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Senior Innovation Engineer Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Senior Innovation Manager At Johnson Outdoors, home to some of the world's most innovative and best ... Partners cross-functionally with brand, engineering, operations, finance, and insights teams to ...

Senior Innovation Analyst Job Summary and Qualifications Position Summary As a vital member of our ... Engineers to help discover and design strategic solutions. While Domain Architects provide the ...

Senior Innovation Analyst Job Summary and Qualifications Position Summary As a vital member of our ... Engineers to help discover and design strategic solutions. While Domain Architects provide the ...

Senior Innovation Analyst Job Summary and Qualifications Position Summary As a vital member of our ... Engineers to help discover and design strategic solutions. While Domain Architects provide the ...

... clear way for senior stakeholders * Champion a culture of innovation and forward thinking ... Expert-level software engineering and application architecture skills with the ability to ...

... clear way for senior stakeholders * Champion a culture of innovation and forward thinking ... Expert-level software engineering and application architecture skills with the ability to ...

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Senior Innovation Engineer information

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$59.5K

$126.6K

$183.5K

How much do senior innovation engineer jobs pay per year?

As of Jul 21, 2026, the average yearly pay for senior innovation engineer in the United States is $126,557.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $104,500.00 and $143,500.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What engineers make $500,000 a year?

Senior Innovation Engineers or highly specialized engineers in fields such as software, aerospace, or petroleum engineering can reach or exceed $500,000 annually, often through a combination of base salary, bonuses, and stock options. These roles typically require advanced skills, extensive experience, and sometimes leadership responsibilities in innovative or high-demand industries.

How much does an innovation engineer make?

An innovation engineer's salary typically ranges from $70,000 to $120,000 annually, depending on experience, location, and industry. Senior roles or those with specialized skills in R&D or product development may earn higher compensation, often including bonuses and benefits.

How does a Senior Innovation Engineer typically collaborate with cross-functional teams to drive new product development?

Senior Innovation Engineers play a crucial role in coordinating with cross-functional teams, including product management, marketing, design, and manufacturing. They often lead brainstorming sessions, facilitate technical feasibility discussions, and ensure that innovative concepts align with business objectives. Effective communication and project management skills are essential, as these engineers bridge the gap between technical development and market needs. Regular collaboration ensures that projects move efficiently from ideation to prototyping and, ultimately, to market launch.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a Senior Innovation Engineer, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Senior Innovation Engineer, you need a strong background in engineering principles, creative problem-solving, and experience with research and development, typically supported by an advanced degree in engineering or related fields. Familiarity with innovation management tools, prototyping technologies, and methodologies like Design Thinking or Agile is common, along with certifications such as Six Sigma or PMP being advantageous. Excellent communication, leadership, and the ability to drive cross-functional collaboration are essential soft skills. These competencies are critical for successfully leading projects from concept to implementation and fostering a culture of continuous improvement and innovation.

What are Senior Innovation Engineers?

Senior Innovation Engineers are experienced professionals who lead the development and implementation of new technologies, products, or processes within a company. They identify opportunities for innovation, manage projects from concept to execution, and often collaborate with cross-functional teams to solve complex problems. Their role involves staying updated on industry trends, leveraging advanced engineering techniques, and driving continuous improvement to help organizations stay competitive. Typically, they have a strong background in engineering, creativity, and project management.

What is the difference between Senior Innovation Engineer vs Innovation Engineer?

AspectSenior Innovation EngineerInnovation Engineer
Required CredentialsBachelor's or Master's in Engineering, Innovation, or related fields; experience preferredBachelor's degree in Engineering, Innovation, or related fields
Work EnvironmentResearch and development teams, product development labsDesign teams, R&D departments, product teams
Employer & Industry UsageTech companies, manufacturing, R&D firmsStartups, corporate innovation units, tech firms
Common Search & ComparisonOften compared for experience level and responsibilitiesEntry to mid-level role focusing on innovation projects

The main difference between a Senior Innovation Engineer and an Innovation Engineer lies in experience and responsibility. Senior Innovation Engineers typically have more experience, lead projects, and mentor junior staff, whereas Innovation Engineers focus on supporting innovation initiatives and executing tasks under supervision. Both roles are vital in fostering innovation within tech-driven industries.

What engineers make $300,000 a year?

Senior engineers in fields such as software, petroleum, aerospace, and electrical engineering can earn $300,000 or more annually, especially with extensive experience, specialized skills, and leadership roles. High compensation often involves working in competitive industries, advanced certifications, or managerial positions.

What engineers make $200,000 a year?

Senior Innovation Engineers and other experienced engineering roles in fields such as software, aerospace, and petroleum often have salaries reaching or exceeding $200,000 annually, especially with advanced skills, certifications, and leadership responsibilities. Compensation varies based on industry, location, and level of expertise.
More about Senior Innovation Engineer jobs
What cities are hiring for Senior Innovation Engineer jobs? Cities with the most Senior Innovation Engineer job openings:
What are the most commonly searched types of Innovation Engineer jobs? The most popular types of Innovation Engineer jobs are:
What states have the most Senior Innovation Engineer jobs? States with the most job openings for Senior Innovation Engineer jobs include:
Senior Innovation Manager

