American Bible SocietyPosted today0d

American Bible Society is hiring a
Remote Senior Director of Innovation Practice

RemoteFull-time

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Skillset

LeadershipAgileProject ManagementUX/UI

ABOUT THE ROLE

The ideal candidate is both a hands-on practitioner and culture-builder: someone equally comfortable facilitating a design sprint with a ministry team and presenting pilot outcomes to the Senior Leadership Team or Innovation Advisory Council. They bring a proven track record in human-centered design and agile innovation methods, ideally in a nonprofit or mission-driven context, and have the resourcefulness to build programs with limited staff and the relational credibility to work across theological traditions, generational contexts, and departmental boundaries.

This leader oversees a small team while extending organizational reach by identifying, training, and coordinating innovation champions embedded across ABS departments and cultivating external relationships that fuel ABS’ innovation pipeline. The Senior Director collaborates closely with the Insights, Ministry Technology, and Content Development teams as key partners in research, digital product development, and prototyping.

This is a role for a builder. The Senior Director will oversee their team, recruit and coach innovation champions across departments, and cultivate external partnerships that fuel a disciplined innovation pipeline. In collaboration with others, this leader will ensure that ABS’ innovation work is grounded in audience research, integrated with digital product development, and aligned with the organization’s strategic priorities.

POSITION PROFILE

Title: Senior Director of Innovation Practice
Department: Insights and Innovation
Reports to: Chief Innovation Officer

JOB SUMMARY

The Senior Director of Innovation Practice leads the design, implementation, and continuous improvement of innovation methodology across American Bible Society. Reporting to the Chief Innovation Officer, this role carries a dual mandate: internally, building ABS’ capacity to listen deeply, prototype rapidly, and make insight-driven decisions across every department; externally, identifying, testing, funding, and scaling new approaches to Bible access, engagement, and advocacy, particularly for emerging generations and churches across traditions.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Innovation Methodology. Own and continuously refine ABS’ unified innovation methodology, including human-centered design, agile prototyping, and validated learning practices. Build and maintain an internal Innovation Resource Hub of templates, tools, and case studies that equip staff across the organization.
Innovation Training and Facilitation. Design and lead training cohorts that build innovation capacity across ABS departments. Personally facilitate design sprints, listening sessions, and prototyping workshops, equipping teams to apply innovation methods to their own ministry challenges.
Innovation Champion Network. Identify, recruit, and coach innovation champions on each ABS team, providing ongoing support and coordination to ensure innovation projects across the organization maintain momentum, quality, and alignment with strategic priorities.
Innovation Pipeline Management. Manage the full lifecycle of innovation initiatives, from identifying unmet needs and emerging opportunities through designing pilots, running rapid test cycles, and making evidence-based decisions to scale, iterate, or stop. Manage the innovation practice budget, including pilot funding, contractor engagements, and training program costs.
External Innovation Discovery and Partnerships. Develop and manage the external channels through which ABS identifies and funds promising innovations, including academic partnerships, the innovation grant program, and the Innovation Advisory Council. Scout emerging technologies, ministry models, and potential collaborators that advance Bible access, engagement, and advocacy.
Audience Listening and Insight Integration. Partner with the Insights team to establish and sustain regular listening cycles with emerging generations, churches across traditions, and ministry partners. Ensure audience insight is documented, accessible, and actively integrated into innovation priorities, product design, and strategic decision-making.
Supporter Development. Proactively build and deepen relationships with stakeholders and donors connected to Innovation work, securing appropriate pilot/experimental support and collaborating with Development/Marketing as opportunities emerge.
Team Leadership. Directly supervise a small team, setting clear goals and fostering a culture of humility, curiosity, and disciplined experimentation. Assess staffing needs over time and make recommendations for team growth aligned with strategic priorities.

QUALIFICATIONS

Education

Bachelor’s degree required.
Master’s degree in a relevant field (design, organizational leadership, nonprofit management, ministry, business, or related discipline) preferred.

Experience

A minimum of 8-10 years of progressive experience in innovation, human-centered design, organizational change, or related fields.
At least 5 years in a nonprofit, faith-based, or mission-driven organization strongly preferred.
Demonstrated experience leading innovation training programs and facilitating design thinking or agile processes with cross-functional teams.
Experience managing a portfolio of pilots or projects from concept through evaluation.
Experience managing budgets and working with senior leadership and external stakeholders.
Prior supervisory experience required.

Technical Skills

Proficiency in human-centered design methodologies (design thinking, service design, or equivalent).
Familiarity with agile and lean startup frameworks for rapid prototyping and validated learning.
Competence in project and portfolio management tools.
Ability to interpret and apply audience research, analytics, and evaluation data to inform innovation decisions.
Familiarity with how digital products are developed, including an understanding of product development lifecycles, UX/UI processes, and how research and user insight inform technology decisions.

KEY COMPETENCIES

Exceptional facilitation and training skills, with the ability to make innovation methods accessible to staff at all levels of experience and digital fluency.
Strong relational intelligence and the ability to build trust across theological traditions, generational contexts, and departmental boundaries.
Comfort operating with ambiguity, limited resources, and evolving priorities, able to bootstrap, improvise, and build the plane while flying it.
Strategic thinking balanced with hands-on execution; equally comfortable presenting to the Innovation Advisory Council and running a Post-it-note workshop with a ministry team.
Excellent written and verbal communication, including the ability to translate complex innovation concepts into clear, mission-aligned language for diverse audiences.
Deep commitment to stewardship, transparency, and evidence-based decision-making.

