At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead the Events Database initiative to combat fraud through collaboration and innovation.
- Company: Join Cifas, a leader in fraud prevention with a commitment to diversity and inclusion.
- Benefits: Enjoy remote work, generous leave, private healthcare, and personal growth opportunities.
- Other info: Be part of a dynamic team that values wellbeing and innovative contributions.
- Why this job: Make a real impact in fraud prevention while developing your career in a supportive environment.
- Qualifications: Experience in project delivery, stakeholder management, and strong communication skills are essential.
The predicted salary is between 60750 - 74250 £ per year.
Join Cifas at a pivotal moment as we develop the next generation of fraud prevention services. As an Innovation Solutions Lead, you will lead the Events Database initiative, bringing together industry partners to tackle first party fraud through data sharing, collaboration and innovation. This role combines product ownership, stakeholder engagement and delivery leadership to turn new ideas into trusted services that make a measurable impact across the UK fraud prevention landscape. This is a senior, delivery-focused product role for someone who can bring structure, pace and judgement to a strategically important new service. Success will be measured not simply by delivering a system, but by creating a sustainable product that organisations actively value, use and continue to support.
Key Responsibilities
- Acting as the senior business and product owner for the Events Database, defining priorities, making delivery trade-off decisions and ensuring the product delivers measurable value to participating organisations and to Cifas.
- Leading the development of the Events Database from proof of concept through to implementation, operational readiness, member adoption and ongoing product evolution.
- Defining, managing and prioritising the product roadmap, making clear recommendations on scope, sequencing, value, risk and future investment.
- Translating business, member and stakeholder requirements into clear product, operational, technical and governance requirements for delivery teams, ensuring they remain aligned to the overall proposition and intended outcomes.
- Working closely with the Project Manager to ensure delivery plans, dependencies, risks, resources and timescales remain aligned to agreed priorities.
- Coordinating and influencing activity across product, technology, legal, data protection, operations, member engagement and external stakeholder teams to support successful delivery and adoption.
- Building trusted relationships with participating organisations, using their feedback and operational insight to shape product decisions, strengthen the proposition and address real-world fraud prevention challenges.
- Supporting the design of the Events Database operating model, including data submission, validation, matching, filtering, reporting, member guidance and support processes.
- Ensuring legal, governance, data protection, security and compliance requirements are embedded throughout development and translated into practical, auditable operational controls.
- Leading proof of concept and pilot activities, ensuring learning is captured and incorporated into product development, future phases and service readiness.
- Leading member onboarding, adoption and engagement activities, developing trusted relationships with participating organisations and driving long-term participation, usage and advocacy.
- Monitoring product performance, adoption, stakeholder feedback, commercial value and emerging opportunities, identifying enhancements that improve impact, sustainability and long-term strategic value.
Skills, Knowledge and Expertise
To be successful in this role, it is essential for you to have:
- Proven experience delivering complex projects, products or services from concept through to implementation.
- Demonstrable experience coordinating activity across multiple teams and stakeholders to achieve agreed outcomes.
- Experience gathering, analysing and translating stakeholder requirements into clear and actionable delivery requirements.
- Strong planning, organisational and prioritisation skills, with the ability to manage multiple workstreams simultaneously.
- Experience identifying, managing and mitigating risks, issues and dependencies.
- Strong stakeholder management skills, with the ability to build effective relationships, challenge constructively and influence outcomes.
- Experience working with external organisations, customers, partners or industry stakeholders.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to communicate clearly with technical and non-technical audiences.
- Experience developing and implementing new processes, services, products or operational approaches.
- Experience working collaboratively across technical, operational, governance and business teams.
- Strong problem-solving skills with the ability to make sound decisions and maintain momentum in a fast-paced and evolving environment.
- A proactive, self-motivated approach with a willingness to take ownership and get stuck into delivery challenges.
And it would also be desirable for you to have:
- Experience delivering proof of concepts, pilots, product launches or new service introductions.
- Experience working within fraud prevention, financial crime, retail, intelligence, risk management or related sectors.
- Experience developing or supporting data sharing initiatives, industry collaborations or membership-based services.
- Experience working with retailers or large multi-stakeholder environments.
- Experience supporting product development, roadmap planning or service improvement activities.
- Experience using Agile, Waterfall or hybrid delivery methodologies.
- An understanding of data matching, analytics, reporting solutions or information-based services.
Benefits
In return for helping us take the fight to fraud, all our employees receive an impressive benefit package, which includes:
- Remote working with approximately 2 days a month in the London office, although there will be a requirement to attend conventions, forums and events.
- Generous annual leave, plus bank holidays.
