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Manpower are currently seeking an interim Head of Skin (Beauty & Wellness Prospective Innovation), to work with our global FMCG client Unilever, renowned for brands such as Dove, Sure, Persil, and Simple, to become an integral part of their fast-paced FMCG environment.
The position is based at Blackfriars on London’s Victoria Embankment, just a short walk from Blackfriars tube. This is a full-time temporary role to last until the end of October 2025, requiring 36.25 hours per week, Monday to Friday. Compensation for this role is competitive, paying up to £88,000 per annum, pro rata, depending upon experience.
The role currently offers a mix of remote and onsite working, subject to adjustment based on business requirements.
Due to the urgency of the role, candidates must be available immediately/have no notice period.
Unilever’s newly established Beauty & Wellness (B&W) Prospective Innovation & Sustainable Department is looking for a passionate beauty enthusiast to join our pioneering team and be at the forefront of global beauty innovation.
This multi-disciplinary team is dedicated to crafting and creating sustainable, innovative solutions from inception to execution. Through experimentation, iteration, and deep transformation, we aim to elevate B&W brands by unlocking their purpose, science, and consumer desire to new heights and establishing a new ecosystem of groundbreaking ideas. Our mission is to curate innovations based on strategic B&W priorities and growth spaces with the potential to define the future of beauty. We craft with consumer at the heart: from defining the Trends to landing these as turn-key innovation ideas across our brands globally.
Responsibilities
- Reporting to the Marketing Director – Skincare, you will be expected to set the direction for the Big Bold Moves (BBMs) for our Skincare brands, creating multi-year branded platforms that will set the leadership of UL B&W on disruptive trends at speed & at scale.
- Shape the Strategy & Future of Our Core Business: Support the Skin Care Brand Partner & Design Lead by feeding into the growth opportunities, to ensure these help our brands drive their strategy at scale & lead these into brand innovation roadmaps & projects.
- Refine Beauty Craftsmanship & Storytelling via Science and Desire: Deliver through your team by seamlessly blending scientific & aesthetics/semiotics insights with consumer desires & deep brand understanding, honing your craft in beauty storytelling to help our products stand out in the market.
- Deliver innovation projects under the BBMs: Use agile approach to deliver innovation aligned with future market opportunities / future consumer needs. Lead multi-functional project teams (Mkg, CMI, R&D, SC, Finance, Regs, Legal), partnering closely with BGs & Business Unit teams to execute and bring innovations to market across the full marketing mix.
- Own budget, recommend investment required for assigned brand category activities
- Team management: Lead a team of 3 (1x Marketing Manager, 2x Marketing Assistant Managers)
- The scope of this role is global, which means that you will be partnering with both Global & local teams in our top BUs and markets (e.g. US, UK, India…) & have the opportunity to gain a deep understanding of different consumer trends and unique market dynamics globally.
Key Requirements
- Integrated Marketing Expertise: Proven experience in brand development with a focus on delivering bottom-line results.
- Innovation Leadership: Previous experience in a Global/Regional Innovation role is essential, with a strong understanding of the Skin Care category.
- Project Leadership: Demonstrated ability to lead and deliver complex projects with multiple stakeholders. Ideally – ability to drive innovation at portfolio level
- Strategic & fact-informed thinking: Ability to build & assess strategic ambition, and connect the dots between trends & brands strategy with good instinctive judgement to focus on the biggest opportunities. Able to filter relevant feedback while keeping a global mindset.
- Entrepreneurial Drive, with high stakeholder influencing know-how: You are a proactive, accountable doer with the determination & agility to make things happen, forging strong working relationships with senior stakeholders, cross-functional partners and agencies, eager to learn, resilient & apt at finding solutions where others see blockers. Maintain an outward focus, building strong partnerships.
- Diverse Experience: Experience in both smaller, growth-stage companies and larger, established businesses.
- Effective Communication: Communicate clearly and persuasively, tailoring your approach to different audiences
- Storytelling & Communication: Articulate ideas compellingly across various media, from websites to social platforms
- Financial Savvy: Strong awareness of financial metrics, with experience leading P&Ls and driving business performance across levers.
- Consumer-Centric: Strong bias towards understanding and prioritizing consumer needs.
- Aesthetic Excellence: You have a keen eye for detail, a strong sense of aesthetics, and take pride in delivering high-quality work—never settling for "good enough."
- Learning Orientation: Willingness to listen, learn, and incorporate expertise from others.
- Resilience & managing ambiguity: Maintain effectiveness & ability to deliver when managing uncertainty and volatility with a can-do attitude.
- Collaborative Team Player: Thrive in team settings, contributing to collective success without being territorial.
- Organizational Excellence: Push boundaries, stay focused, and know when to move forward without getting bogged down in unnecessary details.
- Passion for Skincare and Beauty Trends: You are naturally curious, always on the lookout for the latest beauty trends, with a particular personal passion & curiosity for Skincare brands and how they engage with their audiences.
- Educational Background: A university degree or equivalent professional qualification is preferred.
Additional Information
Blackfriars working environment:
- Iconic location on the Victoria embankment, modern working environment
- Short walk from Blackfriars station
- Staff shop discounted products
- Free tea & coffee facilities
- Onsite Deli and a restaurant open for breakfast and lunch
- Gym is available for use subscription required.
