Group Innovation Director

Purpose

This is a critical role within Rentokil Initial with overall responsibility for leading Pest Category Innovation across the global business. Sitting within the group function of Marketing & Innovation and reporting into the Chief Marketing, Innovation & Strategy Officer, this multi-faceted global leadership role owns the development of the group’s Science, Innovation and Vector Management strategy, with a seat and active role on both the Pest Control Category board and the Innovating For the Future board. This role also carries functional responsibility for the development of the Marketing & Innovation SHE agenda with responsibility to ensure all colleagues go home safely.

Although based in our Corporate Head Office in Camberley, you will be expected to regularly travel to The Power Centre in Crawley where the Pest Control Science Team are based. For this global role, flexibility is also essential with regular overseas travel. As a senior role, this will also require work outside of ‘normal’ office hours to meet the various timezones that we operate in and will include occasional weekend travel in order to meet the requirements of the business.

Duties & Responsibilities

General

• Act as a key member of the Marketing & Innovation Leadership Team
• Contribute fully to the evolution of the impact, quality, and value from M&I’s overall scope of work, and its benefit to the business
• Act as the group senior spokesperson on Innovation at major external events – including Investor & Analyst days, and key global platforms such as the Global Food Safety Initiative Conference
• Act as Line Manager for the Innovation, Science and Vector Management Teams
• Fully develop the next tier of leaders from within these teams, with clear development and succession plans for the high potential, high performers
• Own the budget planning process, total spend, and the return on investment from the Innovation budget
• Play an active leadership role on both the Pest Control Category board and the Innovating For the Future board
• Visit existing / potential customers and support with customer presentations as requested by both the regional business units and Global Accounts
• Lead the Marketing & Innovation function SHE agenda with responsibility to ensure all colleagues go home safely
• Collaborate with Group SHE to ensure the Functional SHE agenda is aligned
• Report to the M&I Leadership team on functional SHE progress
• Engage the function with novel ways to deliver the SHE agenda including the updating of existing courses and creation of new content
• Act as editor for the Functional SHE publication ‘Compliance Corner’

Innovation

• Lead the group strategy for Pest Innovation
• Lead and nurture a strong innovation culture across the business
• Ensure a continuous flow of market-leading innovations through the pipeline; from investigations, feasibility, and validation through to project sign-off stage
• Keep all new projects in line with the company’s strategic priorities, enhancing RI’s brand and reputation as a leader in innovation
• Remain both open-minded to explore and trial new ideas and concepts, whilst at the same time being constantly mindful of the needs of our customers, internal proposition gaps, and potential size and scale of commercial returns
• Lead net revenue generation growth to the group through new product and service propositions that contribute to the organisation’s bottom line
• Invest time to build and maintain a best-in-class network of contacts, inventors and innovators, nurture existing strategic partnerships, and seek to establish new partnerships related to the innovation needs domestically and globally
• Work seamlessly with other departments to ensure all innovation developments align directly with the Category Strategy thinking and the Product Development and Digital Innovation teams operations
• Work collaboratively with and in support of frontline market needs and other innovation-focused regional market colleagues
• Ensure all Innovation programs are managed within goals, timelines and budgets through regular monitoring and reports to the CMI&SO, functional Finance business partner, PMO, and the M&I Leadership Team
• Maintain extensive knowledge of pest management market conditions and monitor R&D activity in other organizations to spot trends in innovation
• Define and apply an agile innovation methodology process to all program projects and provide the leadership skills necessary to drive them to successful completion
• Ruthlessly evaluate project return by either protecting, guiding and steering products at pace through proof of concept stage or being bold when needed and killing them
• Continue to evolve the impact and return to the business of The Power Centre as our global flagship innovation centre

SHE

• Lead the Marketing & Innovation function SHE agenda with responsibility to ensure all colleagues go home safely
• Collaborate with Group SHE to ensure the Functional SHE agenda is aligned
• Report to the M&I Leadership team on functional SHE progress
• Engage the function with novel ways to deliver the SHE agenda including the updating of existing courses and creation of new content
• Act as editor for the Functional SHE publication ‘Compliance Corner’

Science

• Lead the science agenda for the Pest Control Category making the function relevant to the business and continue to develop the scope of work
• Ensure all livestock is kept and used in accordance with legislation
• Ensure all relevant permits to enable full operation are gained and maintained including Home Office licences
• Provide insect and vertebrate samples for Rentokil businesses
• Act as Editor for the company wide publication ‘Non-tox”, ensuring it is relevant and engaging for colleagues around the world

Key Interactions

• Chief Marketing, Innovation & Strategy Officer
• CEO and Executive Leadership Team
• Senior Leadership Forum
• Marketing & Innovation Leadership Team
• Country Managers and other key regional technical, operations and marketing leads

Requirements:

Required Skills, Knowledge & Abilities

• Knowledge of the Pest Industry from front line operations through to customer delivery or demonstrable background in innovation leadership within a relatable services business
• An innovative and progressive, entrepreneurial nature with a proven track record of delivering disruptive innovation in the pest industry or similar service industries
• Self-motivated with ability to work well independently as well as part of a team
• Ability to see and communicate future trends to help steer strategic direction and pioneer with market-leading innovations
• Ability to effectively connect, engage, collaborate and drive ideas and action around the future vision
• Product development / hardware experience
• IOT / Connected product development experience
• A natural and strong leader with gravitas and immediate credibility, excellent verbal and written communications skills and a collaborative, thoughtful, persuasive personal style demonstrating confidence that moves others to action
• Strong, proven team leadership and team building skills to motivate and support staff and encourage creative thinking and an innovative culture
• A relaxed and natural presenter, with an authoritative yet charismatic and engaging style
• Ability to build and bridge relationships, both internally and externally
• Ability to remain resilient and always be clear on prioritisation and focus for innovation projects even in the face of alternative challenges
• Extensive program / project management skills and creative problem solving skills
• Ability to thrive in a demanding, fast-paced environment and ability to track and effectively manage significant workload and conflicting / ambiguous demands, tasks and priorities with a high degree of productivity and follow-through
• Consistently solution-oriented with full accountability for delivery and results
• Reliably able to exhibit sound investment and commercial judgment and discretion
• Experience in international business and business-related experience in a cross-cultural environment
• Ability to develop and manage budgets and lead and direct others with this responsibility
• A scientific background qualified to degree level in biology or other related science subject or demonstrable experience of working with Technical experts would be beneficial