About the Role

Are you a strategic thinker with a proven record of delivering high-impact innovation projects? We seeking a Senior Innovation & Portfolio Manager to lead our global innovation pipeline, driving projects from concept to launch while influencing senior leadership decisions. In this high-profile role, you will align cross-functional teams, optimise portfolio performance, and ensure that every innovation delivers maximum commercial value.

This role will require a commercially astute and strategically minded Senior Innovation & Portfolio Manager to play a pivotal role in shaping and delivering a high-impact innovation pipeline within a leading international organisation operating in the consumer goods / healthcare sector.

This is a highly visible position, acting as a trusted partner to senior leadership. You will drive cross-functional alignment, enhance decision-making quality, and ensure that innovation projects deliver maximum commercial value through a disciplined stage-gate process.

Key Responsibilities

Innovation Delivery & Strategic Direction

• Lead the planning and execution of innovation projects from concept through to launch, ensuring delivery on time and within budget.
• Provide data-led insights, scenario analysis, and recommendations to shape project prioritisation and strategic direction.
• Influence senior stakeholders to ensure decisions align with consumer needs, commercial objectives, and long-term business strategy.
• Promote a structured, disciplined approach to decision-making across the innovation lifecycle.

Cross-Functional Leadership

• Lead and coordinate cross-functional teams across R&D, Marketing, Supply Chain, and Finance.
• Establish clear objectives, success measures, and accountability across project teams.
• Drive delivery of key milestones, proactively managing risks and resolving challenges.
• Foster strong collaboration and alignment across all stakeholders.

Risk & Opportunity Management

• Identify, assess, and communicate key risks and opportunities within the portfolio.
• Provide clear, concise insight into critical path issues, resource constraints, and sensitivities within business cases.
• Anticipate future challenges and implement early mitigation strategies.

Portfolio Governance & Decision Support

• Maintain high-quality portfolio data to support visibility, governance, and prioritisation.
• Deliver executive-level reporting and recommendations to support investment and portfolio decisions.
• Challenge assumptions within business cases to ensure commercial, financial, and technical robustness.

About You

You will bring a blend of strategic thinking, commercial awareness, and strong project leadership experience, ideally gained within FMCG, consumer healthcare, pharmaceuticals, or a related sector.

Key skills and experience include:

• Strong understanding of market dynamics, consumer behaviour, and competitive landscapes
• Proven experience in strategic project or portfolio management (e.g. PRINCE2, PMP or equivalent)
• Financial acumen, with the ability to evaluate business cases and model scenarios
• Excellent communication and influencing skills, with experience engaging senior stakeholders
• Experience working within a stage-gate or structured innovation framework
• Ability to lead and inspire cross-functional teams in a fast-paced environment

What Success Looks Like

• Delivery of high-value innovation projects aligned to business strategy
• Improved speed to market and efficiency across the innovation pipeline
• High-quality, insight-driven decision-making at portfolio level
• Recognition as a trusted advisor and key influencer within the organisation

Why Apply?

This is an opportunity to take on a strategic, high-impact role within a dynamic and growing business, where you will directly influence innovation outcomes and shape future growth.