Senior Innovation Manager

Johnson Outdoors

Racine, WI โ€ข On-site

Full-time

Life, Retirement, PTO

Re-posted 19 days ago


Job description

Senior Innovation Manager
At Johnson Outdoors, home to some of the world's most innovative and best-known outdoor recreation brands, we create amazing outdoor experiences - for adventurers, by adventurers. Check out each of the unique Johnson Outdoor brands in Fishing, Watercraft, Camping and Diving!
With 1,300 employees, 19 global facility locations and selling into over 80 countries, the Johnson Outdoors team is continuing to grow! The Senior Innovation Manager leads and advances enterprise innovation practices by championing the stage-gate process and establishing governance, standards, tools and metrics that promote rigor, consistency, and repeatability across the organization. Partners cross-functionally with brand, engineering, operations, finance, and insights teams to strengthen business cases, improve decision quality, facilitate post-launch learning, and support development and execution of a robust product roadmap grounded in validated consumer insights and aligned with business strategy.
Key Responsibilities:
Innovation Maturity Champion
  • Leads enterprise implementation and evolution of the stage-gate innovation process, including governance, standards, and cadence.
  • Partners with key stakeholders (brand, engineering, operations, finance, insights) to define and maintain best practices, templates, and decision criteria.
  • Coaches cross-functional teams in developing well-thought-out business cases and navigating the innovation process with appropriate rigor, documentation quality, and decision readiness.
  • Leads innovation-process adoption by delivering training, onboarding, and reinforcement to build consistent capability across functions and business units, partnering with Enterprise Change Management to align efforts with broader organizational change practices as needed.
  • Defines and tracks process health metrics (e.g., gate quality, cycle time, throughput, learning capture) and drives continuous improvement initiatives.
  • Supports brand teams in translating strategy into executable plans, ensuring alignment to business objectives, validated consumer needs, and market potential.

Post-Launch Analysis
  • Establishes and maintains a repeatable post-launch review process, including timing, inputs, facilitation approach, and outputs.
  • Collects cross-functional feedback on strengths, gaps, and lessons learned across discovery, development, launch readiness, and commercialization.
  • Partners with Finance to gather and analyze performance data (sales, margin, mix, forecast accuracy, supply/service, etc.) to identify trends and patterns.
  • Facilitates root-cause analysis with business teams to distinguish execution issues from strategy/assumption gaps and to document evidence-based learnings.
  • Converts post-launch learnings into action by updating standards, training, and best practices and ensuring insights are shared and applied across future and in-flight initiatives.

Innovation Catalyst
  • Serves as a strategic thought partner to business leaders, advocating for consumer and business-impact opportunities and clarifying where resources will have the highest return.
  • Plans and facilitates ideation, concepting, and strategic planning sessions, ensuring clear problem framing, strong participation, and actionable outputs.
  • Collaborates with Consumer Insights and Brand Management to build opportunity landscapes (jobs-to-be-done, segments, white spaces, unmet needs) and synthesize them into prioritized innovation horizons.
  • Stays current on industry trends and emerging technologies, evaluating relevance and applicability to near, mid, and long-term innovation pipelines.
  • Influences concept quality and clarity by strengthening value propositions, assumptions, validation plans, and success metrics early in development.
  • Performs other duties as assigned.

What you need to succeed:
  • Bachelor's degree in design, innovation, business or equivalent.
  • Typically requires a minimum of 5 years' experience leading innovation projects within a stage-gate process.
  • Strong leadership, communication, and influencing skills, with the ability to align diverse cross-functional teams and translate strategy into clear, actionable plans.
  • Demonstrated expertise in applying consumer insights, market research, and analytics to identify opportunities, generate concepts, and build prioritized innovation roadmaps.
  • Strong financial and business acumen, including development of business cases, evaluation of investment trade-offs, and analysis of post-launch performance to drive decision-making.
  • Proven ability to operate effectively in a matrix organization, navigating competing priorities and influencing without direct authority.
  • Trained in high-performance teaming, with the ability to build trust, foster accountability, and elevate team effectiveness across cross-functional groups.
  • Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office tools (Excel, PowerPoint, Word), including creating project proposals, data analysis, and executive-level presentations.
  • Experience with collaborative ideation and project management tools, such as Miro (or equivalent) and Monday.com (or similar platforms).

What you will receive:
  • Share in the company's success with competitive base salary with additional earning potential through participation in the management bonus program, and eligibility for annual pay increases.
  • Find work/life balance with generous Paid Time Off and holiday benefits, a full benefits package, and broad range of employee support and fitness and wellness plans.
  • Further your career with performance development and training opportunities, including our tuition assistance program.
  • Have fun at work, enjoy a collaborative and casual work environment, participating in fun company events, and taking advantage of great employee discounts on all our outdoor recreational products.
  • Plan for your future with our 401(k) with company match and deferred retirement contributions, Sons & Daughters Scholarship program, college savings program, life and LTD insurance, and more.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment at Johnson Outdoors (and all subsidiaries) without regard to race; creed; color; religion; national origin; sex; age; disability; sexual orientation; gender identity or expression; genetic predisposition or carrier status; veteran, marital, or citizenship status; or any other status protected by law. Johnson Outdoors is proud to be an affirmative action and equal opportunity employer. If, because of a medical condition or disability, you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application process, please contact Human Resources at HRSpecialAccommodations@johnsonoutdoors.com to let us know the nature of your request and your contact information.
JOHNSON OUTDOORS is a leading global innovator of outdoor recreation equipment and technologies that inspire more people to experience the awe of the great outdoors. The company designs, manufactures and markets a portfolio of winning, consumer-preferred brands across four categories: Watercraft Recreation, Fishing, Diving and Camping. Johnson Outdoors' iconic brands include: Old Townยฎ canoes and kayaks; Ocean Kayakโ„ข; Carlisleยฎ paddles; Minn Kotaยฎ fishing motors, batteries and anchors; Cannonยฎ downriggers; Humminbirdยฎ marine electronics and charts; SCUBAPROยฎ dive equipment; Jetboilยฎ outdoor cooking systems. Founded in 1970 by Samuel C. Johnson, the Company has delivered double-digit compound annual growth over its history, evolving from a single brand into a nearly $663 million global enterprise.
Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities
This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.