation jobs pay per year?

As of Sep 5, 2026, the average yearly pay for director innovation in Virginia is $116,472.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $79,300.00 and $155,700.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What does a director of innovation do?

A Director of Innovation leads an organization's efforts to develop and implement new ideas, technologies, and strategies that drive growth and competitive advantage. They research market trends, foster a culture of innovation, and collaborate with teams to bring new products, services, or processes to life. Their role involves strategic planning, identifying opportunities for innovation, and managing projects that enhance business performance.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a director of innovation?

To thrive as a Director of Innovation, you need expertise in strategic planning, product development, and business analysis, typically supported by a relevant bachelor's or master's degree. Familiarity with project management tools, innovation frameworks, and data analytics platforms is highly beneficial. Strong leadership, creative problem-solving, and excellent interpersonal communication set standout candidates apart in this position. These capabilities are crucial for effectively driving change, fostering a culture of innovation, and ensuring the organization remains competitive in a dynamic marketplace.

What are the main challenges a director of innovation typically faces in this role?

A Director of Innovation often deals with balancing the need for creative, out-of-the-box thinking with the practical requirements of business viability and risk management. Navigating resistance to change and securing stakeholder buy-in across different departments can be significant challenges. The role usually involves managing cross-functional teams and building bridges between R&D, marketing, and operations to drive projects forward. Being able to translate visionary ideas into actionable initiatives, while ensuring alignment with organizational goals, is essential for long-term success in this position.

What are the most commonly searched types of Innovation jobs in Virginia?

The most popular types of Innovation jobs in Virginia are:

What are popular job titles related to Director Innovation jobs in Virginia?

For Director Innovation jobs in Virginia, the most frequently searched job titles are:

What cities in Virginia are hiring for Director Innovation jobs?

Cities in Virginia with the most Director Innovation job openings:

Infographic showing various Director Innovation job openings in Virginia as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% As Needed, 77% Full Time, 20% Part Time, and 2% Contract. Highlights an 90% Physical, 4% Hybrid, and 6% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $116,472 per year, or $56 per hour.

$175 - $185/hr

Other

Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Retirement, PTO

Posted 6 days ago


Job description

It's fun to work in a company where people truly BELIEVE in what they're doing! We're committed to bringing passion and customer focus to the business.

Director, Operations - Ashburn, VA

Does the thought of joining one of the fastest-growing, privately held data center companies sound exciting to you? Do you enjoy collaborating with team members to drive and operate some of the industry’s leading and most innovative infrastructure solutions? At Aligned Data Centers, not only do we celebrate success across our platform, we celebrate the very teams that drive and support that success! Our culture is founded in passion, engineered from innovation, and driven by the pursuit of operational excellence. We are a company dedicated to driving positive change in the industry through continuous data center innovation, diversity and inclusion, and corporate sustainability. We realize not only is providing a comprehensive benefits package important, but we also provide a generous 401k match with immediate vesting, free membership to Gympass which provides our employees a rich health and wellness benefit and competitive time off plan. Giving back and having fun is important to our team whether it be serving our communities or employee and customer events. Our Aligned DNA is what makes us unique and successful! As part of our exciting growth, we are currently searching for a Director of Operations.