All ABS staff must demonstrate the following skills:

Demonstrate desire and ability to support organizational biblical and religious goals and participate in regular work-related spiritual activities without reservation.
Have a personal passion for and belief in the Word of God, its ability to transform lives, and the mission of American Bible Society.
Demonstrate alignment with the vision, mission, and values of American Bible Society.

All staff must demonstrate the following skills at a level fitting their role:

Communication Skills; Strategic Communication: Expert in persuasive communication, adept at public speaking, and able to influence senior stakeholders.
Teamwork and Collaboration; Cross-Functional Collaboration: Leads teams effectively, builds strong team dynamics, and fosters a collaborative organizational culture.
Cultural Competence and Inclusion; Inclusive Leadership: Promotes inclusivity and addresses biases within the team.
Service Orientation; Service Strategy: Develops service-centric strategies, drives service recipient satisfaction, and ensures organizational alignment with service expectations.
Adaptability and Flexibility; Strategic Change Management: Leads change initiatives, drives innovation, and helps the organization navigate through significant changes.
Time Management and Organization; Efficient Coordination: Prioritizes tasks, manages multiple projects, and ensures team deadlines are met.
Problem-Solving and Critical Thinking; Analytical Problem Solving: Analyzes complex problems, develops solutions, and makes decisions independently.
Leadership and Initiative; Team Leadership: Guides, supports and leads team members to achieve goals, engage in cross-company collaboration and pivot when needed to achieve strategic change.

All people managers must demonstrate the following skills at a level fitting their role:

Strategic Thinking and Decision Making: Strategic Alignment: Develops plans that align with team objectives and organizational goals.
Continuous Learning and Development: Team Development: Encourages and supports team members’ professional development.
Innovation and Creativity: Strategic Innovation: Drives organizational change through creative and forward-thinking strategies.

Minimum Spiritual and Personal Commitment:

Demonstrate a personal commitment to Jesus Christ.
Identify with and participate in a Christian church and proactively seek to grow in their Christian faith.
Actively participate in organizational prayer, devotional times, and organization-wide events.
Maintain an exemplary standard of Christian ethics, behavior, and conduct within ABS and in their public and private life outside of ABS and always seek to uphold ABS Standards of Conduct and Affirmation of Biblical Community.
Demonstrate Christian maturity in all interactions as displayed by good judgment based on biblical values and principles.
Actively incorporate their faith in all aspects of their daily work.

SALARY & BENEFITS

Salary: Commensurate with experience; details discussed in personal interviews.

Benefits: Comprehensive benefits package including health coverage and other benefits; details discussed in interviews. These include:

Medical, Dental, Vision (2 options through CIGNA)
Life Insurance, Short- and Long-Term Disability
403(b) 5% contribution and up to a 3% match
Vacation, varies by level (15-30 days)
12 Paid Holidays
6 Sick Days
2 Personal Days
Health Fitness Reimbursement Policy: ABS will reimburse 50% of your gym membership up to $250 in a 12-month period.
As well as additional benefits outlined in the Benefits Summary package.

Travel: Up to 30%, primarily domestic, for meetings, convenings, partner engagements, and Innovation Advisory Council gatherings.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS/WORK ENVIRONMENT

Ability to work on a computer for extended periods, conduct meetings by telephone and online (e.g., Teams), travel domestically and internationally for meetings, convenings, and partner engagements and lift up to 25 pounds (e.g., training materials, event supplies).

American Bible Society is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to qualified individuals with disabilities and ensuring a workplace free from discrimination. In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and other applicable laws, we will provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities to enable them to participate in the application process and perform the essential functions of their job.

Office Location: ABS Headquarters (Philadelphia). If Remote: USA location.

Additional Information:

Background Check: Candidates must pass a background check as a condition of employment. This may include criminal history, credit check, and verification of employment and education history.
Reference Checks: Employment is contingent upon satisfactory reference checks.
Eligibility to Work: Candidates must provide proof of eligibility to work in the United States.
Affirmation of Biblical Community: Candidates must sign and agree to uphold this affirmation as a condition of employment.

ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION

Founded in 1816 by visionaries including John Jay, Elias Boudinot, and Francis Scott Key, American Bible Society has been at the forefront of Bible innovation, from pioneering raised-letter Bibles for the blind in 1843, to scripting and helping launch the JESUS Film in 1970, to helping launch the Digital Bible Library that powers Scripture apps like YouVersion.

Today, ABS serves as a trusted, interconfessional ministry partner, working across Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox traditions to strengthen Scripture engagement in the USA and worldwide. ABS’ flagship research initiative, the State of the Bible, now in its 16th year, provides the United States’ most comprehensive annual study of Bible engagement.

That research reveals both the challenge and the promise of the current moment: while meaningful Bible engagement has trended downward over the past decade, a “Movable Middle” of more than 70 million Americans remains open to Scripture but unsure where to begin. Recently, Bible usage has shown signs of recovery, especially among younger Americans.

People everywhere are longing for meaning, truth, and hope. And yet, many face barriers to engaging with the true source of abundant life, the living Word of God. Whether it be language, availability, misunderstanding, fear, or even apathy standing in their way, ABS believes everyone should have the opportunity to experience the Bible’s power and relevance for themselves.

Experience Level: Lead