Innovation Strategist

We are X, bigly labs, Dis-Chem’s high-performance innovation hub; a place where bold ideas meet data, design, and radical customer focus to reimagine what healthcare can be.

Our mission is to power the future of healthcare by lowering costs, unlocking new possibilities, and improving access to healthcare for all South Africans. We do this through cutting-edge digital solutions that deliver smarter, more human, and truly patient-focused experiences. Here, your work is not limited to a whiteboard; it becomes real. It drives decisions, shapes experiences, and moves healthcare forward. We are driven by one big question: How do we use data and today’s technology to build breakthroughs to better health?

There’s only one question left: are you ready to make healthcare smarter, and actually mean it?

The Innovation Strategist aims to design and deliver exceptional innovation outcomes and translate business strategy or complex problem signals into rigorous, evidence-led missions. This role leads multiple workstreams (missions) by defining frameworks, aligning sponsors and stakeholders, and coaching practitioners so that the studio consistently delivers work that creates measurable strategic and commercial value.

WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR?

• Minimum qualification: Bachelor's degree in Design , Strategy, Business, Social Science, or a related field. Additional qualifications in Innovation, Service Design, or Design Thinking are advantageous .
• 8–10 years' experience across innovation, design strategy, management consulting, or human-centred design roles - with demonstrated results measured through strategic impact, validated builds, or customer outcomes.
• 5 + years leading cross-functional innovation or design teams and influencing business strategy.
• Proven ability to frame complex, ambiguous problems, lead discovery work, and translate briefs into actionable opportunity spaces.
• Systems and tools: advanced Miro or collaborative facilitation tools ; familiarity with prototyping tools, analytics, and A/B testing tools; comfort with the DVF framework, JTBD, service blueprinting, and lean experimentation methods.

WHAT YOU WILL BE DOING?

• Define and lead Launch S tudio's strategic approach for each commissioned initiative — ensuring work is coherent, high quality, and aligne