About the ELCA

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with nearly 3.3 million members in more than 8,900 worshiping communities across the 50 states, Caribbean and U.S. Virgin Islands. With a vision to live in a world experiencing the difference God’s grace and love in Christ makes for all people and creation, the ELCA strives to be a welcoming, thriving and connected church that introduces people to Jesus so they can discover community, justice and love.

The Lutheran Center (national office) is located in Chicago, Illinois. A staff of 400, under the leadership of the Presiding Bishop, serve as administrators, advisors, conveners, partners, and resource people for the ELCA and its ministries. Staff lead the work of national, domestic, and global ministries and programs including Lutheran Disaster Response, ELCA World Hunger, Service & Justice, Christian Community and Leadership, and Innovation. We are also home to five of our separately incorporated ministries: The Mission Investment Fund of the ELCA, Women of the ELCA, Lutheran Men in Mission, the ELCA Foundation and the ELCA Federal Credit Union.

About the position

Working toward a vision of “a world experiencing the difference God’s grace and life in Christ makes for all people and creation,” the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) seeks to “activate each of us so more people know the way of Jesus and discover community, justice and love.”

The Innovation home area seeks to be a space for the church to generate ideas, unleash creativity and create positive change in the world God so loves. It champions and drives 1) organizational change and innovation culture; 2) the development of new and useful things and 3) the co-creators to get the work done.

This position leads the Organizational Innovation team ensuring that the Innovation Home Area assists the ELCA Churchwide Organization in developing and evaluating new ideas. In collaboration with others, this role develops a plan for creating a culture of innovation across the ELCA by designing and managing the development and delivery of collaborative, innovative, training and learning initiatives for employees and leaders across the ELCA.

This is a full-time, regular, exempt position. Candidates for this remote position must reside within the fifty United States or the District of Columbia and be authorized to work lawfully in the United States.

Responsibilities

1. Responsible for the development and delivery of an organizational innovation strategy that helps the ELCA Churchwide Organization develop and evaluate new ideas.

2. Enables and cultivates the team’s highly collaborative project management model. This includes resource management (human and financial), such as onboarding, team development and priority setting on behalf of the team. Some budget management required.

3. Oversees the identification of skill and/or knowledge gaps to be addressed through organizational development training and engagement opportunities with a focus on Design Thinking and Innovation. Oversees the assessment of training effectiveness, including employee and stakeholder use and application of skills and tools in the work environment.

4. Assesses the overall effectiveness of the Organizational Innovation Team.

5. Communicates priorities, planned work and insights to employees across the ELCA Churchwide Organization with a particular focus on Home Area Leadership.

6. Other projects, collaborations and duties as assigned.

Supervision: Manages and supervises 4 full-time equivalent employees for the Organizational Innovation team.

1. 5-7 years’ experience, preferred, managing high-performing teams, including some budget management experience.

2. Project management and/or organizational development experience preferred.

3. Experience in innovation and design-thinking (including equity-centered design) theory and practice; strategy development, stakeholder engagement and project management, a plus.

4. Proven leadership and experience designing events, curriculum and /or content (including virtual and self-guided) in an organizational setting.

5. Ability to manage multiple projects at once while informing key stakeholders of progress.

6. Excellent interpersonal skills: the ability to attract and work collegially and collaboratively with a diverse population both inside and outside of the workplace to present, motivate, communicate and engage effectively both verbally and in written form.

7. Self-directed, self-motivated intuitive thinker focused on closing the gap between ideas and implementation with comfortability utilizing and introducing virtual and technological tools.

Physical Effort: While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk and hear, use hands and fingers to operate a computer and telephone. This position requires sitting for long periods of time. Reasonable accommodation can be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Travel Frequency: Some travel; up to 10%. Position requires some domestic travel by plane or car.

Salary: Commensurate with qualifications and experience. Minimum: $80,122.

Benefits:

The ELCA offers a competitive benefits package for eligible employees, including employer paid health premiums for employees, health and dependent care FSA’s, a health savings account (HSA) with an employer contribution, life insurance, and a substantial employer contribution to 403b retirement plan (no match required). We also offer a generous paid time-off policy including 11 paid holidays. All benefits commence on your start date.