Innovation Consultant – Established Business Strategist
Role Level: Mid‑level role, with proven experience.
Role Type: Permanent.
About Innovia
Innovia Technology makes innovation breakthroughs happen for the world’s leading companies. We solve complex innovation challenges and create new opportunities so our clients can outperform competitors and change the world for good. Our clients include Johnson & Johnson, Medtronic, LEGO, PepsiCo, Procter & Gamble, Haleon, Shell, IWC Schaffhausen, Kenvue, Kraft Heinz, and The North Face.
The Opportunity
We have a mid‑level consulting role that is suited to candidates who are looking to broaden their professional experience, taking on client and project responsibility. The role is ideal for someone with a strong academic background and applied experience who is motivated to pursue a consulting career in a creative, exploratory, and holistic environment. Unlike a traditional business strategy department, you will join project teams that span disciplines—from product design to veterinary medicine, theoretical physics, plant science, engineering, behavioural science, and more. As an Innovation Consultant, you’ll leverage your background in business strategy to solve complex challenges for Innovia’s clients.
Key Responsibilities
- Help corporate clients adopt new frameworks and ways of working to navigate transformational change.
- Coach and challenge corporate R&D teams in the development of new products, services and business models.
- Assist clients’ senior management and R&D teams in defining and implementing their innovation strategies.
- Support Innovia and client innovation teams in understanding commercial needs.
- Demonstrate the impact of innovation to the client corporation.
- Contribute to the development of innovation and business strategy capabilities within Innovia.
- Provide insight into commercial challenges, including market sizing, quantitative modelling and applying strategic frameworks.
Additional Responsibilities
- Bring expertise to innovation projects across a wide range of sectors.
- Apply structured, analytical and creative thinking to generate and evaluate early‑stage ideas.
- Take on project management of innovation projects, initially with support or following training, involving planning, supplier and client liaison, team coordination and day‑to‑day delivery.
- Contribute to selling new projects by creating compelling proposals, engaging in client discussions, building trust and persuasively communicating recommendations or concepts.
- Collaborate closely with consultants from different fields, sharing knowledge and skills to aid colleagues and learn new technical fields and industries.
The Candidate
You don’t need direct experience of innovation or consultancy, but you must have the skills to build relationships with clients and work within the constraints of business and commerce such as tight deadlines and uncertainties.
Essential Capabilities
- Technical expertise
- Hold a degree in a business field, or a degree in a STEM field plus a Master’s in business, economics or management.
- Have quantitative and qualitative business analysis skills, including NPV models, market‑size estimation and strategic positioning analysis.
- Consulting and commercial capability
- Experience presenting to clients and internal stakeholders and shaping projects to meet client objectives.
- Engage in discussions with clients considering commercial priorities and business concerns.
- Strong communication and storytelling skills, able to explain complex ideas clearly, simply and persuasively to different audiences.
- Collaboration and ways of working
- Comfortable making informed decisions and progressing work without complete certainty, using sound judgement and clear assumptions.
- Confident engaging with clients and stakeholders in ambiguous or fast‑changing situations, helping shape discussions and bring clarity to complex challenges.
- Curious and proactive, with the ability to ask insightful questions, listen actively and identify opportunities to improve outcomes.
- Strong interest in disciplines beyond your own and enthusiasm for multidisciplinary collaboration.
- Motivated to expand skills in holistic, front‑end innovation and comfortable working on projects with higher levels of uncertainty.
- Demonstrate effective teamwork and delegation, motivating those you supervise and delegating effectively.
- Demonstrate self‑awareness of personal style and awareness of the needs of teammates and clients.
- Show good judgement and willingness to seek help when required.
Desirable Experience
- Experience in project or people management.
- Ability to facilitate parts of client meetings and basic interactive sessions (e.g. criteria setting).
Practical Considerations
- Office attendance: hybrid working on Mondays and Fridays; new joiners expected to attend office more frequently in the first weeks.
- Remote working: role not suitable for 100% remote.
- Hours: Full‑time, 37.5 hours per week, Monday to Friday.
- Technology: primarily use Apple laptops.
- Right to work: Candidate must have right to work in the UK by commencement.
- Visa sponsorship: May be able to sponsor, subject to Home Office eligibility requirements.
- Confidentiality: Must maintain confidentiality at all times regarding sensitive client information.
Interview Process
The interview process comprises three stages:
- Stage 1: 30‑minute technical interview via Zoom, exploring subject‑specific fundamentals.
- Stage 2: In‑person interview in Cambridge, exploring technical skills; lasts up to 2.5 hours.
- Stage 3: In‑person consultancy aptitude interview; lasts up to 1.5 hours.
Benefits
- Free buffet lunch provided daily.
- Casual dress code.
- Innovation and consultancy training.
- True multidisciplinary working and collaboration.
- Fully accessible office and office adaptations.
- Free parking and bike racks monitored by CCTV.
EEO Statement
We are committed to creating a supportive and inclusive workplace, actively seeking to improve the diversity of our teams and welcome applications from under‑represented groups. We treat people equitably regardless of age, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, ethnicity, disability, religion or political views. We especially encourage applications from people who are members of protected groups.
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