Bowman has an opportunity for an Innovation Lab Lead to join our team in Reston, VA.
At Bowman, we believe in creating opportunities for aspiring people to thrive and achieve ambitious goals. That’s why a career at Bowman is more than a job. It is an opportunity to be part of a diverse and engaged community of professionals, to be treated as a respected and valued member of a motivated team and to be empowered to do exceptional work that advances the best interest of everyone involved. We recognize the importance of creating a work environment that is both rewarding to our employees and supportive of our unwavering commitment to provide unparalleled service to our clients.
Purpose
The Innovation Lab Lead is responsible for incubating, prototyping, and evaluating emerging technologies that have the potential to transform the organization’s operations, customer experiences, or service offerings. This role operates as a hands-on technologist and innovation strategist who explores new capabilities, rapidly tests ideas, and translates high-potential experiments into scalable digital products. The Innovation Lab Lead helps shape the organization’s future by validating forward-looking concepts and serving as a bridge between research, product development, and business value realization. This role fosters a culture of experimentation, reduces risk by testing before scaling, and drives early adoption of high-impact digital capabilities. The Innovation Lab Lead plays a critical role in enabling the organization to remain agile, competitive, and innovative in a rapidly evolving technology landscape.
Responsibilities
Leadership and Direction
Establish the framework for rapid experimentation and early-stage prototyping.Serve as a thought leader in emerging technology, providing recommendations to leadership on relevant trends and opportunities.Mentor team members and business partners in design thinking, innovation methods, and exploratory development.
At the Operational and Company Level
Work cross-functionally with business units, product teams, and IT leaders to identify innovation opportunities.Maintain a pipeline of high-impact exploratory projects aligned to company strategy.Partner with data science, engineering, and product teams to integrate lab outputs into production environments.Communicate prototypes and pilot results to executive stakeholders, making recommendations for investment or iteration.
Do the Work
Design and build functional prototypes and proof-of-concept applications using modern development frameworks, AI/ML services, low-code platforms, and open-source tools.Conduct technical evaluations and hands-on testing of emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, extended reality, IoT, blockchain, and other innovation domains.Facilitate innovation discovery workshops and technology immersion sessions with internal stakeholders to surface problems, test ideas, and co-develop solutions.Lead and document structured experiments with clearly defined hypotheses, success metrics, and user feedback loops.Develop sandbox environments and reusable code artifacts to support future experimentation and scaling.Collaborate with legal, security, and compliance teams to ensure experimentation activities follow organizational standards and policies.Translate lab outcomes into executive briefings, strategic proposals, and business cases for adoption and scaling.Maintain detailed records of experiments, learnings, and technical insights to support knowledge sharing and organizational learning.Success Metrics and Competencies
High curiosity and awareness of emerging tech trends.Strong technical acumen and comfort with ambiguity.Rapid prototyping skills and agile experimentation mindset.Strategic thinking, creativity, and user-centered design orientation.Clear communication and storytelling to influence senior leaders.High degree of discretion and ability to manage highly confidential information.Highly motivated and problem-solving attitude.Strong sense of urgency in responding to constituents.Effective verbal and written communication skills.Strong work ethic and commitment to quality.Self-reliance and ability to operate independently with limited direction. Commitment to promoting the reputation of the company through quality of work.Aspirations to grow professionally and advance within the company.Effective working relationship with internal leaders and peers, as well as external clients.Commitment to becoming a “citizen” of the broader organization, breaking down barriers and silos.Commitment to working in partnership with others inside and outside the organization.Ability to effectively manage multiple time-sensitive tasks.
Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Innovation, Engineering, or related field required; advanced degree preferred.Minimum of seven (7) years of experience in technology innovation, digital product development, or related fields.Experience with front-end and back-end development, API integration, and modern cloud platforms.Hands-on experience with prototyping tools, low-code platforms, or emerging technologies such as AI/ML, IoT, XR, etc.Familiarity with design thinking, lean startup, and agile methodologies.Strong analytical, presentation, and documentation skills
About Bowman
Are you ready to build a career that makes a lasting impact? At Bowman, our people are at the center of everything we do. We’re committed to creating an environment where employees can thrive both personally and professionally, while helping to shape the infrastructure of tomorrow.
A career at Bowman means being part of a collaborative, forward-thinking organization where innovation, inclusion, and growth are encouraged at every level. We offer competitive compensation, a supportive work environment, and benefits designed to help our employees succeed.
Our comprehensive benefits package includes:
Medical, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance401(k) retirement savings plan with company matchPaid time off, sick leave, and paid holidaysTuition reimbursement and professional development supportDiscretionary bonuses and other performance-based incentivesEmployee Assistance Program (EAP), wellness initiatives, and employee discounts
Eligibility for certain benefits may vary based on position, location, and employment status.
Physical Demands and Working Environment
Primarily in-person or hybrid work setting based on business needs.Occasional travel required (up to 15%).Professional office environment which may include bright/dim light, noise, fumes, odors, and traffic.Frequent and prolonged use of standard office equipment such as computers, phones, photocopiers, etc.
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Job Description Disclaimer
Note: While this job description is intended to be an accurate reflection of the job requirements, it is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Management reserves the right to modify, add, or remove duties from particular jobs and to assign other duties as necessary at any time with or without notice.
Bowman is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace where all employees feel valued and respected. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status. For our EEO Policy Statement, please click here. If you’d like more information on your EEO rights under the law, please click here.
Bowman has an obligation to provide and maintain a safe, healthy, and productive environment for its employees and clients. We are committed to maintaining a drug and alcohol-free workplace.
If you have any questions about the application process, please email recruiting@bowman.com.