INNOVATION MANAGER

COMPANY: Lintbells | Home of YuMOVE Ltd   LOCATION: HYBRID

OUR TEAM EMBRACES THESE SIX PRINCIPLES

HEAD

Intellectual harmony

HANDS

Behavioural effort

HEART

Emotional Investment

Dare to be bold – We are bold, we make brave decisions, and we lead the pack. Leading from the front drives valuable change.

Sharp thinking – We challenge ourselves to be critical thinkers. We’re obsessively curious. We’re open minded. We choose data over beliefs.

Deliver with pride – We’re proud of what we do. We take full ownership of the part we play in the business, and we’re obsessed with delivering the best results for pets, customers, partners, the business, the environment, and ourselves.

Keep moving - We embrace change. We’re comfortable with pacy decision making. We’re agile enough to take action and get things moving. We learn from and share our mistakes.

Invest time and trust – We know the importance of developing productive and rewarding working relationships. We tackle the hard stuff. We value differences.

It’s personal – We understand first-hand the bond between an owner and pet, and it’s our duty to make sure those moments happen for longer. That’s why we only develop products that make a real difference.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW   At Lintbells, we’re pet lovers first and foremost.

Everything we do comes from that core passion for pets, like our mission says: we want to help as many pets as possible around the world live their most active life, for life.

We’re proud to be the home of YuMOVE, the UK’s no.1 veterinary joint supplement, and are already helping over two million dogs a year. We’re science and heart combined – using our love for animals and brilliant science to make a difference.

Lintbells is an equal opportunities employer and values equity, inclusion, and diversity. We welcome people of different nationalities, backgrounds, beliefs, experiences, abilities, and perspectives.

We commit to continuing to build a more diverse workforce, which is inclusive and supportive for every individual.

We’re big fans of ambition, courage and quick-thinking. We work Whippet-fast and are.

always looking for people who like a challenge, think creatively, and want to make a positive impact.

on pets’ lives. Last, but by no means least, we’ve got Golden Retriever energy – we’re fun, friendly, and super excited to meet you!

PURPOSE OF THE ROLE   

The purpose of the Innovation Manager role is to lead NPD and EPD projects through the Gate and launch process from Gate 0 to launch, to deliver the AOP product pipeline for UK and RoW.

IMPACT DELIVERABLES   

• Responsible for execution of EPD and NPD, post-concept sign-off at G0 to launch

• Responsible for product proposition refinement post Gate 0, including briefing research to the intelligence specialist to validate and optimise concepts, developing claims and messaging to support new product launches.

• Responsible for completing scorecards for Gate meetings and accountability for pre-alignment and Gate input of key stakeholders, ensuring all NPD/EPD follow the Gate process,

• Accountable for NPD/EPD artwork creation including responsibility for briefing design, pack copy brief input, coordination of artwork changes and approval, collaborating with the brand team to ensure adhering to brand guidelines and working with external agencies where necessary.

• Responsible for building the P&L for all NPD/EPD projects and accountability for ensuring all projects meet financial targets, relevant approvals and SKU set up with finance.

• Responsible for briefing structural packaging for NPD / EPD projects and aligning with the R&D team, retail and ops teams to ensure packaging is consumer led, operationally feasible and commercially viable.

• Collaborating across multiple teams to ensure stakeholders are fully briefed on NPD/EPD projects by leading kick-off meetings and providing inputs to the Project Manager to support internal comms alignment and issue escalation.

• Accountable for toolkit creation and leading internal deployment to ensure marketing, content, commercial and DTC teams are fully briefed on NPD / EPD projects to support build of channel plans and content and comms creation in readiness for launch.

• Manage and mentor the Junior Project Manager, providing guidance and support to ensure personal development in role and oversee timelines and reporting for all projects.

SKILLS & EXPERIENCE

• Minimum 3-5 years in an innovation role, preferably within pet nutrition or pet health.
• Strong organisational and collaboration skills with a history of contributing to successful product innovations.
• Experience in working with a launch gate process and managing projects from concept to launch.
• Background in data-driven decision-making processes.
• Solid understanding of consumer behaviour and market trends within the pet health and nutrition sector.
• To have an agile and proactive working style to work in a fast-growing, SME environment.