Senior Innovation & Portfolio Manager

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