Digital Strategy & Innovation Lead

Position Overview

Ralph Lauren is seeking an experienced, customer-centric leader to join our Digital Strategy and Innovation team as the Digital Strategy & Innovation Lead. The Digital Strategy & Innovation Lead is accountable for shaping and executing the organization’s digital vision by developing strategies that anticipate industry shifts, evolving customer expectations, and technological advancements. This role acts as a catalyst for innovation, ensuring the business not only adapts to change but actively defines the future of its category.

Working cross-functionally with senior leaders in technology, commercial, marketing, retail, operations, finance, and corporate communications, the Digital Strategy & Innovation Lead embeds digital priorities into enterprise-wide strategies. The role emphasizes forward looking strategy development rooted in industry outlook, leveraging competitive intelligence, consumer insights, and emerging technology trends to inform executive decision-making and guide long-term investments.

In addition, this role will spearhead the vision to rapidly test, validate, and scale emerging ideas, technologies, and business models. By creating a structured yet agile framework for experimentation, this role will drive faster market learning, enable proof-of-concept pilots, and accelerate the transition of successful concepts into enterprise capabilities.

Through internal collaboration and external partnerships with technology providers, startups, and thought leaders, the Digital Strategy & Innovation Lead acts as the organization’s digital ambassador fostering a culture of innovation, establishing a pipeline of future-ready opportunities, and ensuring the business remains competitive and relevant in a rapidly shifting landscape. This position requires great vision, technical depth, and communication and partnership skills.

The ideal candidate is part strategist, part builder, and part storyteller, capable of turning forward-looking ideas into tangible value for Ralph Lauren.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

• Proven ability to define and execute digital strategies that anticipate industry shifts and align with enterprise growth goals.
• Expertise in product and program management, driving initiatives from ideation through launch with measurable business impact.
• Strong cross-functional leadership skills, influencing executives and collaborating across technology, commercial marketing, retail, operations, design, corporate communications, and finance.
• Hands-on experience with AI tools and platforms (e.g., generative AI, conversational AI, recommendation engines) to enhance customer and employee experiences.
• Experience with automation and low-code/no-code tools (e.g., Make, Co-Pilot Studio, etc.) and vibe coding/natural language programming for rapid solution development (Lovable, Cursor, etc). Not Required but nice to have
• Demonstrated strength in competitive research, industry trend analysis, and innovation strategy to guide long-term investment and business transformation.
• Exceptional presentation, storytelling, and thought leadership skills to communicate complex strategies to executives, boards, and external audiences.
• Skilled in driving change management and cultural adoption of digital-first tools and practices across the enterprise.
• Accelerate innovation by identifying, evaluating, and piloting emerging technologies (AI, automation, data analytics, personalization, and beyond), while monitoring consumer trends and competitive products to shape strategic roadmaps.
• Own the end-to-end lifecycle of innovation projects, including business case development, funding approvals, product requirements, KPI definition, and reporting progress and outcomes to senior leadership.
• Establish and enforce governance, best practices, and scalable frameworks for digital product innovation, experimentation, and performance measurement.
• Cultivate external partnerships with technology vendors, startups, and industry leaders to accelerate Ralph Lauren’s digital capabilities and expand the innovation ecosystem.

Experience, Skills & Knowledge

• 10 years of experience in digital strategy, product management, or innovation within retail, consumer, or technology-driven industries.
• Hands-on familiarity with AI, data platforms, and the end-to-end digital product development lifecycle.
• Ability to balance strategic vision with operational execution in a fast-paced, evolving global environment.
• Ecommerce, mobile app, and omnichannel experience with global scope
• Performance history as a direct people manager with supervisory accountability.
• High level of intellectual curiosity and comfort with bringing definition and structure to ambiguity.
• Proven track record of delivering digital transformation or innovation initiatives from concept through execution and measurable impact.
• Strong analytical and strategic thinking skills, with the ability to build business cases, define KPIs, and measure ROI.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with confidence engaging senior leadership and cross-functional partners.

Ralph Lauren will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records in a manner consistent with the requirements of the law, including any applicable fair chance laws. Please note background checks will be evaluated individually.