Innovation Manager; R&D Cambridgeshire

Potter & Moore is one of the UK's leading beauty and personal care innovators, combining brand ownership, product development expertise and large-scale manufacturing capabilities.

Operating from manufacturing sites in Peterborough and Tiverton, we develop and manufacture over 44 million units annually across skincare, haircare, personal care, wellbeing and baby care categories. Our products are supplied through a diverse business model encompassing owned brands, private label partnerships and contract manufacturing for some of the UK's most recognised retailers and beauty brands.

Our portfolio includes brands such as Emma Hardie, Feather & Down, The Curl Company and Balance Active Formula, alongside long-standing partnerships with major retail customers across the UK and international markets.

Innovation sits at the heart of our growth strategy. We continuously explore emerging consumer trends, ingredient technologies, product formats and sustainability solutions to create products that excite consumers and deliver value for our customers.

As we continue to grow, we are investing in our innovation capabilities and are looking for an experienced Innovation Manager to help shape the future pipeline of products, technologies and customer opportunities across both our Brand and Private Label businesses.

This is a highly visible role offering the opportunity to influence business strategy, work directly with leading retailers and brand partners, and drive the commercialisation of new ideas from concept through to market launch.

We are seeking a commercially focused Innovation Manager to identify, develop and commercialise future product opportunities across our Brand and Private Label businesses. This role sits at the intersection of consumer trends, customer needs, technical innovation and commercial growth. The successful candidate will be responsible for identifying emerging opportunities, translating them into commercial product concepts and working cross-functionally to bring them to market.

The role will be highly customer-facing, acting as an innovation ambassador for Potter & Moore, presenting trends, technologies and product concepts to both existing and prospective customers. They will work closely with Commercial, Brand, R&D, Procurement and Supply Chain teams to ensure opportunities are technically feasible, commercially viable and aligned with business strategy. Whilst not a laboratory‑based role, a strong understanding of cosmetic chemistry, formulation technologies, ingredients and the global supply base is essential.

The Innovation Manager will lead innovation strategy and concept development, supported by an Innovation Chemist who will report directly into the role. The successful candidate will combine horizon scanning, technical understanding and commercial acumen to build a robust innovation pipeline that drives customer engagement, category growth and new business opportunities.

• Develop and own the innovation pipeline.
• Conduct global trend analysis, horizon scanning and market intelligence to identify future growth opportunities.
• Translate emerging trends, technologies and consumer insights into commercially viable product concepts.
• Lead the commercialisation of innovation projects from concept through to launch.
• Act as a customer‑facing innovation expert, presenting concepts, technologies and category opportunities to customers and prospects.
• Partner with Commercial teams to support customer growth, retention and new business acquisition.
• Build strong relationships with suppliers to identify emerging ingredients, technologies, formats and sustainability opportunities.
• Ensure innovation activities align with business strategy, customer requirements and category growth ambitions.
• Manage and develop the Innovation Chemist, ensuring strong technical support for innovation projects.

• Lead global trend analysis, horizon scanning and market monitoring across beauty, personal care, wellbeing and adjacent categories.
• Identify emerging consumer behaviours, technologies, ingredients and formats with commercial…