European Head of Innovation

Job Description

A collective energy and ambition. A place where you can make a real difference.

We’re a company that genuinely cares about our people, our products, our consumers and the environment.

Our unique, informal culture champions courage, determination and collaboration. Knowing we have an open and supportive team means each of us has the freedom to take responsibility and ownership. We have a shared passion to work hard, innovate and push boundaries.

United by the belief that when we strive for growth, anything is possible. While we might not be the largest company in our industry, we believe we can have the biggest impact because: Together We Have the Power to Win.

Are you passionate about creating the next big thing in Beauty & Personal Care? Do you love uncovering consumer insights and turning them into winning products? Ready to lead innovation that drives growth across Europe and beyond?

If that sounds like you, we have an exciting opportunity for a European Head of Innovation to join our European Marketing team and shape the future of our Personal Care portfolio.

This role is based in our London Office and allows for home working up to 3 days per week.

This is a highly strategic leadership role responsible for building and delivering a pipeline of breakthrough innovations that drive incremental growth across our Personal Care portfolio, with involvement in selected Healthcare brands.

You'll lead the innovation agenda from consumer insight through to product launch, working across global markets and cross-functional teams to create concepts that resonate with consumers, retailers and customers alike. Alongside driving commercial growth, you'll lead and inspire a high-performing innovation team, embedding best-in-class innovation processes and fostering a culture of creativity, collaboration and executional excellence.

Key Responsibilities:

• Develop and lead the innovation strategy and pipeline for Personal Care and selected Healthcare brands.
• Identify consumer insights, unmet needs and market opportunities to create winning NPD concepts.
• Build and maintain a robust 3+ year innovation funnel aligned to business growth objectives.
• Lead innovation projects from concept through to commercial launch.
• Partner with Marketing, R&D, Sales, Operations, Procurement and Finance teams to deliver successful product launches.
• Develop compelling business cases, propositions and sell-in stories for retailers and stakeholders.
• Drive global collaboration to ensure concepts have both international scale and local relevance.
• Lead, coach and develop a high-performing innovation team.

Education & Experience:

• 8+ years' experience within a regional, international or global FMCG or consumer goods business.
• Proven track record of delivering insight-led innovation and successful new product development.
• Strong experience within the Personal Care category; Haircare experience highly desirable.
• Demonstrated success building innovation strategies and long-term pipelines.
• Experience leading and developing teams within Innovation or Marketing functions.
• Excellent understanding of consumer research, concept development and commercialisation processes.
• Knowledge of technical, operational and manufacturing requirements for consumer products.

We're looking for a strategic and commercially minded innovation leader with a passion for consumer-led growth. You'll combine creativity with analytical thinking, using insights and data to identify opportunities and turn them into commercially successful products. An exceptional collaborator and influencer, you'll be comfortable working across global markets and functions, building alignment and momentum around ambitious innovation plans. You'll also be an inspiring people leader who creates clarity, develops talent and drives high standards of performance and execution.

This role works Monday – Friday, 37-hours per week.

In return we offer a competitive package, including a generous car allowance, a bonus, long-term incentive plan (shares), 24 days annual leave, a pension matched up to 9%, life assurance cover, private medical insurance and membership of a health cash plan.

Ready to shape the future of innovation? Join us and lead the development of the next generation of products that delight consumers, strengthen our brands and accelerate growth across Europe. Apply today and play a pivotal role in bringing tomorrow's innovations to life.

For more information on our company, our brands and our culture visit us at http://www.churchdwight.co.uk/

When applying for a role and sending your cv, you understand that the Company will hold your personal data in relation to your prospective employment and will process that data for legitimate business reasons within the requirements of UK data protection laws currently in effect and as they become applicable, including the Data Protection Act 1998, the General Data Protection Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2016/679)) and any successor legislation. Candidate Privacy Notice.