- Private healthcare.
- Excellent pension package through salary sacrifice.
- Personal and professional growth.
- Employee wellbeing – Wellbeing breaks, wellbeing hub access including exercise programmes, meditation guides, sleep stories and yoga.
We have introduced agile ways of working, allowing teams to decide how best they work, while ensuring regular opportunities to collaborate and innovate. We create an environment to help you to unleash your potential and perform the most rewarding work of your career, whilst keeping your wellbeing at the foremost with initiatives in place to promote the wellness of our people. We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive culture and have dedicated inclusion champions across the business to celebrate and promote our uniqueness. We also have a dedicated team of volunteers looking for innovative ways to give back as part of our commitments under our Corporate Social Responsibility. Since 2021, we have been recognised in the Best Companies listings, and again in 2026 have been awarded 2 stars for outstanding levels of engagement. We have also been awarded the Investors in People Gold accreditation.
If you are passionate about our purpose and would like an opportunity to make a valuable contribution to fraud prevention, we would like to hear from you.
Innovation Solutions Lead - 12 month FTC in London employer: Cifas
Cifas is an exceptional employer that prioritises employee wellbeing and professional growth, offering a generous benefits package including private healthcare, a robust pension scheme, and flexible remote working arrangements. With a strong commitment to diversity and inclusion, Cifas fosters a collaborative work culture where employees can thrive and contribute meaningfully to the fight against fraud, all while enjoying a supportive environment that encourages innovation and personal development.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Innovation Solutions Lead - 12 month FTC in London
✨Leverage Innovation Hubs
Tap into local innovation hubs and research centres. These places often host events and workshops where you can meet like-minded people and industry leaders. Plus, they might have job openings that aren't widely advertised, so keep your ears open!
✨Showcase Your Projects
Turn your past innovation projects into compelling stories. Create a portfolio showcasing your creativity and problem-solving skills. This can give hiring managers a real flavour of what you can bring to the table at companies like Cifas.
✨Connect at Industry Conferences
Make it a point to attend industry conferences and seminars focused on R&D and innovation management. These events are fantastic for networking and often have job boards or career fairs where you can connect directly with firms looking for talent.
✨Use Your University’s Resources
If you're fresh out of university, don't forget to tap into your institution's career services. They often have exclusive partnerships with companies seeking new talent in R&D, especially for full-time roles. It's a good shortcut to landing a gig at places like Cifas.
We think you need these skills to ace Innovation Solutions Lead - 12 month FTC in London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Showcase Your Creative Thinking:In innovation and R&D management, it's all about thinking outside the box. Make sure your CV highlights any projects or experiences that showcase your creative problem-solving skills. Use specific examples to illustrate how you've developed and implemented innovative ideas in previous roles.
Tailor Your Experience to R&D:When you're crafting your CV, focus on your experience in research and development. Highlight any relevant projects you've worked on, including methodologies used and results achieved. This will show us at Cifas that you understand the R&D process and can contribute meaningfully to our projects.
Let Your Passion Shine in the Cover Letter:For a full-time role like this, your cover letter should reflect your genuine passion for innovation and development. Share your excitement about the opportunity to work at Cifas and touch on how your goals align with our mission. This helps us see your motivation for wanting to join our team!
Quantify Your Achievements:Numbers speak volumes in R&D! Whenever possible, quantify your achievements in your CV. Whether it’s a percentage improvement in project outcomes, the budget size you’ve managed, or the number of successful products you've launched, these figures will help paint a clearer picture of your impact and capabilities.
How to prepare for a job interview at Cifas
✨Show Off Your Innovative Thinking
In an Innovation R&D Management role at Cifas, they're going to want to see how you approach problem-solving. Be ready to discuss previous projects where you introduced a new idea or process. Highlight your ability to think outside the box and provide examples where your innovations drove significant results.
✨Familiarity with Tools and Technologies
Make sure you're clued up on the latest tools and technologies related to innovation management, such as project management software and data analysis platforms. Being able to discuss specific tools you’ve used or have experience with will show Cifas that you’re ready to hit the ground running.
✨Demonstrate Collaboration Skills
Since this is a full-time gig, emphasising your teamwork skills will be essential. In innovation, collaboration often sparks the best ideas, so be ready to talk about how you've worked effectively within cross-functional teams in your past roles. Have concrete examples at the ready!
✨Prepare for Scenario-Based Questions
Expect some scenario-based questions in your interview that reflect real challenges you might face in the role. £At Cifas, they might want to see how you handle tight deadlines or manage conflicting ideas within a team. Prepare some responses that demonstrate your critical thinking and decisiveness in high-pressure situations.
