Senior Innovation Manager

Job Description

JOB DESCRIPTION

About the role

The Senior Innovation Manager’s primary purpose is to oversee the development of new products; using a structured approach to innovation, to achieve our public engagement objectives. This role manages one direct report - the Innovation Manager, and works alongside other stakeholders across UNICEF UK, including the Director of Innovation and Director of Marketing, bringing new products to market.

What we will expect you to achieve

Leadership

• Manage the relationship and potential for funding with our global fundraising Innovation team.

• Ensure innovation sits high on the agenda within the Public Engagement directorate.

• Be part of the cross-organisation innovation collective to drive innovation across UNICEF UK.

Innovation pipeline management

• Lead the process of regularly reviewing the Public Engagement innovation pipeline with Public Engagement leadership.

• Identify challenges, blockers and potential risks, and recommend solutions to overcome these.

• Use trends and insights to identify new opportunities that could form part of the pipeline.

• Offer consultation and support to Public Engagement teams on an ongoing basis, to ensure projects progress through the pipeline.

Product development

This role works with internal and external stakeholders to develop new propositions and opportunities, and to embed innovation across the organisation:

• Develop focussed briefs for new projects, ensuring strategic relevance and clear objectives.

• Use insight on our supporters, key trends and competitors to identify potential new offers and opportunities.

• Select and deploy appropriate prototyping techniques to test and iterate ideas, and use learnings to inform a business case for further development.

• Embed the use of a structured approach to innovation that utilises supporter insight in order to ensure that new products meet the needs of the identified target audience.

• Ensure appropriate controls are in place to manage operational risks associated with innovation.

• Seek support for internal investment, leading on the development of proposals and associated business cases.

• Establish and embed targets and KPIs and continue to monitor performance through the product development process.

• Work with relevant teams to scale up and fully launch products to market.

• Demonstrate and model a commitment to our shared values, behaviours and inclusive practices (Our Shared Commitment) in all aspects of your work. This will be evident in your actions, behaviour in meetings, engagement with colleagues and morale within the team, as evidenced by staff engagement scores

Behaviours, experience, and skills

Effective behaviours

Supporter driven and mission aligned

• Is committed to children and their rights and motivated to work towards achieving a world that is fit for every child.
• Uses in depth knowledge of supporters, the market and the charity sector to predict future trends.

Communication

• Present complex and difficult messages clearly and with impact.

• Confident in challenging people’s thinking at all levels across the organisation.

Creating and innovating

• Builds a network of relevant individuals outside Unicef UK to gain alternative perspectives that improve performance.
• Empowers people to innovate and welcomes new ideas that are focused on the delivery of strategic priorities.
• Challenge the status quo, and influence people in order to gain buy in for developing and piloting new to the charity sector and new to UNICEF UK products.

Good management

• Uses a flexible management approach: coaching, supporting or guiding for best results.

• Creates and encourages a cross-organisational team work and collaboration.

Resilience

• Take a solution focused approach to problem solving to succeed in difficult circumstances.
• Work independently across the organisation with a range of different people.

Relevant experience

• Experience of using a structured approach to innovate new products that successfully meet the needs of the identified target audience.

• Evidence of managing a creative, innovative team/new product development team focused on the delivery of strategic priorities.

• Experience of managing cross-organisational projects and engaging a range of different stakeholders.

Specific knowledge and skills

• Strong analytical skills to drive an insight led approach within the team and plan, prioritise and effectively monitor performance.

• Strong presentation skills to effectively pitch new ideas to internal and external stakeholders.

• Able to lead and motivate others to deliver results quickly.

• Budget Management.

Closing date

17th June 2022, 5 PM