Head of R&D Product Delivery and Deployment

Head of R&D Product Delivery and Deployment

Full-Time 80000 - 100000 £ / year (est.) No working from home possible
Haleon

At a Glance

  • Tasks: Lead innovative R&D projects and drive technology delivery across multiple product lines.
  • Company: Join Haleon, a purpose-driven consumer health company with a trusted brand portfolio.
  • Benefits: Enjoy competitive salary, health benefits, and opportunities for professional growth.
  • Other info: Be part of a dynamic team with excellent career advancement opportunities.
  • Why this job: Make a real impact in everyday health while working with cutting-edge technology.
  • Qualifications: Deep expertise in R&D, innovation, and regulatory compliance required.

The predicted salary is between 80000 - 100000 £ per year.

Welcome to Haleon. We’re a purpose-driven, world-class consumer company putting everyday health in the hands of millions. In just three years since our launch, we’ve grown, evolved and are now entering an exciting new chapter – one filled with bold ambitions and enormous opportunity.

Our trusted portfolio of brands – including Sensodyne, Panadol, Advil, Voltaren, Theraflu, Otrivin, and Centrum – lead in resilient and growing categories. What sets us apart is our unique blend of deep human understanding and trusted science.

Now it’s time to fully realise the full potential of our business and our people. We do this through our Win as One strategy. It puts our purpose – to deliver better everyday health with humanity – at the heart of everything we do. It unites us, inspires us, and challenges us to be better every day, driven by our agile, performance-focused culture.

About the role

Haleon’s Innovation Transformation, combined with site modernization and the run portfolio, represents a major long‐term investment exceeding £50M, with projected annualized benefits of over £100M. The scale and complexity of this transformation demand a highly coordinated, multi‐year delivery engine.

Reporting to the Head of R&D Tech, this senior leadership role is accountable for the end‐to‐end orchestration of technology delivery across all R&D product pillars. Acting as the central control tower for the Innovation value pool, the role integrates all HDS initiatives—managing risks, dependencies, sequencing, execution, value realization, and service‐transition coherence. It ensures enterprise strategy is translated into a unified delivery plan that lands effectively with the business, emphasizing change leadership, adoption, readiness, and seamless transition to Level 2 support.

Success requires deep expertise in R&D, innovation, GxP, and regulatory expectations to guide delivery decisions with scientific and compliance rigor. The role owns the integrated delivery engine for R&D Tech, consolidating value, KPIs, risks, and timelines into a single leadership lens. It partners closely with the D&T Portfolio and Performance team to maintain an always‐integrated, enterprise‐wide HDS plan. GxP, validation, and audit knowledge are leveraged to shape delivery approaches and ensure full compliance across the lifecycle.

Role Responsibilities

  • Strategic Stakeholder Influence and governance: This role involves actively engaging with senior leaders globally, including members of the executive team, RDLT members, Global and OU categories and D&T Senior Leaders to drive strategic orchestration of digital delivery for R&D and innovation value pool. Represent R&D Tech in senior governance bodies, including the Haleon Digital Strategy PMO, Transformation Office, R&D Wired for Excellence forums, and global D&T governance committees. Ensure high‐quality reporting, decision support, and escalation management across the portfolio.
  • Strategic Digital R&D Delivery Leadership: Translate R&D and Digital strategies into integrated, actionable delivery plans with clear outcomes, dependencies, and value measures. Lead end‐to‐end delivery orchestration across multiple product lines and programs, ensuring alignment with business priorities and enterprise transformation journeys. Own the refreshing and continuous optimization of the R&D Tech delivery roadmap. Integrate delivery across all R&D product pillars, providing orchestration, dependency management, and execution alignment, acting as Value Pool control tower overseeing cross‐portfolio risks, issues, sequencing challenges, and decision enablement.
  • Innovation and R&D acumen, Business Process Transformation, digitization, Technology consulting, and Value Realization: The role requires partnership with Global R&D, QSC, and marketing Leaders to undertake significant transformation of end to end innovation business processes and value realization via digital, data and AI enabled use cases in the long run commercial processes to the conclusion of value realization in the long run. The role holder should be a credible influence in this area, with deep R&D and innovation experience to ensure industry’s best practices and outside-in-depth perspective are constantly scanned and applied. Partnering with Senior product owners, configuration experts, architects and third-party providers, role ensures technology, vendor and delivery choices are made in line with D&T Strategy and there is a balance and understanding of tradeoffs between cost, quality and pace.
  • Matrix Team Leadership and contract ecosystem management: The role will be one of the key accountable senior leaders within the cross functional innovation ecosystem leadership team having direct and indirect oversight of 100s of resources jointly working on delivering Innovation value pool’s defined scope. The role will need to provide strong leadership and guidance to cross-functional teams to create a high-performance culture and takes ownership of critical decisions and provides clear direction, actively leading problem-solving discussions across boundaries. Lead vendor negotiations, matrixed resourcing, and contract management across a multi‐partner ecosystem.
  • Operational: Ensures incorporation of data literacy thought leadership, change management principles, business readiness, training, and adoption activities to ensure new capabilities land successfully within the business. Ensure smooth transition of capabilities into Level 2 support with clear ownership, SLAs, and stabilization tracking.

Why you?

