(Senior) Manager Group Product Innovation (m/f/d)

Bilfinger is an international industrial services provider. The aim of the Group's activities is to increase the efficiency and sustainability of customers in the process industry and to establish itself as the number one partner in the market for this purpose. Bilfinger's comprehensive portfolio covers the entire value chain from consulting, engineering, manufacturing, assembly, maintenance and plant expansion to turnarounds and digital applications.

The company delivers its services in two service lines: Engineering & Maintenance and Technologies. Bilfinger is primarily active in Europe, North America and the Middle East.
Process industry customers come from sectors that include energy, chemicals & petrochemicals, pharma & biopharma and oil & gas. With over 30,000 employees, Bilfinger upholds the highest standards of safety and quality and generated revenue of more than 5 billion in financial year 2024. To achieve its goals, Bilfinger has identified two strategic levers: positioning itself as a leader in increasing efficiency and sustainability and driving operational excellence to improve organizational performance.

Location: Bilfinger location globally

As (Senior) Manager Group Product Innovation (m/f/d), you lead the development and execution of the Group's Product Innovation strategy, ensuring alignment with business priorities and evolving customer needs. In this role you own the end-to-end product innovation portfolio, including governance, prioritization, and make-buy-partner decisions, to maximize long-term value creation and competitiveness.

You drive the full product lifecycle from ideation to scaling, ensuring strong market relevance, commercial success, and measurable value realization. Furthermore, you leverage market, customer, and technology intelligence to identify disruptive opportunities and translate them into scalable products, services, and business models. By fostering cross-functional collaboration, building innovation capabilities, and managing internal and external ecosystems, you are able to strengthen the Group's market position.

Your Tasks and Responsibilities

• Define and drive the Group Product Innovation strategy and roadmap aligned with business strategy and evolving customer priorities
• Lead market, customer, and technology intelligence to identify disruptive trends and innovation opportunities
• Own innovation portfolio management and governance (stage-gate, prioritization, resource allocation)
• Ensure robust business cases, monetization strategies, and value realization
• Drive make-buy-partner decisions, including ecosystem partnerships and selective M&A
• Manage the end-to-end product lifecycle (idea MVP scaling performance tracking)
• Develop and scale innovative products, services, and business models with global adoption
• Lead cross-functional collaboration across Products, Sales, Business Units, and IT
• Build innovation capabilities, standardized processes, and a strong innovation culture
• Define and manage IP strategy (protection, commercialization, strategic use)
• Support customer engagement and go-to-market activities to translate innovation into business value

Your Profile

• Advanced degree in Engineering / Industrial Management / Business Administration
• Minimum 5 years of proven experience in innovation strategy, portfolio management, and commercialization in industrial/tech environments
• Strong expertise in governance (stage-gate), business case development, and KPI-driven performance management
• Solid commercial acumen (go-to-market, pricing) with strong sales collaboration
• Experience in digital, data-driven, and AI-enabled innovation; managing end-to-end lifecycle from ideation to scaling
• Strong knowledge of intellectual property (IP) management, including protection, licensing, and strategic utilization of proprietary technologies.
• Strong leadership skills in managing teams in global, cross-functional environments, including ecosystem collaboration (startups, M&A)
• Strong strategic thinking combined with structured execution and KPI-driven steering
• Excellent relationship-building skills with stakeholders at all levels
• Fluency in English, additional languages are a plus
• Willingness to travel internationally

We offer:

• A responsible and varied range of tasks
• An open and motivated team that warmly welcomes you
• Plenty of room for your own ideas and creative solutions
• Challenging projects in an international environment with diverse development opportunities
• Personal development opportunities in various areas as well as professional advancements
• Flexible working hours within a flexitime system and the possibility of mobile working
• Structured onboarding for a pleasant and professional start
• Competitive compensation and additional benefits:
• • Vacation and Christmas bonuses
  • 30 days of vacation per calendar year
  • Entitlement to capital-forming benefits
  • Company pension scheme through direct insurance
  • Corporate benefits: Discounts with well-known manufacturers and brands
  • Free parking, job ticket/Germany ticket, good canteen nearby and access to EGYM Wellpass fitness studios
  • Free beverages at the locations
  • Modern and ergonomic workstations

For candidates outside Germany, attractive suitable compensation and benefits will be offered, matching with seniority and responsibilities.

For further information please contact Laura Schulz [email protected].