Innovation Strategy Manager

As Innovation Strategy Manager you will lead in helping Battersea learn, experiment and develop new solutions to drive forward our strategic priorities, keeping us relevant, future-focused and generating ever greater impact.

All work is delivered through creativity, collaboration within and outside of Battersea and a deep understanding of our target audiences, balancing ambition and pragmatism.

Why the role exists:

This is a rare opportunity to lead in helping Battersea learn, experiment and develop new solutions to positively impact the lives of cats, dogs, and their owners for years to come. You’ll bring strong strategic thinking, innovation expertise, service design, and leadership skills to an environment focused on meaningful social impact, working alongside a team of smart, compassionate, and experienced colleagues.

This role focuses on broad, organisation-wide innovation - spanning our services, operations, supporter offering, and income generation - with a clear focus on delivering outcomes for animals and the people who care for them. It is not a specialist digital or fundraising role; instead, it centres on identifying the right problems and shaping effective responses. While some initiatives will involve digital elements (and an understanding of this is useful), delivery is carried out by specialist teams both in-house and externally.

Success in this role means identifying high-impact opportunities, aligning stakeholders around them, and ensuring they are taken forward effectively - supporting pilots and implementation where appropriate.

What we can offer you:

In return for your commitment to our cause and to recognise the value of our employees, Battersea offers a range of benefits to support the wellbeing of our employees. These include:

• 28 days of annual leave (plus 8 days paid public holidays) per year.
• Discounted gym memberships and cycle to work schemes.
• Employee Assistance Programme and access to Wellbeing Resources.
• Generous pension contributions - up to 10% employer contribution.
• Free healthcare cash plan, where you can claim for a range of treatment including dental, optical, physiotherapy, chiropody and acupuncture every year.
• Annual interest-free season ticket loans.

Our hybrid working model:

We operate a 50% onsite hybrid working model, with our office-based staff splitting their time between site based and home working. This enables our office-based staff to balance the benefits of home working with onsite collaboration and maintaining a connection to our cause.

Diversity and inclusion:

We are committed to providing a welcoming and inclusive experience for all staff, volunteers and trustees and those hoping to join us. We operate an anonymised shortlisting process and actively seek to ensure our process is fair and equitable for all.

We understand the value of diverse voices, perspectives, and experiences to help us deliver even more for our dogs and cats, and we welcome applicants from all sections of the community.

As a Disability Confident Committed Employer

As a Disability Confident Committed Employer we will ask about any adjustments you may need at application and/or interview stage, and if you are offered a role with us, we’ll talk to you about any workplace adjustments you may need to help you perform at your best. If you would like to talk more about this, please contact or call us on . Greyscale copies of the recruitment pack are also available on request.

More about us:

At Battersea, we aim to never turn away a dog or cat in need of help. We give each one lots of love, expert care and get to know their characters and quirks so we can find them a new home that’s just right for them. Join us and help us be here for every dog and cat, wherever they are, for as long as they need us.

Acceptable use of AI:

At Battersea, we value expertise. We recognise each candidate that applies to us will have a range of expertise they can offer us, so we want to hear about this in your own words. We understand the support that generative artificial intelligence (AI) software can offer but it can also lead to numerous applications presenting as generic and impersonal. This makes it difficult to gain understanding of your unique experience.

To best showcase yourself, we encourage you to write your responses without the assistance of AI. If you require the use of AI software to aid in completing your application, we ask you use the generative responses as a prompt for writing your answers and avoid copying and pasting. You must also ensure the information presented in your application accurately reflects your experience.

Closing date: 22nd August 2026

All applications must be submitted before the closing date advertised. We reserve the right to close the vacancy early if a high volume of applications is received.

Interview date(s):

First Round (online): 30th September & 1st October 2026

Second Round (in-person): To be confirmed

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