Product & Ideation Manager, Challenger Brands No7 Beauty Company

Closing Date: 13th Nov
Location: Nottingham / London
Contract: Secondment 12 months
Recruitment Partner: Frankie McCallister-Lyas


About the role:

Welcome to Challenger Brands Foresight & Ideation an exciting team at the heart of the No7 Beauty Company. As customers are changing so are we! We are consumer obsessed and focus on truly understanding our customers needs to develop world-class products that build brand love. We lead and inspire belief working with cross-functional partners in R&D Insights Packaging Regulatory Creative Fuel House and Commercial we unlock high-quality launches born from category leading R&D.

The Product & Ideation Manager is responsible for delivering the brand vision and big choices. They build a strong innovation masterplan with qualified concepts and big ideas that fuel brand growth. This role provides the stimulus for product development consumer testing and brand-building activities ensuring the Generate and Create pillars are always supplied with the right input. The role balances foresight and creativity with commercial acumen acting as both architect and guardian of the big idea from inception to launch.

Key Responsibilities:

Envision the Future
Support Head of to deliver the long-term brand category and innovation vision in an ever-changing highly competitive context while keeping a keen eye on the now. Spot emerging trends that can quickly be translated into salient propositions that drive brand love;
Identify whitespace foresight-driven opportunities and science-led platforms to anchor the ideas for the Brands.

Set the Big Choices
Responsible for creating ideation opportunities that can populate a winning innovation roadmap laying out the strategic field guide for innovation and brand-building efforts
Translate trends insights and brand purpose into clear opportunity spaces and compelling narratives and stories;

Stimulus for Development & Brand Building
Responsible for providing ongoing stimulus for product development consumer testing and creative storytelling in generate and activate
Ensure emotional resonance of the idea and technical feasibility of the pipeline are aligned from the start

Hypable Product Creation
Act as a powerhouse for establishing new buzzworthy product lines with attractive and ownable brand stories
Stay constantly inspired through cultural signals social media and the latest in product and commercial ideas

Comms Brief Creation
Craft the upstream strategic narrative that articulates why now why us. for the Creative Brief through WPP
Ensure briefs inspire downstream teams and uphold consumer truth and brand distinctiveness from inception to execution

Consumer Hook to Product Truth
Translate emotional consumer insight into functional product truths that are desirable feasible and ownable.
Act as final product approver for Ideation ensuring alignment with strategy and consumer needs

Supplier & Partner Oversight
Partner with Portfolio Delivery team to manage cross functional meetings ensuring projects remain on track and escalating any risks to relevant stakeholders OTIF delivery of all touchpoints
Support the selection and management of key development partners (fragrance formulation packaging design)
Uphold standards of creativity innovation and technical delivery.

What youll need to have:

Proven leadership in upstream innovation and category growth strategy;
Demonstrated ability to set the big choices and establish innovation masterplans;
Strong strategic foresight and consumer insight application that generates breakthrough ideas that drive Brand Growth;
Ability to create inspiring briefs and emotionally compelling narratives that create a catalogue of stories;
Commercially astute able to screen and translate the latest product and commercial ideas into scalable opportunities;
Collaborative leader with gravitas to influence senior stakeholders and external partners;
Experienced in leading suppliers and partners to deliver breakthrough ideas in product and design.

It would be great if you also have:

A passion for all things beauty and skincare;
Previous experience on beauty category.

About No7 Beauty Company:

No7 Beauty Company is made up of five iconic brands - No7 Liz Earle Soap & Glory Botanics and Sleek MakeUP. We believe in creating the best in beauty for everyone - were innovators with a passion for challenging perceptions with ground-breaking products proven results and positive impact.

We have built a reputation on scientific innovation whilst being environmentally sustainable and socially responsible. We are an equal opportunity employer empowering our team members to be their authentic selves as we share a culture where diversity equity and inclusion are at the centre of everything we do.

Our benefits:

Retirement Savings Plan
Enhanced maternity/paternity/adoption leave pay
Discretionary annual bonus
Generous discount on our own brands and partner businesses
Flexible benefits scheme including holiday buying discounted gym membership life assurance activity passes and much more.
We have a great range of benefits in addition to the above that offer flexibility to suit you - go to to find out more.

(Please note any salary estimates given on third-party sites are not provided or endorsed by No7 Beauty Company and may not be accurate)

Whats 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 youll be notified by email.

Where a role is advertised as full-time we are open to discussing part-time and job share options during the application process. If you require additional support as part of the application and interview process we are happy to provide reasonable adjustments to help you to be at your best.
Keywords
Product Ideation Manager