Culture and Innovation Strategist

Overview

A career with Johnson County Government is more than just a job, it is an opportunity to serve a diverse and expanding community in meaningful ways. We challenge ourselves to be a different kind of government because we care deeply about our community and each other. Committed to our shared values, we provide excellent public service, seeking always to improve ourselves and our organization.

We offer wonderful benefits, retirement plans, wellness incentives, a great organizational culture, and much more! If you’re searching for something more than just a job, something akin to a calling, then consider the challenge and opportunity of being a member of Johnson County Government!

The Department of Emergency Services (DES) is currently seeking a dedicated and highly skilled Culture and Innovation Strategist to join our team.

The Culture and Innovation Strategist serve as a key organizational leader responsible for shaping a values-driven culture that supports strategic innovation and operational excellence. This role bridges people, process, and purpose—leading efforts to cultivate employee engagement, embed continuous improvement practices, and align workplace culture with the mission and future needs of the department and community.

First review of applications is September 17, 2025.

Job Description

• Leads and coordinates culture-building strategies that promote inclusivity, trust, psychological safety, and a high-performance environment across divisions; develops and implements programs that encourage innovation, creative problem-solving, and idea-sharing at all levels of the organization; partners with leadership team members to identify and remove cultural or operational barriers to collaboration, innovation, and service improvement.
• Facilitates employee listening sessions, focus groups, and engagement surveys; analyzes results and recommends actionable strategies; leads cross-functional initiatives focused on employee equity, experience, internal communication, change management, and organizational learning.
• Designs and delivers innovation labs, workshops, and learning experiences that promote human-centered design, agile thinking, and continuous improvement; collaborates with HR, Training, and Performance Improvement teams to ensure alignment across all people and culture initiatives; and partners with HR on workforce planning, succession, talent development, and change management to build long-term departmental capacity.
• Serves as a culture and innovation advisor to executive leadership, contributing to strategic planning and departmental visioning, assists with developing and operationalizing strategies that align personnel practices with department strategic priorities and goals; measures the impact of initiatives using key performance indicators related to engagement, innovation adoption, and organizational outcomes.
• Leads communication strategies that promote transparency, understanding, collaboration, and diversity across all levels and divisions of the department; serves and advises leadership on the people impact of operational decisions; facilitates leadership development and coaching sessions for supervisors and managers.
• Stays current on industry trends, public sector best practices, and academic research in organizational culture and innovation.
• May be directed to travel to DES stations and facilities around the county; may be directed to accompany supervisors and managers to scenes of operation, on-site training, specific meetings, and community or public events.

Job Requirements

Minimum Job Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in Organizational Development, Public Administration, Human Resources, Innovation Management, or a relevant field.
• Five (5) years of experience in organizational development, innovation strategy, culture transformation, operations, human resources, public safety, organizational development, or change leadership, or related area.
• Demonstrated experience working in or closely with emergency services, public safety, emergency services, government organizations, or highly mission-driven environments, with proven success in aligning people strategies with operational goals.

Preferred Job Requirements:

• Master’s degree in Organizational Development, Public Administration, Human Resources, Innovation Management, or a relevant field. Certification in change management, organizational development, or leadership coaching.
• Thorough understanding of organizational culture, employee engagement, and innovation methodologies (e.g., design thinking, agile, LEAN); proven ability to lead cross-functional initiatives and influence at all levels; exceptional communication, facilitation, and coaching skills; skilled at using data to drive decisions and measure impact; ability to navigate complex systems and drive positive cultural change, and high emotional intelligence, empathy, and strategic thinking.
• Knowledge of emergency services operations (e.g., EMS, Fire, Police, Dispatch). Experience with unionized environments and public sector HR processes.

Experience may be substituted for a degree.

Successfully pass a criminal history check and possess a valid driver’s license with an acceptable driving record.

Johnson County Government requires reference/background screening for all positions. Specified criteria may vary by Department/Agency.