About Newlab
Newlab applies transformative technology to things that matter. We are home to over
800 entrepreneurs, engineers, and inventors, solving the world’s biggest challenges
with leaders and experts across industries and cities. We support a range of frontier technologies, including robotics, A.I., computer vision, connected systems, and materials science. Newlab’s Applied Innovation Studios pair challenges of corporations, cities and countries with innovators from around the world. We manage a process toward impactful, scalable solutions via pilots, venture creation, investment, and deployment.
About the role
Newlab is seeking a hybrid or remote Innovation Analyst for a 1 year contract term to join our growing Impact Delivery team. This role will be responsible for the hands-on execution and delivery of design research and strategy activities within Newlab’s Applied Innovation programs and other engagements across the business. Their responsibilities will entail leading primary and secondary research activities, transforming research learning into compelling strategies and narratives, as well as composing and facilitating design workshops that support programmatic and business development efforts. Prior experience working within innovation and / or design consultancies is desired. The Analyst will report to a Director of Product Design and be in direct connection to Newlab’s LATAM (Uruguay based) team.
Key responsibilities
- Build robust ecosystem databases: The Innovation Analyst will build out ecosystem databases (within Airtable + Hubspot) that will include information
on key startups, experts, corporate activity, academic research and investment activity relevant to each Applied Innovation Program they will be involved in. The Analyst will own and manage these dynamic ecosystem databases and work to surface insights and patterns and communicate them with team members and partners.
- Perform landscape research and diligence: The Innovation Analyst will have an evaluative lens of the market landscape (including policy, safety and certification barriers and activity in other regions around the world) and investment opportunities. Strategic decision making for the Applied Innovation efforts will be based on this knowledge, such as focus areas to pursue, targeting new partners, recruiting compelling startups and providing guidance on market penetration and scale.
- Lead Generative Primary Research: The Innovation Analyst will lead primary research activities including subject matter expert, startups and key stakeholders identification and recruitment. They will shape discussion guides and facilitate interviews to glean information and insights that help inform core-team and partner decision making. The Analyst will be supported and guided by the Design Director and the relevant Program Managers within each program.
- Secondary Research: The Innovation Analyst will perform desktop research to build out the team’s collective understanding of the relevant stakeholders and technology/startup ecosystem. This will include collecting, synthesizing and summarizing published content from reports, studies, databases and websites and presenting it to the rest of the core team.
- Design and Facilitate Workshops: In-person and virtual workshops are core to Newlab’s efforts. They help identify critical insights, support ideation, and lead to collective decision making. These workshops range from kick-offs, ideation sessions, and synthesis workshops, to Business Development workshops. The Innovation Analyst will be responsible for co-designing and co-facilitating workshops, ensuring excellence in their delivery.
- Team Collaboration and Client Engagement: Ongoing collaboration and synthesis with core teams will help evolve the teams’ collective understanding of studio topics and build alignment on opportunities and solutions that address industry needs. The Analyst will also interface with the client partners to discuss research progress and direction and to synthesize feedback and input from advisors and industry experts.
- Research Reporting: The Analyst will work alongside the Newlab design team to create narrative summaries of the research for different audiences at key project milestones. This may include developing Google slides for presentations or drafting memos to brief workshop participants.
Experience
- 3-5 years professional experience working at design / innovation consultancies or academic study in relevant topic areas (design, systems engineering, business etc.)
- Experience in both qualitative and quantitative research practices
- Demonstrates highly effective with visual and verbal storytelling
- Strong track record of delivering engaging and thoughtful work to clients or in-house senior leadership.
- Familiarity with Google’s business tools (docs, team drives, slides, sheets etc), as well as digital whiteboard tools (e.g. Mural, Miro) Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop.
- Proficiency with Google Sheet and Databases such as Airtable and CRMs.
- Experience with UI/UX software such as Figma, CAD and rendering software is a plus.
- Fluent in Spanish and English, Portuguese is a plus
- Experience working in Uruguay preferred
Skills & Attributes
- Self driven
- Solution-oriented, systems-level thinker
- Creative problem solver with an enthusiasm for articulating, ambitious, grounded and impactful ideas.
- Empathic listener who can interface with a wide range of collaborators from corporate clients to scientists to grass roots community representatives.
- Flexible, collaborative and ego-free working approach to contribute to a fast-moving, lean organization.
- Thoughtful storyteller who can create compelling narrative presentations and visualize opportunities.
- Strong interest in working with deep tech including renewable energy systems, materials and minerals innovation, robotics and A.I., to solve critical challenges in Newlab’s focus areas of Energy, Materials and Mobility.
Additional note
The contractor will be responsible for presenting invoices for professional or personal services conducted under the scope of this agreement and be up to date with latest laws and regulation. For Uruguay based contractors, presentation of BPS, DGI, and “Caja Profesional” certificates are required.
