Innovation Manager

Role Summary

• Responsibilities : By stepping into Costello Medical's first Innovation Manager role, you will be responsible for spearheading the development of the company's digital innovation strategy, as well as driving a company-wide culture of creativity and idea generation, ensuring alignment with overall business goals
• Salary : £60,000 to £65,000 per annum, with uncapped discretionary bonuses based on company performance paid twice per year
• Benefits : Discretionary profit share bonuses (uncapped, based on company financial performance), hybrid working options that allow you to work from home up to 50% of your time after passing probation, generous holiday allowance, flexible working hours, employer pension contributions, comprehensive travel insurance, private medical insurance, critical illness cover, income protection, full funding for external training, interest-free travel loan scheme, discounted gym memberships, and more
• Role Type : Full-time, permanent
• Start Date : We are currently recruiting for start dates in early 2025, including February and March, and you will be asked to state your availability on your application form
• Location : This role is available in our Global Headquarters in Cambridge , as well as our London office

About the Role

In 2021, Costello Medical launched its own in-house Technical Innovation and Development (TechDev) division, dedicated to creating and developing innovative products and services that deliver exceptional value to our clients and enrich the services our workforce is able to offer. Blending the power of software development, automation, and research, the TechDev team drives the application of technology, improving the customer experience, streamlining client project outcomes and enhancing efficiencies in professional service delivery across the company.

Due to the company's continued growth, as well as our commitment to modernising our services and proactively competing in the market, we are excited to introduce our very first Innovation Manager role. This pivotal role will not only spearhead the advancement of our digital innovation strategy, but also drive a culture of innovation across the entire workforce. As a focal leader, the Innovation Manager will play a key role in encouraging company-wide creativity and idea generation, embedding sustained innovative practices, and thus ensuring we continue to deliver the best possible service to our clients.

By collaborating closely with internal project teams and external clients, as well as conducting effective market research and competitor analysis, you will help to identify novel technical solutions and support the entire software development lifecycle; this will include ideation and feasibility assessment, product rollout, commercialisation, adoption, and evaluation. Keeping abreast of the latest industry trends, you will ensure all products developed in-house are among the most effective and cutting-edge on the market.

Key responsibilities will include:

• Leading Digital Innovation Strategy : Spearheading the development of the company's digital innovation strategy, in partnership with company leadership, ensuring alignment with overall business goals. This will include engaging with clients, understanding their needs, and maintaining awareness of the competitor landscape
• Fostering an Innovative Culture : Collaborating with the Leadership Team to establish incentives, organisational designs, and capabilities that nurture innovation across all divisions. This will include providing constructive challenge to enhance company-wide creativity and idea generation
• Guiding Product Commercialisation : Oversee the lifecycle of internal software development, acting as an expert advisor to product owners, from ideation and feasibility assessment through to development, rollout, and continued product maturity
• Promoting and Commercialising Products : Leading external promotion and commercialisation strategies, incorporating insights from key stakeholders
• Driving Technology Adoption:

1. Supporting product owners in delivering the strategic direction of the software, communicating key strategies to relevant stakeholders, and ensuring a cohesive approach
2. Evaluating product adoption to determine if business requirements are met, collaborating with the TechDev team to establish suitable metrics for assessment
3. Encouraging product usage across relevant teams and identifying where process or tool changes may offer benefits

• Establishing KPIs : Developing KPIs for company-wide involvement in innovation activities, reporting your findings and recommending actions to company leadership to ensure all teams are accountable for idea generation and sharing
• Prioritising Requests and Solutions : Working with the Leadership Team and TechDev to prioritise company requests and seek alternative solutions when necessary
• Staying Ahead of Industry Trends : Keeping informed about innovative solutions and products across the sector to support product ideation, prioritisation, and adoption

Hybrid Working Policy: We recognise that home-working can improve work life balance, reduce commuting times and costs, and provide the opportunity to juggle personal commitments. At the same time, we believe that having face-to-face time in the office holds many benefits and is central to ensuring that the community we have created, where people have a workplace they belong to and feel part of, is never lost.

Therefore, we offer flexible working arrangements that allow our colleagues who have passed probation to work from home for up to half of the time, measured across a 2-week rolling period. During your probationary period (normally the first 6 months of the role) you will be able to work from home for 1 day per week.

Career Profile

We offer many opportunities for personal and professional development at Costello Medical. Please click below to read first-hand accounts from our colleagues about their time with the company: https://www.costellomedical.com/careers/working-at-costello-medical/

Requirements

About You

We are looking for an ambitious and proactive leader who thrives on embracing new challenges and fostering a culture of innovation across our global services. With an entrepreneurial mindset, a strong aptitude for technical innovation, and an unwavering commitment to upholding the highest standards of quality, you will demonstrate a genuine passion for delivering exceptional service to clients and internal colleagues, even in a demanding and fast-paced environment. You will be committed to inspiring change and improvement, challenging yourself and others to think differently, and embracing innovative solutions.

The successful candidate will have a strong business sense to drive the expansion of our technical capabilities, fostering a working environment that encourages innovation and continuous improvement. You will also be highly collaborative, demonstrating effective communication skills that enable you to nurture a forward-thinking mindset across the company.

Essential requirements for the role are:

• A degree-level or higher qualification (minimum 2.1 or equivalent) in a relevant field, including but not limited to; business management, life sciences, software engineering, computer science, and more
• A minimum of 5 years' professional experience, including at least 2 years working with Software Development/Engineering teams in roles such as Product Manager, Business Analyst, Technical Program Manager, or similar
• Expertise in developing and executing complex technical strategies, along with a comprehensive understanding of the software development lifecycle
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with experience in client engagement, sales, marketing, market research, and driving brand awareness
• The ability to connect with colleagues at all levels and encourage positive change across an organisation
• The ability to deliver high-quality outputs and exceptional customer service under multiple competing demands
• A demonstrated entrepreneurial spirit and strong business acumen, with the ability to make informed decisions based on financial data and other information
• The proactivity and desire to stay informed about key ...