Senior Innovation & Portfolio Manager
CV-LibraryCB1, Cambridge, CambridgeshirepermanentPosted: 30 March 2026
Apply NowAbout 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
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