Senior Manager; Innovation Lab

Job Description

NMB Bank Plc is seeking a highly innovative and strategic professional to join its team as Senior Manager; Innovation Lab in Dar es Salaam. The successful candidate will lead the design, development, and execution of innovative solutions that support business growth, operational excellence, and enhanced customer value. The role will champion a culture of innovation across the bank by driving collaboration, experimentation, and the transformation of emerging ideas into scalable, market-ready products and services.

This position is ideal for an experienced innovation, product development, or user experience professional with strong leadership capabilities and a passion for creating customer-centric digital solutions. The role involves leading cross-functional teams, managing innovation projects, conducting market validation, overseeing user experience design, and ensuring that innovative concepts are successfully developed and implemented.

Responsibilities

• Define and execute the Innovation Lab’s vision, strategy, and roadmap aligned with organizational goals.
• Identify emerging trends, technologies, and market opportunities to guide innovation priorities.
• Build and sustain a culture of experimentation, agility, and continuous learning.
• Drive and institutionalize modern User Experience (UX) design practices across the organization.
• Lead design strategy and conceptual architecture for innovation initiatives.
• Facilitate ideation activities such as design thinking workshops, hackathons, and innovation challenges.
• Analyze stakeholder requirements and respond to new product and solution development requests.
• Conduct user requirements analysis, information architecture design, interaction design, and usability testing.
• Manage multiple innovation projects and provide regular progress updates to leadership.
• Establish governance frameworks for tracking innovation progress, risks, and return on investment.
• Oversee the design and execution of digital products, platforms, and customer solutions.
• Lead creativity sessions and support proposal development for new products.
• Develop customer journey maps, prototypes, UX toolkits, and ecosystem blueprints.
• Collaborate with product development, technology, and project management teams to implement design specifications.
• Lead customer and market validation initiatives, including surveys and field studies.
• Oversee rapid prototyping, proof-of-concept development, and pilot execution.
• Drive cross-functional collaboration to refine and scale validated concepts.
• Implement agile methodologies and continuous feedback loops within innovation projects.
• Oversee the transition from pilot projects to full-scale implementation.
• Lead User Acceptance Testing (UAT) for digital products and solutions.
• Establish feedback mechanisms to continuously improve products and services.
• Enforce innovation quality standards across all initiatives.
• Build and lead a high-performing multidisciplinary Innovation Lab team.
• Identify capability gaps and drive targeted learning and development initiatives.

Qualifications Required

• Bachelor’s Degree in Information Systems, Business Management, Marketing, Marketing Statistics, Accounting & Finance, Innovation, or a related field.
• Human-Centered Design certification.
• Minimum of 5 years’ experience in product design, product development, or innovation management, including leadership experience.
• Experience in product development, research, or innovation within the finance or banking industry.
• Strong understanding of UX/UI design principles and customer-centric product development.
• Excellent research, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
• Strong planning, organizational, and documentation skills.
• Ability to manage ambiguity and experimentation effectively.
• Innovative and creative thinking abilities.
• Ability to establish and manage structures, processes, and standards.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to drive projects and facilitate the completion of required tasks.
• Ability to work effectively in cross-functional teams.
• Strong coaching, leadership, and team motivation skills.
• Ability to prioritize tasks, meet deadlines, and work under pressure.

How to Apply

Interested candidates should submit their applications through the NMB Bank careers portal before 06 July 2026.

Application portal

Conclusion

This is an excellent opportunity for a forward-thinking innovation leader to shape the future of digital banking and customer experience at one of Tanzania’s leading financial institutions. Professionals with strong expertise in innovation management, product development, UX design, and digital transformation are encouraged to apply before the closing date.