Innovation Director

The Director of Innovation is accountable for developing and leading the innovation program at Chord. This role fosters a culture of innovation, generates creative solutions aligned with the company’s strategy, and stays informed on successful innovations inside and outside the industry, both technology and non-technology related. Working cross-functionally, the Director identifies high-impact opportunities, facilitates collaborative ideation, and drives initiatives from concept through pilot and implementation, while managing the overall innovation program and budget. This position is located in downtown Houston, TX and reports to the VP of Business Transformation. Hybrid work schedule is an option for remote work on Mondays and Fridays. Level and salary commensurate with experience. 

Essential Job Functions 

• Develops, executes and communicates Chord’s innovation strategy 

• Establishes and promotes the company's innovation culture 

• Provide guidance, mentorship, and direction to foster growth and achieve collective innovation team goals 

• Develops and manages the Chord budget for investment in innovative solutions 

• Assists with the identification of innovative solutions to address business opportunities and ensure they are appropriately scoped with the value and business impact clearly characterized 

• Evaluates, prioritizes and presents innovative solutions for approval with key stakeholders including business leaders, managers, and engineering/technology leaders and collaborates with them to develop strategic roadmaps 

• Actively participates in the implementation of approved innovative solutions and tracks cost savings and business impact 

• Deploys company-wide campaigns to promote continuous improvement and innovation as well as training and upskilling 

• Stays engaged with emerging innovative solutions and shares information across the organization 

• Coordinates Chord participation and attendance at relevant conferences 
• Champions and effectively advocates for new ways of working, building alignment and buy-in across teams with varying levels of change readiness
• Translates complex, unfamiliar, or ambiguous ideas into clear, compelling value propositions tailored to diverse stakeholder audiences
• Operates effectively in environments characterized by uncertainty, ambiguity, and elevated organizational pressure, helping teams move forward with confidence
• Encourages experimentation by reframing constraints into opportunities and supporting pilot-and-learn approaches
• Demonstrates confidence to test, iterate, and adapt ideas—leveraging learnings from both successes and failures to drive continuous improvement

This job description is not intended to be an all-inclusive list of duties and responsibilities of the position. Incumbents will be required to follow any other job-related instructions and duties outside of their normal responsibilities as assigned by their supervisor.  

Minimum Qualifications 

• Bachelor’s degree 

• 13 years of experience in energy or semi-related industries
• 3 years proven experience leading teams in innovative or complex environments
• Experience in sales, service, consulting, or customer-facing roles, with a demonstrated ability to influence decisions and gain commitment
• Comfort working in ambiguous or evolving environments, including situations involving heightened urgency or organizational anxiety
• Strong creative problem-solving skills, including the ability to reframe challenges, connect disparate ideas, and generate novel solutions

• Demonstrated success collaborating with a variety of both internal and external stakeholders on business-critical projects 

• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills (verbal and written) across all levels of the organization 

• Capability to influence stakeholders to successfully achieve initiative deliverables 

• Ability to manage several corporate initiatives simultaneously 

• A creative approach to business challenges, while recognizing the reasons behind current processes and procedures  

• An entrepreneurial mindset: possess the ability to identify opportunities, and design potential initiatives that can enhance the company's growth and competitiveness 

• Ability to work in a fast-paced and fluid environment; flexible with the demands of a growing company  

• Ability to meet deadlines
• Confidence, resilience, and judgment to take calculated risks and pursue innovative approaches 

• Physical Requirements and Working Conditions: Must possess mobility to work in a standard office setting and to use standard office equipment, including a computer, stamina to maintain attention to detail despite interruptions, strength to lift and carry files weighing up to 10 pounds; vision to read printed materials and a computer screen, and hearing and speech to communicate in person and over the telephone. 

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. 

Preferred Qualifications 

• 5 years of established leadership experience directly managing teams and projects 
• Work experience on innovation or new ventures teams

• Proficiency in software development with the ability to understand advanced analytical applications  

• Experience with Python 

• High level of business/ financial acumen 

• Intimate knowledge of technology used in business processes 

EEO Statement:

Chord Energy does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service, or other non-merit factor.