Job Description
Join InnovateNext Labs as we pioneer the frontiers of 2026 technology and societal transformation. We seek a visionary Futurist Innovation Strategist to decode emerging trends, design transformative roadmaps, and lead cross-functional teams in turning futuristic concepts into market-ready innovations. This role sits at the intersection of technology foresight, business strategy, and human-centered design, requiring you to anticipate paradigm shifts before they become mainstream.
Our Austin-based hub operates at the cutting edge of AI integration, sustainable tech, and quantum computing applications. You'll collaborate with Nobel laureates, startup incubators, and Fortune 500 partners to shape how humanity navigates the technological inflection points of the mid-2020s. This isn't just about predicting the future—it's about actively creating it.
Responsibilities
- Lead horizon scanning initiatives to identify emerging technologies and socio-economic trends relevant to 2026 market landscapes
- Develop strategic innovation frameworks and roadmaps for quantum computing, biotech convergence, and AI-human symbiosis
- Facilitate executive workshops and stakeholder dialogues on future scenarios and disruption preparedness
- Design and validate prototyping experiments for next-gen human-machine interfaces
- Author thought leadership publications and patent disclosures for breakthrough methodologies
- Manage cross-disciplinary pods of engineers, designers, and futurists
- Establish KPIs for measuring innovation velocity and market readiness of future-facing solutions
Qualifications
- Master's degree in Futures Studies, Systems Thinking, or related field with 7+ years of strategic foresight experience
- Proven track record in commercializing emerging technologies (quantum, AGI, synthetic biology)
- Expertise in scenario planning methodologies and trend impact analysis frameworks
- Deep knowledge of exponential technology convergence patterns and second-order effects
- Exceptional facilitation skills for executive-level futures dialogues
- Publication record in peer-reviewed futures journals or industry whitepapers
- Proficiency in strategic foresight tools (Horizon scanning, Delphi, STEEP analysis)
- Experience leading high-impact R&D initiatives with $10M+ budgets