Digital transformation manager to innovation officer
A digital transformation manager already meets 22% of what the innovation officer role asks for. The move turns on 14 required skills not yet in the profile.
72.9/ 100
1 How much of what an innovation officer is expected to do is already part of a digital transformation manager’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the innovation officer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An innovation officer role treats 4 of its required skills as things a digital transformation manager already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- develop business plans
- innovation processes
- keep updated on innovations in various business fields
- seek innovation in current practices
What stands in the way is 14 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 5 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An innovation officer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a digital transformation manager background worth leading with.
- already held keep updated on innovations in various business fields information skills
- already held develop business plans management skills
- already held ICT market business, administration and law
- already held innovation processes business, administration and law
- already held seek innovation in current practices information skills
All 5 carried skills, including the 4 the innovation officer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 18 missing skills fall into 5 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn consult with industry professionals required
- still to learn implement procurement of innovation required
- still to learn innovate in ICT required
- still to learn promote innovative infrastructure design required
- still to learn collaborate with engineers required
- still to learn use consulting techniques required
- optional, not held advise on patents optional
- still to learn identify new business opportunities required
- still to learn identify potential markets for companies required
- still to learn improve business processes required
- optional, not held define technology strategy optional
- still to learn business processes required
- still to learn risk management required
- optional, not held product life-cycle optional
- still to learn carry out strategic research required
- still to learn promote open innovation in research required
- still to learn emergent technologies required
- optional, not held engineering processes optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an innovation officer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 consult with industry professionals practise this
- 02 implement procurement of innovation practise this
- 03 innovate in ICT practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 5 skills that carry over
- already held develop business plans skill
- already held innovation processes knowledge
- already held keep updated on innovations in various business fields skill
- already held seek innovation in current practices skill
- already held ICT market knowledge
4 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held define technology strategy optional
- optional, not held engineering processes optional
- optional, not held product life-cycle optional
- optional, not held advise on patents optional
27 held skills the innovation officer role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role adapt to changes in technological development plans skill
- not needed by the target role align efforts towards business development skill
- not needed by the target role apply change management skill
- not needed by the target role business strategy concepts knowledge
- not needed by the target role collaborate through digital technologies skill
- not needed by the target role combine business technology with user experience skill
- not needed by the target role conduct impact evaluation of ICT processes on business skill
- not needed by the target role deal with changing operational demand skill
- not needed by the target role develop company strategies skill
- not needed by the target role develop digital content skill
- not needed by the target role develop solutions to information issues skill
- not needed by the target role digital marketing techniques knowledge
- not needed by the target role identify process improvements skill
- not needed by the target role implement operational business plans skill
- not needed by the target role implement strategic management skill
- not needed by the target role information governance compliance knowledge
- not needed by the target role keep up with digital transformation of industrial processes skill
- not needed by the target role lead technology development of an organisation skill
- not needed by the target role lead the brand strategic planning process skill
- not needed by the target role manage ICT change request process skill
- not needed by the target role manage changes in ICT system skill
- not needed by the target role monitor customer behaviour skill
- not needed by the target role plan digital marketing skill
- not needed by the target role propose ICT solutions to business problems skill
- not needed by the target role provide improvement strategies skill
- not needed by the target role strategic planning knowledge
- not needed by the target role use content management system software skill
5 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn business processes required
- still to learn emergent technologies required
- still to learn risk management required
- optional, not held engineering processes optional
- optional, not held product life-cycle optional
Other moves recorded from digital transformation manager
Common questions about this move
Can a digital transformation manager become an innovation officer?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A digital transformation manager already covers 22% of what an innovation officer is expected to do: 5 skills carry over, 4 of which the innovation officer role treats as required.
What skills does a digital transformation manager need to become an innovation officer?
14 required skills are missing, plus 4 optional ones. They fall into 5 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is consult with industry professionals.
How hard is the move from digital transformation manager to innovation officer?
Its learning distance is 72.9 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.