Director of Discovery & Innovation

Conectamos el presente. Transformamos el futuro.

The Role

You lead CDO's innovation engine on two tracks: the 18-36 month strategic pipeline and near-term opportunities ready for approval. Figure out what CDO should build next before committing serious resources. Your team validates concepts, builds business cases, and hands off projects to Core Portfolio for execution.

What You Do

Innovation Funnel (H2/H3 - 18-36 months)

• Lead product thinking for CDO's strategic pipeline
• Discovery PMs partner with existing innovation specialists to validate opportunities
• Customer research, rapid AI-powered prototyping, business model testing
• Decide what deserves exploration and what to kill
• Surface strategic opportunities worth pursuing

New Business Discovery (Near-Term)

• Own validation for opportunities ready for execution
• 8-12 week cycles from problem to business case
• Research, AI-powered prototypes, technical feasibility, go-to-market strategy
• Partner with PMO/Pre-sales on OB engagement
• Present concepts to CDO leadership for approval

Team & Prioritization

• Build and lead discovery PMs and designers who excel at ambiguity
• Prioritize based on strategic value, OB appetite, feasibility, timing
• Coach on discovery craft, compelling business cases, and storytelling—turning research into narratives that secure funding
• Share failed experiments openly

Handoff to Execution

• Pass validated concepts to Director of Product Ops & Core Portfolio
• Handoff criteria vary by project nature
• Ensure smooth transitions with solid foundations

Success Metrics

• Strong H2/H3 funnel with validated concepts becoming funded projects
• Quality business cases that get approved and succeed after handoff
• Fast learning cycles—AI-powered prototyping enabling rapid concept validation
• Strategic influence—OBs seeking your input, opportunities shaping portfolio direction
• Failed experiments shared openly as organizational learning

Your Team

• Direct reports: Discovery PMs and designers who thrive in ambiguity with strong research skills. They build compelling business cases from validated learning. They partner with innovation specialists (researchers, funnel managers) bringing product discipline. They kill ideas without attachment and measure success by learning, not shipping.
• Your development focus: Coach them to rapid AI prototyping fluency. Most don't have strong AI tooling skills yet—you'll build that capability so they can test concepts 10x faster than traditional methods

Requirements

Must have:

• 10+ years product experience with heavy discovery focus
• Led 0→1 products or innovation teams
• Deep customer research expertise and user research methods
• Expert at rapid prototyping with AI tools (Cursor, v0, Lovable, Claude Artifacts) and can coach others to fluency
• Built business cases securing funding for uncertain bets
• Comfortable with high failure rate
• Strong storytelling—builds compelling pitch decks and presentations that sell uncertain opportunities to skeptical stakeholders
• Leadership skills: Client focus, Deliver excellence, Digital Innovation, Clarity & courage, Ownership, Growth 

Nice to have:

• Startup founding or early employee experience
• Venture or corporate innovation background
• Strategic foresight skills
• Spanish + English fluency
• Telco, platform, or B2B/B2C experience

The Reality

High failure rate. Constant ambiguity. Selling unproven opportunities to skeptical OBs. Killing ideas your team believed in. Handoffs can be messy when passing validated concepts rather than finished products. AI prototyping tools let you test ten ideas in the time traditional discovery tests one… velocity matters.

But you identify opportunities before anyone else sees them. Your work shapes CDO's strategic direction. OBs trust you with their hardest problems. You're building the capability that keeps CDO relevant as markets shift.

How We'll Evaluate

• Funnel quality and validated concepts converting to funded projects
• Discovery rigor—killing bad ideas fast, valuable learnings from failures
• Strategic impact on portfolio direction and OB relationships
• Team strength in discovery craft and ambiguity handling

What benefits will you enjoy as part of our team? 

Transformational projects

At Telefónica, you will be part of high‑impact projects that set trends and address the major challenges of connectivity and digital transformation in our society. You will contribute to initiatives that create real value for people, businesses, and communities.

Professional development

We offer you a strong professional journey and continuous learning on a global scale, supported by our presence across multiple geographies. You will have access to development opportunities, ongoing training, and internal mobility options. We want to grow together and build the future with you.

 Flexibility and work‑life balance

We are strongly committed to balancing professional and personal life. At Telefónica, we promote flexibility and new ways of working, positioning ourselves as a benchmark in work‑life balance and employee well‑being.

 Vacation

You will enjoy 27 business days of paid vacation, allowing you to disconnect and recharge.

 Employee benefits

You will have access to a comprehensive benefits package, including:

• Life and accident insurance
• Medical insurance for you and your family unit (spouse and children)
• Meal vouchers
• A flexible compensation plan with a wide range of options to choose from

 Pension plan

You will be enrolled in a pension plan to help you plan for the future with greater peace of mind

#UnidadesGlobales 

En Telefónica tenemos el compromiso de construir un entorno de trabajo diverso, inclusivo y sostenible, donde cada persona se sienta valorada, respetada y libre. Nuestra cultura se basa en la igualdad de oportunidades y en la inclusión, porque tenemos la responsabilidad de transformar la sociedad y hacer un mundo mejor.

Si quieres formar parte de un equipo innovador y contribuir a un futuro mejor, ¡te estamos esperando!