Innovative careers come in all shapes, sizes, and most importantly—directions. That’s what we call career mobility, the movement of employees across grades, positions, and occupations. Career mobility can be up, down, or lateral, so long as employees are moving.
You might not think you care much about career mobility, but in actuality, the pros of such flexibility are remarkable and worth moving up on the list of your career must-haves.
In mobility-focused organizations, the emphasis isn’t so much on the bottom line, but instead on ensuring employees are growing and doing work they are passionate about. Love crunching numbers but you’re in a PR role? A company focused on career mobility might use its resources to help you skill up to join, say, a data or tech team. It’s a career changers’ dream.
Intuit—the global financial technology platform that makes TurboTax, Credit Karma, QuickBooks, and Mailchimp—places a heavy emphasis on the importance of internal career mobility through both its employee benefits and its hiring and leadership philosophies. The result is a company composed of curious, innovative employees with careers of all backgrounds.
Jennifer Booker is one such employee. In her career at Intuit, she served in multiple roles, eventually landing a position pioneering Intuit’s advancements in AI. “I have been lucky to work across several different disciplines and companies,” she says. “But I have been very lucky to find my home at Intuit.”
We spoke to Booker about how Intuit’s emphasis on career mobility has shaped her trajectory and the impact she makes through their work. Here’s what she had to say about building a career at one of InHerSight’s 50 Best Companies to Work For.
Meet Jennifer Booker: Pioneering AI transformation
Booker's career journey is a testament to her passion for transforming ideas into tangible outcomes. “I am always fascinated by systems, their functionality, and how to improve them,” says Booker, who holds a bachelor’s in industrial engineering as well as an MBA. “This foundation in engineering coupled with a business education has been instrumental in shaping my career path.”
Booker started her career at Intuit in the Tech Financial Planning organization, later transitioning to customer success, where she leveraged her learnings to drive improvements in operational efficiency. A self-proclaimed “boomerang,” she briefly departed from Intuit, only to later return, drawn by the company’s unique culture and mission. Now, as VP of Transformation and Strategic Projects, she combines her diverse experiences in operations, procurement, finance, and engineering to make a meaningful impact at Intuit—namely in the relatively uncharted world of AI.
"Five years ago, Intuit declared its strategy to become an AI-driven expert platform, with data and AI at the core of our strategy,” Booker says. “We recognized these elements as a fundamental technology shift."
In addition to opening up new AI roles, Intuit’s long-time investments in AI and data also resulted in the development of its proprietary GenOS, a generative AI operating system powering Intuit Assist, a new financial assistant integrated in all of Intuit’s products that offers intelligent and personalized recommendations. Booker’s expertise in program management, coupled with her knack for strategic storytelling, has since played a pivotal role in articulating Intuit's AI narrative to stakeholders—the company’s staff, board, investors, and on stage at AfroTech’s 2023 conference.
“It was such an honor to speak at AfroTech. AI, particularly generative AI, had a very big 2023,” she says. “Being able to share Intuit’s AI journey, our strategy and investments for the benefit of our customers meant a lot to me. This was the first time for me speaking on a large stage representing Intuit. It really meant a lot to inspire others not only to be Black in tech or a woman in tech but also to represent those in program management that haven't seen anyone like them at this level and the power and influence that they can have on others while helping to drive their company's strategy.”
Intuit, recognized as one of our Best Companies to Work For, stands out prominently in Fortune's World's Most Admired Companies 2024 list, securing the impressive #4 spot in computer software. In addition, Intuit is rated most highly for Ability to Telecommute, Women in Leadership, and Support for Diversity. And their benefits back up their stellar reviews! A returnship program for women re-entering the workforce, fertility support and benefits, a hybrid work schedule, and numerous employee resource groups make up some of that top-tier support. Explore their ratings, benefits, and open jobs now.
Fostering career mobility at Intuit
Central to Intuit's ethos is a culture of empowerment and support for career mobility, which Booker has experienced firsthand. Along with regular monthly check-ins with her manager to discuss career growth, Booker has been involved in several career growth programs, benefiting from a professional development coach, group coaching, and career sponsorship. Beyond doing her job well, she says all she had to do to receive these opportunities was ask.
“Intuit has invested a lot into my career growth,” Booker says. “This was the same for mobility opportunities. I have had the opportunity to take on many different roles from working in finance, technical program management, and business operations across Tech, Customer Success, and now our Small Business organization. My managers and teams have been supportive in all the moves I have made across the company.”
This flexible approach allows employees with nonlinear careers, like Booker, to leverage their transferable skills and shine with new innovations and in new spaces. “My career journey has led me through a variety of disciplines, working with multiple companies, each offering unique insights and challenges,” she says. “This journey has not just been fortunate but fueled my innate curiosity. With every new company I join and each project I undertake, my thirst for knowledge deepens. This relentless pursuit of learning makes me particularly well-suited for the dynamic field of AI, where innovation is rapidly evolving and unceasing. Success in this space hinges on a deep understanding of customer challenges and a constant eagerness to stay abreast of the latest technological advancements and understand their inner workings.”
Empowering women in tech and AI
For women aspiring to advance their careers in tech, Booker offers invaluable insights, both through her career at Intuit and the work she does in AI. “Intuit is also a great environment for women in tech,” she says. Upon being hired, she joined employee resource groups (ERGs) such as Intuit’s African Ancestry Network and Women’s Network to build community. And she says, “a significant portion of the C-suite are women (the head of our small business organization—who was our previous CTO, our CMO, our Chief People & Places Officer, our General Counsel, and our Chief Customer Success Officer). I have always felt supported and recognized for the skills that I bring to the table.”
Through the lens of her current role, Booker says AI is a space that needs women. “AI benefits from diverse perspectives,” Booker says. “Women and underrepresented groups can bring unique insights, which are crucial for developing inclusive and unbiased AI systems.” The future of this evolving technology literally depends on diversity—whether you’re in tech or you’re not.
“Everyone should be interested in AI as it will be the future of how we will work,” Booker says. “This doesn’t just apply to those with engineering, data science, or other technical fields. With AI, there are several productivity gains, where everyday transactional tasks can be automated, and we can focus on high-value work. To take full advantage of this future, it is important to understand how AI and specifically generative AI works. I encourage people to learn as much as they can, take a class, experiment with different technologies, listen to podcasts, and read news articles.”
More on Intuit’s careers website
Ready to experience Intuit's innovative approach to career mobility for yourself? Learn more about working at Intuit today.
