To deliver on our strategy and to explicitly increase Bnode’s innovation power, the Strategic Innovation Lab (SIL) is proposed as a repeatable, business‑driven capability to explore, validate and scale innovations that address clearly articulated business challenges and deliver measurable business and customer value.

The Director Strategic Innovation Lab is responsible for designing, leading and scaling a disciplined innovation capability that accelerates Bnode’s strategic execution by identifying, validating and transferring high-value innovations to the business.

The role ensures innovation is business-driven, measurable and scalable, bridging the gap between experimentation and operational deployment.

Define, lead & structure the Strategic Innovation Lab

• Define the vision, positioning and operating model of the Strategic Innovation Lab as a business-driven accelerator (not an innovation playground)
• Translate strategic priorities into a structured innovation roadmap and portfolio
• Ensure innovation initiatives start from explicit business challenges with measurable outcomes
• Position the Lab as a key enabler of efficiency, quality, customer transparency and differentiation

Manage and deliver an innovation portfolio

• Structure and manage a portfolio across three pillars:

1. Incremental improvements
2.  Technology exploration & PoCs
3. Moonshot initiatives

• Run small, time-boxed experiments with clear hypotheses and success criteria
• Drive stop / scale / handover decisions to ensure focus and avoid “innovation theatre”
• Ensure value tracking and measurable business impact
• Develop, initiate, lead and support the innovation  initiatives needed to meet bpost group’s strategic objectives.
• Establish a resource prioritization governance and process, enabling the mobilization of resources (OPEX, CAPEX, talents) towards the right innovation priorities.
• Establish an innovation progress tracking governance and process, enabling to monitor the progress of the innovative initiative/projects, highlight the issues/challenges/risks and trigger the right mitigation interventions.
•  Build a innovation community around program leads.
• Work with business leaders and program owners to steer the execution of the innovation initiatives, in a shared accountability with business owners.

Lead the full innovation lifecycle

• Discovery & exploration (owned by SIL)
• Validation (co-owned with business sponsor)
• Scale-up & transfer to business (P&L ownership)
• Ensure strong co-creation with business units and customers
• Guarantee rapid handover and absorption by the business once value is proven

Stakeholder Management

• Engage EXCO, Board and BU leadership on innovation priorities and outcomes
• Secure business sponsorship for all initiatives
•  Act as trusted advisor on innovation strategy
• Represent bpost in innovation ecosystems (partners, academia
• In close collaboration with the Group Change team, provide effective change management leadership and support, so that the transformation and end goal vision is delivered using innovative solutions.

Team Leadership & Management

• Lead and develop the Innovation Lab team, ensuring effective people management.
• Foster collaboration and knowledge-sharing within the team & across the organization to enhance innovation capabilities.

• You hold a Master degree (preferably Business Administration or Engineering)
• You can rely on at least 15 years, from which at least 10  years in successful delivery of transformation programs, program management, operations management and stakeholder management – preferably in equivalent international corporate environment and/or through management consulting experience
• Experience of translating strategy into delivery through plans, programs, people and culture.
• Experience of working at a senior level in a complex environment, managing a range of stakeholders.
• Proven track record of aligning financial resources with people resources, ICT and other assets to achieve desired strategic outcomes.
• Fluent in spoken and written French, Dutch and English.
• In depth understanding of change management strategies and techniques to deliver major and complex change at pace, through obstacles.
• Strong leadership credibility to ensure effective performance.
• Highly developed interpersonal, advocacy and communication skills to be able to work effectively with individuals and a range of stakeholders.
• Strong influencing and negotiation skills.
• Highly developed financial acumen to ensure delivery of savings and generation of revenues.
• Ability to develop and encourage innovative ideas to drive improvement.
• Resilient, tenacious and outcome focused.

Like a long-awaited parcel, we want to make you feel welcome and valued. Our offer includes a competitive monthly salary, that goes without saying. On top of that, you can count on:

• Meal vouchers of €8 per working day 
• Hospitalization-, group- and disability insurances 
• A phone subscription, including 25GB data 
• A flexible renumeration plan, which allows you to customize your own benefits. A company car, bike leasing, public transportation, extra days off,... the choice is yours 
• Possibility to enter the Federal Mobility plan 
• Work/life balance, thanks to flexible working hours and the possibility to work from home  
• 20 days of statutory leave and 7 additional extralegal days off  
• An end-of-year and performance-based bonus and double holiday pay  
• Many benefits from more than 100 Bpost-partners