Innovation Lead - Customer Engagement Specialist

Location/Office Policy:  Central Park, Leopardstown

• Be at the heart of cross-functional pods tackling real customer problems.
• Blend insight, design thinking, and experimentation to shape solutions that matter.
• Facilitate, prototype, test, and learn — no two days are the same.

What is the role:

We are looking for a creative, resourceful, and impact-driven Innovation Manager to join our growing Customer Innovation team, part of the Chief Customer Officer (CCO) function. Our mission is to deepen customer relationships by reimagining the ways we create and deliver value.

As an Innovation Manager, you will be at the core of our innovation pods, working in cross-functional teams to identify opportunities, explore new ideas, and deliver experiments and pilots that address real customer and business needs.

You will play a key role in shaping initiatives from discovery through to design and test phases, blending customer insight, design thinking, commercial thinking, and agile experimentation.

This is a hands-on role for someone who thrives in ambiguity, is confident in facilitation and storytelling, and passionate about solving meaningful problems with creativity and rigour.

Key accountabilities:

• Lead the exploration of customer and business challenges, using research, data, and insight to frame opportunities.
• Design and facilitate workshops and design sprints to unlock ideas and co-create potential solutions.
• Create prototypes and minimum viable tests to explore ideas and validate assumptions.
• Work with colleagues across the organisation to align, resource, and deliver innovation initiatives.
• Conduct customer testing and research to ensure solutions meet real needs.
• Analyse findings and make evidence-based recommendations for scaling, pivoting, or stopping initiatives.
• Collaborate with the Senior Innovation Manager and Innovation Lead to ensure alignment with overall innovation strategy.
• Maximise a technology stack to ensure all opportunities are being considered.
• Support a culture of learning, experimentation, and collaboration within the team and broader organisation.

Minimum criteria:

• 3+ years experience working in innovation, product development, customer experience, strategy, or design.
• Strong working knowledge of innovation methods including design thinking, agile experimentation, and service design.
• Ability to navigate ambiguity and shape early-stage ideas into structured initiatives.
• Skilled in workshop facilitation, ideation, and cross-functional collaboration.
• Experience conducting or supporting customer research and insight gathering.
• Proven track record in delivering digital projects.
• Comfortable prototyping and testing new ideas at pace.
• Excellent communication and storytelling skills.
• Passion for solving problems that matter to customers and the business.
• Degree or equivalent experience in Business, Design, Innovation, Strategy, or related field.

Why Work for AIB

We are committed to offering our colleagues choice and flexibility in how we work and live and our hybrid working model enables our people to balance their time between working from home and their designated office, subject to their role, the needs of our customers and business requirements.

Some of our benefits include:

• Market leading Pension Scheme
• Healthcare Scheme
• Variable Pay
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Family leave options
• Two volunteer days per year

Please click here for further information about AIB’s PACT – Our Commitment to You.

Key capabilities

1. Communication and influencing
2. Problem solving and decision making
3. Manages ambiguity
4. Cultivates innovation
5. Business and customer knowledge and insight
6. Data analysis

AIB is an equal opportunities employer, and we pride ourselves on being the first bank in Ireland to receive the Investors in Diversity Gold Standard accreditation from the Irish Centre for Diversity. We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations for applicants and employees. Should you have a reasonable accommodation request please email the Talent Acquisition team at internal.selection@aib.ie or careers@aib.ie

Closing Date:  10th of February 2026

Disclaimer:

Unsolicited CV’s sent to AIB by Recruitment Agencies will not be accepted for this position. AIB operates a direct sourcing model and where agency assistance is required, the Talent Acquisition team will engage directly with our recruitment partners.