Innovation engineer to chief product officer
An innovation engineer already meets 19% of what the chief product officer role asks for. The move turns on 17 required skills not yet in the profile.
77.9/ 100
1 How much of what a chief product officer is expected to do is already part of an innovation engineer’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 chief product officer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A chief product officer role treats 4 of its required skills as things an innovation engineer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- develop new products
- integrate new products in manufacturing
- perform product planning
- plan product management
What stands in the way is 17 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 6 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A chief product officer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an innovation engineer background worth leading with.
- already held develop new products communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held perform product planning management skills
- already held keep updated on innovations in various business fields information skills
- already held plan product management management skills
- already held develop product design communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held integrate new products in manufacturing communication, collaboration and creativity
All 6 carried skills, including the 4 the chief product officer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 25 missing skills fall into 6 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 develop the product catalogue required
- still to learn align efforts towards business development required
- still to learn collaborate in the development of marketing strategies required
- still to learn implement strategic management required
- still to learn interact with the board of directors required
- optional, not held execute marketing plan optional
- still to learn develop product policies required
- still to learn integrate marketing strategies with the global strategy required
- still to learn lead managers of company departments required
- still to learn lead the brand strategic planning process required
- optional, not held draw up marketing and sales plan optional
- optional, not held develop company strategies optional
- optional, not held plan marketing strategy optional
- still to learn product comprehension required
- still to learn business strategy concepts required
- still to learn marketing management required
- still to learn product data management required
- still to learn characteristics of products required
- still to learn product packaging requirements required
- optional, not held research and development in textiles optional
- still to learn keep up to date on product knowledge required
- still to learn monitor proper product handling required
- optional, not held collect briefing regarding products optional
- optional, not held blockchain optional
- optional, not held blockchain consensus mechanisms optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a chief product officer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 characteristics of products study this
- 02 develop the product catalogue practise this
- 03 keep up to date on product knowledge 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 6 skills that carry over
- already held develop new products skill
- already held integrate new products in manufacturing skill
- already held perform product planning skill
- already held plan product management skill
- already held develop product design skill
- already held keep updated on innovations in various business fields skill
8 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held draw up marketing and sales plan optional
- optional, not held blockchain optional
- optional, not held blockchain consensus mechanisms optional
- optional, not held research and development in textiles optional
- optional, not held collect briefing regarding products optional
- optional, not held develop company strategies optional
- optional, not held execute marketing plan optional
- optional, not held plan marketing strategy optional
28 held skills the chief product officer role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role advise on patents skill
- not needed by the target role apply for patents skill
- not needed by the target role automation technology knowledge
- not needed by the target role computer technology knowledge
- not needed by the target role consult with industry professionals skill
- not needed by the target role define technology strategy skill
- not needed by the target role describe chemical innovation in products skill
- not needed by the target role develop business plans skill
- not needed by the target role develop design ideas cooperatively skill
- not needed by the target role emergent technologies knowledge
- not needed by the target role identify new business opportunities skill
- not needed by the target role identify potential markets for companies skill
- not needed by the target role identify technological needs skill
- not needed by the target role implement procurement of innovation skill
- not needed by the target role industrial design knowledge
- not needed by the target role innovate in ICT skill
- not needed by the target role innovation processes knowledge
- not needed by the target role lead technology development of an organisation skill
- not needed by the target role manage research and development projects skill
- not needed by the target role monitor technology trends skill
- not needed by the target role patents knowledge
- not needed by the target role plan engineering activities skill
- not needed by the target role prepare production prototypes skill
- not needed by the target role promote innovative infrastructure design skill
- not needed by the target role promote open innovation in research skill
- not needed by the target role promote the transfer of knowledge skill
- not needed by the target role provide technical expertise skill
- not needed by the target role social innovation knowledge
9 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 characteristics of products required
- still to learn product comprehension required
- still to learn business strategy concepts required
- still to learn marketing management required
- still to learn product data management required
- still to learn product packaging requirements required
- optional, not held blockchain optional
- optional, not held blockchain consensus mechanisms optional
- optional, not held research and development in textiles optional
Other moves recorded from innovation engineer
Common questions about this move
Can an innovation engineer become a chief product officer?
Yes, and it is a career change move. An innovation engineer already covers 19% of what a chief product officer is expected to do: 6 skills carry over, 4 of which the chief product officer role treats as required.
What skills does an innovation engineer need to become a chief product officer?
17 required skills are missing, plus 8 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is characteristics of products.
How hard is the move from innovation engineer to chief product officer?
Its learning distance is 77.9 out of 100, which is the career change 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.