Design & Innovation Manager

• Salary: HG16 – Up to €90,000, negotiable depending on experience
• Job Type: Full-Time, Permanent – Initial contract period of 12 months followed by an indefinite contract
• Location: The Hague, Netherlands
• Hybrid working: 1 day per week in the office

About the IB

The International Baccalaureate provides world-class educational services to over 6,000 schools across 160 countries. A career with the IB is not just a job; it’s an opportunity to work with an innovative world leader in education services where we empower our employees to thrive and make a difference.

About the job

The IB is undertaking a major digital transformation, re-shaping the digital landscape to meet the needs of the next generation of K-12 learners. Achieving this transformation requires a step-change in technology-enabled innovation. The Design & Innovation Manager supports this transformation by applying design-led, user-centered innovation methods to priority initiatives across the Digital Office and wider IB ecosystem.

The role translates strategic innovation priorities into practical discovery, co-creation, prototyping and testing activities, ensuring emerging ideas are grounded in real user needs, evidence, and organizational goals. Working under the direction of the Head of Innovation, the role helps embed design thinking, service design and innovation capability across teams, while supporting the delivery of inclusive, scalable and mission aligned products, services and ways of working.

As part of your application, please provide a link to a portfolio or examples of relevant work that demonstrate your experience in design, innovation and delivering projects from concept through to implementation.

Lead discovery, co-creation, prototyping and testing workstreams, progressing priority initiatives from strategic intent to evidence-informed concepts, pilots and recommendations.

Plan and conduct qualitative and quantitative research with internal and external stakeholders, translating needs, behaviors and pain points into actionable insights.

Develop concepts, service journeys, experience maps and solution artefacts to help teams understand user needs and make informed choices about what to test or progress.

Create and iterate low, medium and high fidelity prototypes, pilots and minimum viable products to validate assumptions and reduce delivery risk.

Design and facilitate workshops, ideation sessions and feedback loops that bring together diverse stakeholders and encourage shared ownership of innovation outcomes.

Support practical implementation of the Digital Blueprint by helping teams apply agreed innovation principles, tools and methods to priority initiatives.

Develop training, toolkits, playbooks and coaching to strengthen design thinking, experimentation and innovation practice across the IB.

Track workstream progress, document learning, maintain quality standards, and provide recommendations to support continuous improvement.

Support and mentor junior colleagues and cross-functional contributors to build capability and maintain high quality innovation outputs.

Minimum 5-7 years’ experience in design-led innovation, service design, product design, user research or a related role.

Experience delivering design thinking workshops, co-creation sessions and structured problem-solving activities with cross-functional teams.

Experience translating user research and stakeholder insight into practical concepts, service improvements, prototypes, or pilots.

Strong working knowledge of design thinking, service design, systems thinking, and structured experimentation methods.

Demonstrated skill in qualitative and quantitative user research, synthesis, insight generation and opportunity framing.

Proficiency in journey mapping, service blueprinting, concept development, and visualization of complex processes.

Expert knowledge of digital product and service design tools, including Figma or equivalent design, prototyping and collaboration platforms.

Hands-on experience building, testing and iterating prototypes, pilots or minimum viable products, with sound project management skills.

Excellent communication and facilitation skills, with the ability to build relationships, guide groups through ambiguity and influence diverse stakeholders.

Adaptability, a collaborative mindset and a genuine passion for emerging technologies, design trends and innovation methodologies.

Benefits

• Relocation support and work permit sponsorship available
• Flexible benefits allowance equivalent to 1.5% of Annual Salary to spend on benefits or as addition to salary
• Flexible working (core hours are 10am-3.30pm), 40 hours per week
• 25 days annual leave plus public holidays, plus opportunity to purchase up to 5 days of leave each year.
• Bicycle scheme

IB Pension

• Life insurance 2x annual salary
• Travel and work from home allowance
• Health insurance allowance
• Disability insurance
• Excellent continuous professional development

Opportunity & Belonging

We are committed to building a working environment that values respect, diversity, and compassion. The International Baccalaureate is proud to be an equal opportunities employer, and we welcome applications from all qualified applicants. As a global employer, we adhere to all relevant employment legislation in the countries in which we operate, and we’re happy to provide any reasonable support or adjustments as needed to ensure applicants can fully participate in our recruitment process.