Global Head of No7 Beauty Futures Incubator

No7 Beauty Company has a mission to make No7 the most personalised brand on the market. The No7 Futures Innovation Team exists to disrupt the beauty category by pioneering technology enabled innovations which pave the way for tomorrows big things. We reach the parts of the beauty category, business as usual can’t reach.

About the opportunity

As Global Head of Beauty Incubator, you will lead the team to work in an agile way, utilising both internal and external partners, including start-ups. You and your team will discover, design, build, test and validate - at pace - technology enabled, consumer facing proof of concepts for No7, beyond topical products, by establishing desirability, feasibility and viability for scale, in order to drive incremental revenue.

As a creative and strategic thinker, through your deep understanding of innovation, the global market, consumer, trends and No7, you will define a stretchy innovation strategy and vision, manifested through a pipeline of disruptive opportunities.

Through truly collaborative matrix working across different teams and locations you will lead the delivery of the proof of concept innovation pipeline, from identifying opportunity territories and concept creation through to prototype testing, learning rapidly and failing fast or moving to scale.

Key Responsibilities:

• You will be responsible for the innovation strategy and stretching the “business as usual” mindset, to deliver transformational, technology enabled innovation which hit incremental revenue targets via brand trial, loyalty and new beauty benefits with the potential to cut through a highly saturated market.

• Lead the team in the defining and delivery of the innovation proof or concept pipeline, with external innovation partners, to budget.

• Manage your own proof of concept innovation projects.

• Pitch to the business, scale-up of successful projects, working closely with the Tech Partner, Business Development and Finance to generate robust business cases.

• Build leading edge innovation capability within the team and wider organisation, ensuring the necessary business enablers and partnerships are in place to deliver the pipeline post proof of concept.

• Foster a culture of creativity, co-creation, collaboration and experimentation with a learn through doing approach.

About you

We are looking for someone experienced in consumer innovation (products, services, tech), working with an innovation incubator (or similar) and who can work in an agile way, outside of business as usual, to come and lead our Innovation team!

Do you have the tenacity and passion to disrupt mindsets, the business and the market? Can you creatively spot opportunities others cannot see? Are you strategic, visionary and experimental? Can you show where you have created breakthrough consumer propositions that have resulted in commercial success for the brand?

You will be passionate about all things beauty and skincare and have a real care for the consumer and identifying new opportunities and creating new solutions for their unmet needs!

In addition to the above the following experience would be highly advantageous:

• Experience working with Brands and Retailers.

• Experience working with tech and digital partners.

• Experience working with external partners to design and deliver new customer propositions.

• Experience of working with an Innovation incubator, working with start-ups or contributing to building sustainable new business models.

• We'd love you to have experience of blazing new trails outside of business as usual processes.

Benefits

We have a great range of benefits that go beyond salary and offer flexibility to suit you:

• Competitive salary

• Maternity / Paternity / Adoption leave pay

• Boots Pension Scheme

• Competitive holiday allowance

• Generous staff discount (Boots, Boot Opticians and Boots Hearing Care)

• £100 gift card for colleagues expecting/adopting a baby

• Access to corporate discounts, including retail, cinema, holidays etc (UK only)

• Discretionary annual bonus scheme

• Access to our Employee Assistance Programme

• Flexible benefits scheme (via salary sacrifice) including financial wellbeing support, gym membership, dental cover, life assurance, restaurant discount cards, activity passes, holiday buying and much more (exclusions may apply, eligible roles only)

• Onsite staff shop, opticians, gym, coffee shops, cafeteria, dry cleaning service and excellent travel links

*All rewards and benefits are subject to change and eligibility.

Why No7 Beauty Company

No7 Beauty Company is the new face of beauty and creates the best in beauty for everyone.

We bring a collection of trusted, affordable beauty brands for every skin type, ethnicity, age, and texture. We’re proud of our stand-out portfolio of iconic, global beauty brands, including No7, Liz Earle Beauty Company, Botanics, Soap & Glory, Sleek MakeUp and YourGoodSkin.

Our collection of inclusive and innovative beauty brands has a rich heritage of over 85 years in beauty and skincare. We are powered by our diverse people, these loved brands and - with listening at the heart of our strategy - a deep understanding of our customers.

We’re serious about championing change, building purposeful brands and acting responsibly to make a difference.

What’s next

If your application is successful, our in-house recruitment team will be in touch to arrange an interview and to answer any initial questions you have. If you have not been successful on this occasion you will be notified by email.