The Director Operations is responsible for leading and executing all aspects of the campus operations to include safety, security, reliability, network environment, customer relations, the critical environment, and P&L. This role will strategize, manage, and operate multiple Datacenter facilities for Aligned. The Director of Operations will ensure all Datacenter facility systems meet or exceed industry standards for critical maintenance resulting in 100% uptime, ensures the building engineering and security teams follow all reporting and documentation processes and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), and meets all customer service level agreements and compliance audits. The Director of Operations will serve as the liaison for all 24x7 operational activities across their managed facilities with executives and department heads to ensure appropriate communications with all interested and vested parties. They will lead and direct the staff in their market to optimize employee potential and maximize Aligned’s continued growth in existing and new markets. This role reports to the Senior Director of Operations or their designee.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
  • Provides senior leadership to drive strategic vision for Aligned’s datacenters, including Critical Facilities Operations, Preventative Maintenance, Commissioning, Infrastructure, Service Delivery, Security, Logistics, and Safety on a Senior level.
  • Manages Campus operations of the 24x7 Datacenter environment.
  • Identifies and implements critical metrics necessary to manage and monitor the performance of overall operations including, but not limited to, capacity, availability, budget, and inventory.
  • Oversees all electrical and mechanical infrastructure such as UPS systems, generators, fire suppression systems, BMS, and HVAC systems
  • Has responsibility for meeting established Service Level Agreements (SLAs).
  • Ensures that all work performed within the Datacenter is done to high quality and without impact to any internal/external customers.
  • Oversees requirements and delivery of services provided by Operations, Security, and Safety.
  • Drives maximum potential of these functions to provide exceptional services to clients and employees.
  • Oversees and supports the level 5 commissioning, operations, and maintenance of all Datacenter mission critical infrastructure in order to achieve 100% availability.
  • Manages Datacenter facility expansion and consolidation.
  • Manages, coaches, and develops management team performing Datacenter operations.
  • Manages and leads vendor relationship to maintain day to day operations and strategic goals for Datacenter Operations SLA’s and deliverables.
  • Works with current vendor stakeholders and partners to develop and deliver strategic plans.
  • Oversees all Datacenter vendor contracts, streamlining services required and optimizing overall costs.
  • Will work closely with all strategic supply chain vendors to ensure Aligned’s lean management strategies and continuous innovation and process improvement are fully implemented.
  • Evaluates and mitigates risk on new and existing programs within datacenter program governance.
  • Develops opportunities for cross-team effectiveness and remove organizational barriers for strong teamwork, collaboration, and excellent service delivery.
  • Drives Aligned’s Sustainability Strategy and creates a program to improve the efficiency of the Datacenter operations.
  • Engages in improvement projects, which often requires reaching out to a variety of support teams and driving them from conception to completion.
  • Manages budgeting and forecasting, planning, deployment, incident and problem management, change management.
  • Maintains documentation and diagrams capturing all essential parameters of Datacenter operations.
  • Defines policies, procedures, and standards related to performance, capacity, availability, continuity, and security.
  • Creates and delivers presentations to leadership team, company meetings, and conferences.
  • Will meet all customer service levels and power utilization efficiency commitments and take an active role in on-going customer interaction.
  • Participate in customer service review discussion and various ad-hoc meetings related to Datacenter management issues.
  • Manages customer service orders and remote hand requests.
  • Supervise local change management processes including the review and approval of all Method of Procedures (MOPs) for maintenance and one-time/emergency repair events in coordination with onsite personnel, contractors, and customers.
  • Ensure compliance with all safety procedures as well as utilization of personal protective equipment (PPE).
  • Respond quickly and appropriately to emergency situations (i.e., fire, evacuation, equipment failure etc.) and any customer concerns.
  • Ensures inventory control programs/purchase parts and supplies are maintained.
  • Ensure compliance with applicable codes, requisitions, government agencies and AE directives as relates to building and critical environment operations.
  • Operational Roles may also apply as necessary.
QUALIFICATIONS:
  • Bachelor’s degree preferred with 10 years’ experience or minimum of 12-15 years of related experience in lieu of degree.
  • Ability to comprehend, analyze, and interpret complex project documents, AutoCAD, Visio, and PDF documents.
  • Ability to project and time manage effectively.
  • Ability to develop operational standards, project tracking, and management documents.
  • Ability to effectively respond, verbally or written, to sensitive issues, complex inquiries, or complaints.
  • Ability to make effective presentations and respond to questions from groups of managers, clients, customers, and the public.
  • Requires a high level of commitment to customer service, whether co-workers or clients.
  • Requires in-depth knowledge of all applicable rules, laws, codes, regulations, and ordinances in performing data/communications and MEP projects.
  • Ability to estimate cost of client installations and other assigned projects.
  • Cost tracking for all projects.
  • Knowledge of Purchase Order Requests process and invoice tracking.
  • Develops appropriate RFP processes in addition to development of operating and capital budgets.
  • Ability to analyze and solve problems involving several options with limited information.
  • Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram or schedule form and to work independently.
  • Demonstrate ability to work well under pressure with a proactive approach to unusual occurrences.
  • Requires good organizational skills, attention to detail and an openness to new ideas and procedures.
  • MSOffice applications. i.e., Excel, Outlook, Word, and PowerPoint.
  • Occasional travel will be required for training and meetings.

Compensation: $175,000 - 185,000, plus annual bonus and additional incentives

BENEFITS & PERKS:
  • Health Coverage: Medical, dental, and vision insurance
  • Health Savings and Flexible Spending Accounts: HSA with employer contribution for eligible participants.
  • FSA's offered for health and dependent care to increase tax savings.
  • Retirement Savings: 401(k) plan with company match
  • Paid Time Off and Holiday Pay
  • Company-Sponsored Insurance: Short-Term Disability, Life Insurance, and Long-Term Disability (with medical election)
  • Optional Benefits: Voluntary life, critical illness, legal, and additional disability coverage
  • Wellness Programs: Employee assistance program (EAP), Wellhub gym membership, and other wellness initiatives
PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORK ENVIRONMENT:
  • Frequently required to stand
  • Frequently required to walk
  • Occasionally required to sit
  • Continually required to utilize hand and finger dexterity
  • Occasionally required to climb, balance, bend, stoop, kneel or crawl
  • Continually required to talk or hear
  • Frequently work near moving mechanical parts
  • Occasionally work in high, precarious places
  • Occasionally work around fumes, airborne particles, or toxic chemicals
  • Occasional exposure to outside weather conditions

Aligned Data Centers is an equal opportunity employer that embraces diversity and is committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. Equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants and teammates without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, national origin, age, physical and mental disability, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, military and veteran status, and any other characteristic protected by applicable law. All aspects of employment including the decision to hire, promote, discipline, or discharge, will be based on merit, competence, performance, and business needs.

When you join Aligned, you’re joining a passionate and positive team where every voice matters. We are committed to fostering a diverse, gender-equal, and inclusive workforce, extending to our military veterans to whom we owe so much.

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