Basic Qualifications:

  • Technical Product & Domain Expertise: Deep domain expertise in delivering innovation and R&D programs in validated environment, including broad knowledgebase of R&D application landscape including Veeva Vault (Clinical, Regulatory, Safety) across configuration, data models, workflows, Formulations, and integrations. Strong understanding of Accolade and comparable PPM platforms. Broad knowledge of Clinical, Regulatory, Safety, and Research Lab processes within consumer health and life sciences. Skilled in integration technologies, APIs, middleware, master data, and enterprise data flows. Solid grounding in GxP, CSV, data integrity, and regulatory compliance.
  • Data and AI Literacy/Fluency: The role will provide delivery oversight for mix of innovation and R&D priorities which includes multitude of data and AI products and mix of traditional SaaS system workflow combined with data foundation, digitization and unique insights product. The head of R&D Product delivery leads and coordinates strategic planning and priority settings based on value. The role holder will be expected to understand and credibly influence the development of these platforms for the benefit of the business.
  • Leadership & Technical Delivery: Proven track record leading large‐scale COTS implementations and multi‐system transformation programs including data foundations and data / AI use cases. Experience managing global, cross‐functional teams and external partners. Strong decision‐maker with mature prioritization and risk‐management capabilities. An experienced strategic Technology lead with a proven track record of navigating large, complex, global organisations. Experience in a global programme environment, including large scale technology deployments. Experience with Haleon’s Agile and Waterfall methodologies.

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Analytical & Strategic Thinking: Ability to convert complex business needs into scalable, sustainable technology designs. Strong problem-solver focused on simplification, usability, and value. Innovative mindset with a willingness to challenge the status quo.
  • Communication & Collaboration: Excellent communicator and storyteller for both technical and non‐technical audiences. Effective relationship‐builder across R&D, Regulatory, Safety, and Digital & Tech teams. Adept at influencing senior stakeholders and aligning delivery across functions. Strong stakeholder engagement skills, comfortable with a range of technology platforms, suppliers and how these integrate with the business.

Job Posting End Date: 2026-06-16

Head of R&D Product Delivery and Deployment employer: Haleon

Haleon is an exceptional employer that champions a purpose-driven culture, fostering innovation and collaboration in the heart of Weybridge. With a commitment to employee growth and a robust support system, we empower our team members to thrive in their careers while contributing to meaningful health solutions for millions. Our agile, performance-focused environment, combined with significant investment in R&D, ensures that you will be at the forefront of transformative projects that make a real difference in everyday health.

Haleon

Contact Details:

Haleon Recruitment Team

StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫

We think this is how you could land Head of R&D Product Delivery and Deployment

Tip Number 1

Network like a pro! Reach out to people in your industry on LinkedIn or at events. A friendly chat can open doors that a CV just can't.

Tip Number 2

Prepare for interviews by researching the company and its culture. Show them you’re not just another candidate, but someone who truly gets their mission and values.

Tip Number 3

Practice your pitch! Be ready to explain how your skills align with their needs. Keep it concise and impactful – you want to leave them wanting more!

Tip Number 4

Don’t forget to follow up after interviews! A quick thank-you note can keep you top of mind and show your enthusiasm for the role. Plus, it’s just good manners!

We think you need these skills to ace Head of R&D Product Delivery and Deployment

R&D Program Delivery
Innovation Management
GxP Compliance
Regulatory Knowledge
Data and AI Literacy
Stakeholder Engagement
Cross-Functional Team Leadership

Some tips for your application 🫡

Tailor Your CV:Make sure your CV is tailored to the Head of R&D Product Delivery and Deployment role. Highlight your experience in R&D, innovation, and any relevant technology delivery projects. We want to see how your skills align with our mission at Haleon!

Craft a Compelling Cover Letter:Your cover letter is your chance to shine! Use it to tell us why you're passionate about everyday health and how you can contribute to our ambitious goals. Be sure to mention specific examples from your past that demonstrate your leadership and strategic thinking.

Showcase Your Leadership Skills:In this role, strong leadership is key. Make sure to highlight your experience managing cross-functional teams and driving complex projects. We’re looking for someone who can inspire and guide others, so don’t hold back on sharing your successes!

Apply Through Our Website:We encourage you to apply directly through our website. It’s the best way to ensure your application gets into the right hands. Plus, you’ll find all the details you need about the role and our company culture there!

How to prepare for a job interview at Haleon

Know Your R&D Inside Out

Make sure you brush up on your knowledge of R&D processes, especially in a validated environment. Familiarise yourself with key terms like GxP, CSV, and the specific applications mentioned in the job description, such as Veeva Vault. This will show that you’re not just interested in the role but also understand the technical landscape.

Showcase Your Leadership Skills

Prepare examples that highlight your experience in leading cross-functional teams and managing large-scale projects. Think about times when you’ve influenced stakeholders or navigated complex organisational structures. This is crucial for a senior leadership role, so be ready to discuss your approach to problem-solving and decision-making.

Align with Haleon’s Purpose

Familiarise yourself with Haleon’s mission to deliver better everyday health with humanity. Be prepared to discuss how your values align with this purpose and how you can contribute to their Win as One strategy. Showing that you resonate with their culture will set you apart from other candidates.

Prepare for Strategic Conversations

Since this role involves engaging with senior leaders globally, practice articulating your thoughts on strategic digital delivery and innovation. Think about how you would translate R&D strategies into actionable plans. Being able to communicate effectively with both technical and non-technical audiences will be key.