Research & Innovation Officer at IT Horizons Limited

Job Summary

• The position will focus on promoting a structured and sustainable innovation culture by conducting research, validating new ideas and opportunities, and translating insights into actionable outcomes such as prototypes, pilot initiatives, process improvements, and innovative product or service solutions.
• The Research and Innovation Officer will also support the management of a repeatable innovation pipeline that delivers measurable business value, strengthens competitive advantage, and improves organizational effectiveness.
• This role is critical to ensuring that ITH Holdings and its subsidiaries remain strategically positioned within the evolving technology landscape while aligning innovation initiatives with the Group’s overall vision, mission, and long-term business objectives.

Key Roles & Responsibilities

• Continuously monitor and analyze industry trends in IT and SAAS industries, emerging technologies, and innovative practices relevant to the organization’s goals.
• Develop and maintain an Innovation Radar and periodic trend reports for leadership.
• Conduct in-depth competitive analysis and market research using primary and secondary data sources to identify opportunities for growth and differentiation.
• Design and execute research studies to explore new ideas, concepts, and solutions, including defining problem statements, hypotheses, and success metrics.
• Perform feasibility assessments on new and existing products that lead to product positioning and go to market strategy.
• Perform various business research that leads to innovation, existing product development, and market expansion.
• Maintain a structured repository of research findings, results, and reusable frameworks for future initiatives.
• Translate research insights into actionable recommendations for new products, services, or process improvements.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to prototype and test innovative solutions with stakeholders and end-users.
• Research on various industries’ IT needs and potential opportunities across various sectors
• Maintain an Innovation Pipeline that tracks initiatives from ideation through research, prototyping, and scaling.
• Contribute to intellectual property development through whitepapers, patents, and publications where applicable
• Manage the department data room

Organizational Relationships
Internal: 

• Reports to Direct reports External Relationships

Relationships:

• Team lead Strategy & Transformation
• N/A
• COS, Project team, Finance, Sales, Technical Officer,
• Accountant, Project team

Key Performance Indicators
Performance Area Performance Indicator:

Research & Analysis:

• Number of comprehensive research studies conducted per quarter
• Quality of research outputs (clarity of problem statements, hypotheses, and success metrics)
• Percentage of research projects completed within defined timelines

Industry & Market Intelligence:

• Timeliness and quality of industry trend reports (monthly/quarterly) delivered to leadership
• Number of actionable insights generated from IT & SaaS trend analysis
• Accuracy and relevance of Innovation Radar updates

Innovation Development:

• Success rate of innovation initiatives moving to implementation
• Contribution to new product or feature development

Requirements
Academic Qualifications:

• Bachelor's Degree related to the field.
• Core strength and verifiable experience in Research and Innovation
• Strong analytical skills and experience using data to drive decision-making.
• Experience in the Tech. Industry.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills.

Professional Qualifications

• Relevant professional certifications.

Experience:

• Must have 3 to 5+ years of experience working in a Strategy capacity delivering success in a Tech.Industry.
• Good analytical skills.
• Proficient in Microsoft tools.

Dimensions:
Skills & Competencies:

The competence proficiency levels required for the position of Research and Innovation Officer are defined using the following key terms.

• Analytical & Strategic Thinking – Skill
• Technical & Functional Competencies – Skill
• Innovation & Creativity – Skill
• Problem Solving & Decision Making - Skill
• Collaboration & Stakeholder Management - Skill
• Business & Commercial Acumen - Skill
• Adaptability - Knowledge
• Organizational Building - Skill
• Effective and Results-driven - Knowledge
• Teamwork – Skill
• Communication - Skill
• Judgment/Trust - Knowledge
• Leadership & Ownership –Skill
• Definition of competence levels is in

APPENDIX 1
Awareness:

• A good understanding of what is involved in an area of expertise and its relevance to the business.
• Ability to describe the main elements of the area of expertise and their importance to the business; and
• Ability to recognize how and where expertise is relevant to their own job.

Knowledge:

• Ability to interpret and evaluate information and advice from experts in an area of Expertise.
• Knowledge and ability to correctly use the terminology (vocabulary) of the area of Expertise.
• Ability to hold an informed debate with experts in the Area of Expertise; and
• Ability to ask questions that test the viability of proposals in an Area of Expertise.

Skill:

• Ability to consistently carry out the activities of an area of Expertise to the required standard.
• Ability to perform a satisfactorily majority of activities of the Area of Expertise.
• Ability to translate guidelines and standards for the Area of Expertise into practical actions.
• Ability to solve imaginatively common technical /operational problems in the Area of Expertise, and
• Ability to guide and advise others in operational /technical aspects of the Area of Expertise.

Mastery:

• Ability to diagnose and resolve significant, unusual problems and to successfully adapt aspects of an Area of Expertise.
• Ability to creatively solve significant, complex, non-routine problems in the Area of Expertise.
• Ability to adapt practices from other markets or countries for use in the Area of Expertise; and
• Ability to generate substantial improvements to local practices and procedures for the Area of Expertise.