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External Innovation Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Biogen

Head of Immunobiology, Cambridge

Cambridge, MA · On-site

$250K - $344K/yr

External Innovation & Ventures Collaboration * Serve as a scientific leader in sourcing, evaluating, and advancing external opportunities aligned with emerging immunobiology and therapeutic ...

MeriCal, LLC

Innovation Scientist

Orange, CA · On-site

$115K - $130K/yr

Supplied Collaboration & External Innovation: * Participate in supplied innovation meetings to identify new ingredient technologies and opportunities. * Collaborate with strategic supplies on joint ...

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External Innovation information

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$60K

$94.7K

$131.5K

How much do external innovation jobs pay per year?

As of Jul 11, 2026, the average yearly pay for external innovation in the United States is $94,742.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $78,500.00 and $110,000.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is the difference between External Innovation vs R&D Specialist?

AspectExternal InnovationR&D Specialist
CredentialsTypically requires a degree in business, innovation management, or related fieldsRequires a degree in engineering, science, or related technical disciplines
Work EnvironmentCollaborates with external partners, startups, and innovation hubsWorks primarily within R&D departments of companies or labs
Industry UsageCommon in industries focusing on open innovation and external partnershipsFound in industries with in-house research and development teams
Search & Comparison IntentOften compared for roles involving external collaboration and innovation strategyCompared for technical research and product development roles

External Innovation focuses on leveraging external partners and open innovation strategies, while R&D Specialists conduct internal research and development. Both roles are vital for innovation but differ in their approach and environment.

How does an External Innovation professional typically collaborate with internal teams to drive successful partnerships and projects?

External Innovation professionals work closely with various internal stakeholders, such as R&D, product management, legal, and business development teams, to identify needs and evaluate potential external partners. They facilitate communication between internal decision-makers and external organizations, ensuring alignment on goals, timelines, and deliverables. This role often involves coordinating cross-functional meetings, managing due diligence processes, and translating external opportunities into actionable internal projects. Effective collaboration is key to integrating external innovations smoothly and maximizing value for the organization.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive in External Innovation, and why are they important?

To thrive in External Innovation, you need a strong background in business development, market analysis, and scientific or technical expertise relevant to your industry, often supported by a degree in business, science, or engineering. Familiarity with innovation management tools, intellectual property systems, and platforms for scouting emerging technologies is highly valuable. Exceptional networking, negotiation, and cross-functional communication skills set top performers apart in this field. These abilities are crucial for successfully identifying, evaluating, and integrating external opportunities that drive organizational growth and competitiveness.

What is external innovation?

External innovation refers to the process where organizations seek new ideas, technologies, or partnerships from outside their own company to drive growth and stay competitive. This can involve collaborating with startups, universities, research institutions, or other companies to access fresh perspectives and expertise. By leveraging external resources, businesses can accelerate product development, expand into new markets, and reduce risks associated with innovation. External innovation is often part of a broader open innovation strategy, emphasizing collaboration beyond traditional organizational boundaries.
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External Innovation jobs near you
FinTech Innovation & Partnerships Manager

FinTech Innovation & Partnerships Manager

Align Technology

Raleigh, NC

$123K - $169K/yr

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Retirement, PTO

Re-posted yesterday

Job description

Description
The Business Innovation & Strategic Partnerships Manager – Financial Services serves as an External Growth Engine, leading the identification, evaluation, and scaling of fintech partnerships to drive innovation, revenue growth, and differentiated financial solutions across the U.S. market. This role is accountable for expanding the organization’s capabilities through external partners while ensuring solutions are scalable, compliant, and commercially viable.
Sitting at the intersection of fintech, commercial strategy, regulatory execution, and customer experience, this role focuses on enabling orthodontists, general dentists, and DSOs to improve affordability, increase treatment conversion, and support long‑term growth through best‑in‑class financing and payment options.
The role owns the end‑to‑end lifecycle of third‑party financial services programs—from partner identification and commercial structuring to pilot execution, go‑to‑market launch, analytics, and ongoing performance management—acting as a catalyst for growth beyond internal build efforts.

Role expectations
External Growth & Fintech Partner Strategy
  • Identify, evaluate, and onboard fintech partners across payments, lending, BNPL, AI‑driven credit decisioning, billing, and digital wallets.
  • Build and manage a prioritized partner pipeline aligned to strategic growth, customer needs, and product roadmap priorities.
  • Own partner due diligence, strategic fit assessment, and onboarding readiness in collaboration with Legal, Compliance, and Finance.
Commercial Models, Pilots & Strategic Alliances
  • Structure partnership commercial models, including revenue share, referral, embedded finance, and white‑label arrangements.
  • Design, launch, and scale pilots and proofs of concept with clear performance metrics and decision gates.
  • Establish and manage strategic alliances to accelerate time‑to‑market and expand financial services capabilities.
Partner Performance & Innovation Pipeline Management
  • Serve as primary owner for assigned fintech partners, driving performance management, governance, roadmap alignment, and value realization.
  • Track partner and program performance using defined KPIs and advanced analytics; translate insights into iterative improvements and growth opportunities.
  • Continuously manage the external innovation pipeline, sourcing and testing new partner‑led solutions.
Design & Scale Fintech Solutions
  • Identify, validate, and commercialize patient financing and payment solutions that enhance affordability, conversion, and practice economics.
  • Co‑develop differentiated financial products with partners to meet the needs of individual practices and enterprise DSOs.
DSO & Enterprise Engagement
  • Partner closely with DSOs and large group practices to understand operational, financial, and compliance needs.
  • Tailor financing programs, workflows, and solution positioning to drive enterprise‑level adoption and scalability.
Go‑to‑Market Execution
  • Collaborate with Sales, Marketing, and Business Development to develop value propositions, GTM strategies, campaigns, and field enablement tools.
  • Support sales teams with training, messaging, and objection handling related to financial solutions and partnerships.
Legal, Compliance & Cross‑Functional Leadership
  • Coordinate closely with Legal and Compliance teams on contracts, regulatory readiness, third‑party risk, and audit requirements.
  • Work cross‑functionally with Finance, Sales Operations, Analytics, and Operations to ensure compliant, scalable execution.
Executive Communication & Customer Engagement
  • Deliver clear, executive‑ready updates on partner performance, risks, pipeline, and strategic recommendations.
  • Spend approximately 15–30% of time in customer‑facing environments to maintain strong market and practitioner insights.
Key Outputs & Deliverables
  • A high‑impact fintech partner portfolio aligned to growth and innovation priorities.
  • Co‑developed financial products that accelerate affordability, conversion, and revenue growth.
  • Scalable partnership playbooks, including onboarding frameworks, commercial templates, governance models, and KPI dashboards.

