When Bryn Parry, a veteran and eminent cartoonist, and his wife Emma heard in 2007 that people were shouting at wounded veterans at a local public swimming pool, they knew they had to do something. So they started a campaign for dedicated facilities and a movement to change the way we see and support veterans and their loved ones. Over £2M was raised in just 2 months, and Help for Heroes was born.
Help For Heroes is now a national charity with a vision for a society where everyone in the Armed Forces community lives well after service. The charity provides tailored support for physical and mental health to veterans and their families in their homes and communities across the UK. The charity have recently appointed a new CEO, James Needham, who joined in 2018 as their Chief Operating Officer. James has been instrumental in the development of the charity’s 10-year ‘Live Well’ strategy and brings a wealth of industry experience, having previously spent over 15 years working within the hospitality sector for the likes of Greene King and Starbucks.
With a new strategy rolled out, the fundraising team have a refreshed outlook on income generation and Innovation will be key in delivering growth and diversification. This newly created role will report directly to the commercial director and be responsible for developing new products to bolster their existing portfolio, with an opportunity to develop sector leading and ground breaking products. This exciting role has the potential to be career defining.
Working closely with heads of income streams to fully understand their needs and what products are going to work best for them. There is big appetite for innovation within high value as well as public fundraising.
About the role
As Senior Product Innovation Manager, you will:
- Create and implement a strategy and initiative for Product Innovation to cultivate new fundraising and commercial products, increasing both revenue and impact
- Crafting a fresh product innovation process and proactively introducing new products to the market
- Support the development of a culture of innovation across the teams actively sharing insight and building collaboration
- Develop a clear process to support innovation and NPD across the Directorate, including timelines and progress points
- Build relationships at Leadership team and Exec level to be able to support product innovation and achieve solutions
About you
Ideal skills and experience:
- Someone who has had a senior role within an innovation function at charity
- Product innovation experience from non-charity background is also of interest
- Strong project management skills
- Demonstratable experience of the testing cycle
- Experienced at running and managing Sprints to develop products at pace
- Able to engage a range of stakeholders
- Natural curiosity and can bring a sense of wonderment to the role
- A self-starter with confidence and gravitas to lead the innovation function
Employee Benefits
The Help for Heroes team are a group of authentic, energetic and supportive people taking on an extraordinary mission together. Emphasis is placed on collaborating, exploring new ideas and fresh perspectives. Help for Heroes are committed to creating a positive, flexible and enjoyable workplace that works for everyone – a place where everyone belongs and everyone thrives. They believe that a good work-life balance is key to personal wellbeing.
Employee benefits include:
- FLEXIBLE WORKING with employees encouraged to apply for flexible working arrangements that work best for their individual needs
- 35 HOUR WORKING WEEK with core hours of 10am-3pm
- FAMILY-FRIENDLY CULTURE including enhanced maternity, paternity and shared parental leave
- 29 DAYS HOLIDAY ENTITLEMENT regardless of length of service, plus a day off for your birthday, all in addition to eight days bank holiday
- PENSION WITH 4% EMPLOYER CONTRIBUTION with employees contributing 5% of their monthly salary. Employees are free to opt out of the pension if they prefer.
- COMPREHENSIVE LIFE INSURANCE on completion of induction, with cover of 4 x your salary to support your loved ones should the worst happen
- PAID VOLUNTEERING DAYS ‘do your bit days’ to provide the opportunity to take time away from their day-to-day role and volunteer in the community
- SIMPLYHEALTH EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAMME offering confidential and impartial advice on finances, family matters and health
