Director of Category Development Ophthalmic Lens

This is a senior leadership role responsible for defining the long-term vision for Specsavers' global ophthalmic lens category. You'll identify growth opportunities, shape the future portfolio and ensure customers continue to benefit from high-quality, market-leading lens solutions. Leading a global network of suppliers, partners and stakeholders, you'll build strategic relationships that foster innovation, strengthen resilience and create long-term value. Working across the business, you'll connect customer needs, clinical insight and operational capability to bring new products and category initiatives successfully to market.

What You'll Be Doing

• Define and deliver the global ophthalmic lens category strategy, shaping a long-term vision that drives growth, innovation and customer value.
• Develop and execute a multi-year category and portfolio roadmap aligned to business and regional priorities.
• Lead the evolution of the global lens portfolio, ensuring it remains relevant, competitive and aligned to customer and market needs.
• Drive innovation across lens technologies, materials, treatments, myopia management and emerging manufacturing solutions.
• Leverage customer, clinical and market insights to identify opportunities, inform investment decisions and deliver measurable outcomes.
• Develop and execute global supplier and sourcing strategies, balancing innovation, quality, resilience, value and security of supply.
• Build strategic partnerships with key suppliers and technology partners to drive innovation, performance and long‑term value creation.
• Lead strategic commercial discussions, supplier reviews and business case development to support future growth.
• Identify and manage supplier, technology and production risks, ensuring effective mitigation and contingency planning.
• Partner across Product Operations, Manufacturing & Distribution, Fulfilment, Demand Planning, S&OP, Clinical, Marketing and regional teams to translate strategy into successful execution.
• Establish governance, performance frameworks and decision‑making processes that support innovation, delivery and category growth.
• Build trusted relationships with senior stakeholders across the business, creating alignment and influencing strategic outcomes.
• Lead, coach and develop a high‑performing global team, fostering a culture of curiosity, innovation and continuous improvement.
• Own the category budget, ensuring investments deliver sustainable growth, customer value and commercial returns.
  Senior leadership experience within ophthalmic lenses, optical products, healthcare products, category development or a similarly complex global product environment.
• Deep understanding of ophthalmic lens products, technologies, manufacturing, supplier networks and market dynamics.
• Experience developing and delivering global category, portfolio, innovation or sourcing strategies across multiple markets.
• Strong commercial acumen, including strategic supplier management, negotiations, business case development and value creation.
• A proven track record of turning customer, clinical and market insights into strategic decisions and measurable business outcomes.
• Experience leading complex transformation and cross‑functional change programmes from strategy through to implementation.
• Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills, with the ability to align diverse global teams and functions.
• Strong strategic thinking and decision‑making capability, balancing innovation, risk, quality, customer impact and commercial performance.
• An inclusive leadership style with experience building and developing high‑performing, globally distributed teams.
• A curious, future‑focused mindset with the resilience to thrive in a fast‑moving, matrix organisation.
  At Specsavers, our purpose…