What we're looking for
  • Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience.
  • 6+ years of experience in fintech, financial services, business innovation, partnerships, or related commercial roles.
  • Strong understanding of payments, lending, patient financing, BNPL, or embedded financial solutions.
  • Demonstrated experience working with DSOs, enterprise customers, or multi‑location practices.
  • Strong analytical, strategic thinking, and commercial structuring skills.
  • Excellent communication, executive presentation, and stakeholder management capabilities.
Preferred:
  • Experience in dentistry, healthcare, or other regulated industries.
  • MBA or advanced business degree.
  • Familiarity with analytics platforms, performance dashboards, and AI‑enabled decisioning tools.
  • Experience supporting go‑to‑market strategy, field enablement, or sales acceleration.
What You’ll Bring:
  • A builder’s mindset and passion for external growth through fintech partnerships.
  • Comfort operating in fast‑paced, matrixed, and regulated environments.
  • A collaborative leadership style with a bias toward execution and measurable outcomes.
  • Ability to influence without authority and align diverse stakeholders around shared goals.

Pay Transparency
If provided, base salary or wage rate ranges are the range in which Align reasonably expects to set a candidate’s pay for the posted position. Actual placement depends on the individual skills and experience level of a candidate plus the total compensation and equity across team members. For other locations outside of the primary location, the base salary range will be adjusted geographically. 
 
For Field Sales roles, the salary listed is the base pay only and does not include the applicable incentive compensation plan. A cost of living adjustment may be added to base pay for higher cost areas in the U.S. 
 
Our internship hourly rates are a standard pay determined based on the position and your location, year in school, degree, and experience.
General Description of All Benefits
We are pleased to provide a general description of the benefits Align offers to full-time employees in this position.  
 
Family Benefits.  Align offers employees and their eligible dependents medical (with a Health Savings Account option for some plan offerings),  dental, and vision in accordance with those plans.  Align also offers to employees:
  • Discounts on Invisalign and Vivera to employees and their eligible dependents after 90 days of employment
  • Back-up Child/Elder Care and access to a caregiving concierge
  • Family Forming Benefits – Available to Employees, and their spouse or domestic partner, covered under one of Align’s health plans
  • Breast Milk Delivery and Lactation Support Services
  • Employee Assistance Program
  • Hinge Health Virtual Physical Therapy – Available to all employees and eligible dependents (age 18+) enrolled in an Align medical Plan
Employee benefits.  Align offers its employees:
  • Short-term and long-term disability insurance in accordance with those plans.
  • Basic Life Insurance and Accidental Death and Dismemberment.  Voluntary Supplemental Life Insurance for Employee, Spouse/Domestic Partner, and Child(ren) are available for purchase in accordance with those plans.
  • Flexible Spending Accounts – Employees may be eligible to participate in a health care account (including a limited health FSA if enrolled in a HDHP), dependent care account, and a pre-tax commuter benefit plan.
  • 401k plan (with a discretionary Company match of 50% up to 6% of eligible earnings up to a maximum match of 3%.). Employer match vests after two years – 25% year one and 100% at year two. Align offers traditional, Roth, and after-tax options.
  • Employee Stock Purchase Program (Employees must work 20 hours or more and be employed on purchase date to be eligible).
  • Paid vacation of up to 17 days during the first full year of employment (currently accrued at the rate of 5.24 hours each pay-period), which carries over to a maximum cap of 30 days.  Annual paid vacation time accrual increases based on tenure. Both exempt and non-exempt employees who work 32 hours or more per week receive prorated vacation accrual based on their regularly scheduled work hours and tenure.
  • Sick time is accrued throughout the year at the rate of one hour for every thirty worked. Employees can carry over unused sick leave each year, up to a maximum balance of 80 hours.
  • 11 Company-designated paid holidays throughout the year.
  • If employed for at least 12 consecutive months, Align will grant up to 6 weeks of paid Parental Leave. If employed for less than 12 consecutive months, Align will grant up to 4 weeks of paid Parental Leave.  All parental leave must be completed within one year of the birth or placement of the child.  Parental leave is in addition to any state and/or local parental leave benefits. Three days of paid bereavement leave. In some cases, due to travel the amount of paid leave may be extended to 5 paid days off. To the extent applicable state or local law offers more generous benefits, Align complies with any such law.
  • Non-exempt employees will receive full pay for up to 10 days of jury duty.  Exempt employees will receive their full salary during any week they serve and perform any work. Other insurance such as legal, critical illness, voluntary accident, long-term care, auto, home and pet insurance are available for purchase.  
To the extent applicable state or local law offers more generous benefits, Align complies with any such law.