Innovation officer to innovation engineer
An innovation officer already meets 39% of what the innovation engineer role asks for. The move turns on 15 required skills not yet in the profile.
63.6/ 100
1 How much of what an innovation engineer is expected to do is already part of an innovation officer’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 engineer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An innovation engineer role treats 10 of its required skills as things an innovation officer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- advise on patents
- define technology strategy
- emergent technologies
- identify potential markets for companies
- implement procurement of innovation
- innovate in ICT
What stands in the way is 15 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 13 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An innovation engineer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an innovation officer background worth leading with.
- already held advise on patents communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held consult with industry professionals communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held innovate in ICT communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held keep updated on innovations in various business fields information skills
- already held identify potential markets for companies management skills
- already held implement procurement of innovation communication, collaboration and creativity
All 13 carried skills, including the 10 the innovation engineer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 21 missing skills fall into 7 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 new products required
- still to learn develop product design required
- still to learn identify technological needs required
- still to learn integrate new products in manufacturing required
- still to learn prepare production prototypes required
- still to learn provide technical expertise required
- optional, not held describe chemical innovation in products optional
- optional, not held develop design ideas cooperatively optional
- optional, not held promote the transfer of knowledge optional
- still to learn lead technology development of an organisation required
- still to learn perform product planning required
- still to learn plan engineering activities required
- optional, not held manage research and development projects optional
- optional, not held plan product management optional
- still to learn automation technology required
- still to learn computer technology required
- still to learn apply for patents required
- still to learn monitor technology trends required
- still to learn industrial design required
- still to learn patents required
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an innovation engineer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 develop new products practise this
- 02 develop product design practise this
- 03 lead technology development of an organisation 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 13 skills that carry over
- already held advise on patents skill
- already held define technology strategy skill
- already held emergent technologies knowledge
- already held identify potential markets for companies skill
- already held implement procurement of innovation skill
- already held innovate in ICT skill
- already held innovation processes knowledge
- already held keep updated on innovations in various business fields skill
- already held promote innovative infrastructure design skill
- already held promote open innovation in research skill
- already held consult with industry professionals skill
- already held develop business plans skill
- already held identify new business opportunities skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
- optional, not held social innovation optional
6 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held describe chemical innovation in products optional
- optional, not held develop design ideas cooperatively optional
- optional, not held social innovation optional
- optional, not held manage research and development projects optional
- optional, not held plan product management optional
- optional, not held promote the transfer of knowledge optional
10 held skills the innovation engineer role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role ICT market knowledge
- not needed by the target role business processes knowledge
- not needed by the target role carry out strategic research skill
- not needed by the target role collaborate with engineers skill
- not needed by the target role engineering processes knowledge
- not needed by the target role improve business processes skill
- not needed by the target role product life-cycle knowledge
- not needed by the target role risk management knowledge
- not needed by the target role seek innovation in current practices skill
- not needed by the target role use consulting techniques 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 automation technology required
- still to learn computer technology required
- still to learn industrial design required
- still to learn patents required
- optional, not held social innovation optional
Other moves recorded from innovation officer
Common questions about this move
Can an innovation officer become an innovation engineer?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. An innovation officer already covers 39% of what an innovation engineer is expected to do: 13 skills carry over, 10 of which the innovation engineer role treats as required.
What skills does an innovation officer need to become an innovation engineer?
15 required skills are missing, plus 6 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is develop new products.
How hard is the move from innovation officer to innovation engineer?
Its learning distance is 63.6 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.