Innovation Manager - Built and Natural Environment in London

Innovation Manager - Built and Natural Environment in London

London Full-Time 63000 - 77000 £ / year (est.) No working from home possible
F

At a Glance

  • Tasks: Drive innovative change in the Built and Natural Environment Division at Freeths.
  • Company: Join Freeths, a forward-thinking firm focused on innovation and collaboration.
  • Benefits: Be part of a diverse team with opportunities for professional growth and impact.
  • Other info: Embrace a dynamic role that values collaboration and operational excellence.
  • Why this job: Shape the future of legal services through cutting-edge technology and innovative practices.
  • Qualifications: Minimum 3 PQE in Real Estate and experience in implementing improvements.

The predicted salary is between 63000 - 77000 £ per year.

This role provides an exciting opportunity to drive outcome-oriented innovation within Freeths’ Built and Natural Environment Division (“BNE”). The successful candidate will combine relevant technical legal expertise with a detail-and process-oriented mindset, and a willingness to challenge conventional thinking.

This is a new role and an important enabler in the next phase of Freeths’ innovation and AI strategy. It follows a period of building out firmwide foundations, structures, and capabilities (people, process, technology), creating a platform for this role to drive innovation within BNE through new and improved service offerings, case studies, and proof points.

Though not exclusively focussed on Generative AI, a key measure of success for this role will be the successful adoption by the Division of AI and other technology tools and solutions that fundamentally transform the way we deliver legal services.

Key Responsibilities
  • Innovation Network Management: Responsible for convening, managing, and driving impact from Divisional Innovation Champions, including relevant Working Groups and Change Agent networks; and participation in relevant innovation events, workshops, etc.
  • Idea Management: Evaluate ideas and opportunities, undertaking root cause analysis and robust requirements gathering, assessing for strong alignment to both firmwide and Divisional objectives, as well as identifying how success can be tracked and measured. Undertaking thoughtful and robust requirements gathering, and ensuring operational commitment from all stakeholders, and allowing for effective prioritisation and follow-through.
  • Project Delivery: Own the end-to-end lifecycle of approved ideas, from initial conception through to measurable impact and delivery, with robust stakeholder management. Keen focus on scope control and clarity/momentum of progress.
  • Success Reporting: Monitoring progress and reporting on key innovation metrics, ensuring transparency and accountability for delivering strong outcomes. This will combine adoption, ROI, and other measures, alongside preparation of Case Studies and other proof points of value.
  • Central Team Collaboration: Collaborating with colleagues in Knowledge Management, and Central and other Divisionally-aligned Innovation roles, to ensure a coordinated, balanced pipeline of opportunities and prioritisation of resource. Assisting Central Innovation (Legal Design and Legal Engineering) with initiatives to (re)design, document, and build against Agreed Best Practice. Working in collaboration with Head of Legal AI to ensure successful implementation and adoption of GenAI tools and solutions, from prompting templates and workflow design to Agentic solutions.
  • Cross-Functional Collaboration: Collaborate with other relevant stakeholders in Business Support roles, to share best practices and drive cross-functional innovation through collaboration and process alignment. In particular, close collaboration with IT (AppDev), feeding ideas/ feedback from the Division vis-à-vis platforms and tools outside the direct remit/ Business Ownership of the KM&I team.
Qualifications
  • Minimum 3 PQE in Real Estate
  • Track record of identifying and effectively implementing improvements into practice.
  • A strong grasp of GenAI and its applicable capabilities/potentials, with some practical experience in harnessing for value.
Personal Attributes
  • Proactive and results-oriented.
  • Adaptable and comfortable managing change and ambiguity.
  • Highly collaborative with strong interpersonal skills.
  • High attention to detail and organisational skills.

This is an opportunity to shape the future of innovation at Freeths. If you want to be at the forefront in driving impact and change in our industry, and place a high value on driving operational excellence, we would strongly encourage you to apply for this role.

Smart. Bold. Together. We Are Freeths. Become part of the team at Freeths. Do we sound like a match? If you’re someone who cares deeply, communicates openly and collaborates effectively, then we’d love to have you join our diverse, inclusive team.

Innovation Manager - Built and Natural Environment in London employer: Freeths

Join our dynamic team in Bristol, where we prioritise a flexible work culture that empowers our employees to thrive both personally and professionally. As an Administrator in our Legal Department, you'll benefit from a collaborative environment that values your input and fosters growth through continuous learning opportunities. With a commitment to mutual respect and open communication, we ensure that every team member feels valued and supported in their role.

F

Contact Details:

Freeths Recruitment Team

StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫

We think this is how you could land Innovation Manager - Built and Natural Environment 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 Freeths.

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 Freeths.

We think you need these skills to ace Innovation Manager - Built and Natural Environment in London

Technical Legal Expertise
Detail-Oriented Mindset
Innovation Management
Root Cause Analysis
Requirements Gathering
Stakeholder Management
Project Delivery

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 Freeths 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 Freeths 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 Freeths

Show Off Your Innovative Thinking

In an Innovation R&D Management role at Freeths, 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 Freeths 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 Freeths, 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.