Awards Product & Research Manager (Maternity cover)

LIONS is the global platform that champions creativity and marketing effectiveness for growth. We help businesses grow through creative marketing that matters. We know that creativity can and should be applied across the full marketing mix. Creativity is an impactful business driver – and when it's integrated with a culture of effectiveness, it's a competitive advantage.

Backed by over 150 years of experience and evidence, Cannes Lions, WARC, Effie, Contagious and Acuity provide the global marketing industry with the definitive benchmarks, intelligence, training and tailored advice needed to grow. LIONS is part of Informa Festivals, which brings some of the world's most influential creative, technology and business festivals together.

This role is based in our 5HP, London Victoria office.

Role overview

As the interim leader of Awards Product Development, you will uphold and advance the global reputation of both LIONS and Money20/20 Awards. Building on our legacy of recognising excellence, you'll ensure our awards remain the industry's gold standard by combining strategic foresight with operational excellence. This role requires seamlessly integrating into operations while identifying opportunities for evolution, ensuring our categories, criteria, and processes stay ahead of market shifts.

The LIONS Awards celebrate creative breakthroughs in branded communications, while Money20/20 honours transformative fintech innovation. You’ll lead a team to maintain their position as the industry's definitive benchmarks.

Key accountabilities

• Awards Product Strategy: Own and execute a 12-month awards roadmap, adapting categories and criteria to reflect industry shifts.
• Team Leadership: Manage and develop a high-performing team, maintaining operational continuity while fostering growth. Implement clear performance metrics and skill-building opportunities that align with team and organisational goals.
• Category development: Lead 3–5 category reforms or launches, validated by market research and stakeholder insights. Coordinate and conduct market research with customers, agencies, and industry professionals (surveys, interviews, focus groups) to identify opportunities and pain points.
• Market Intelligence: Analyse qualitative and quantitative market data to identify award development opportunities with regular reporting on emerging industry trends.
• Data-Driven Decisions: Validate all category changes through data, from entry patterns, jury feedback, competitor benchmarking.
• Product Delivery: Oversee end-to-end awards product delivery, from concept design, product and platform development to post-event analysis, ensuring deadlines are met.
• Insight Reporting: Deliver quarterly roadmap updates and bi-monthly “What’s Next” briefings to key stakeholders.

This list is not exhaustive and there may be other activities you are required to deliver.

Qualifications

• Proven experience in leading end-to-end product management, within awards or similar programs, ensuring seamless delivery and continuous improvement.
• Expertise in designing award frameworks and programmes that set industry standards and drive measurable growth.
• Demonstrated ability to lead teams, recognising growth potential, coaching, and supporting skill development.
• Strong analytical skills to transform strategic vision into actionable product roadmaps using entrant feedback, participation analytics, customer research, sector trends and rigorous testing.
• Experience collaborating with Development, Data, Marketing, and Content teams to ensure alignment on product requirements and customer needs.
• Outstanding data interpretation skills, translating complex insights into clear strategies.
• Adaptable and results-focused, able to assess effectiveness, refine approaches, and report on progress.
• Exceptional presentation and facilitation skills, confidently representing the brand with enthusiasm as an engaging ambassador.

Preferred

• Understanding of the branded communications and fintech landscapes, with a proactive drive to deepen knowledge of relevant sectors and trends.
• Experience working with award submission platforms.

Please note that this role is offered as a maternity cover contract.

Location: This role is based in the UK, and you must have the right to work and live in the UK.

We believe that great things happen when people connect face-to-face. That’s why we work in-person with each other, or with customers and partners, three days a week or more. When you’re not spending time together in one of our offices or other workplaces – like at an Informa event – you get the flexibility and support to work from home or remotely.

We work hard to make sure Life at Informa is rewarding, supportive and enjoyable for everyone.

Benefits

• Great community: a welcoming culture with in-person and online social events, our fantastic Walk the World charity day and active diversity and inclusion networks.
• Broader impact: take up to four days per year to volunteer, with charity match funding available too.
• Career opportunity: the opportunity to develop your career with bespoke training and learning, mentoring platforms and on-demand access to thousands of courses on LinkedIn Learning.
• Time out: 25 days annual leave, rising to 27 days after two years, plus a birthday leave day and the chance to work from (almost!) anywhere for up to four weeks a year.
• A flexible range of personal benefits to choose from, plus company funded private medical cover.
• A ShareMatch scheme that allows you to become an Informa shareholder with free matching shares.
• Strong wellbeing support through EAP assistance, mental health first aiders, a healthy living subsidy, access to health apps and more.
• Recognition for great work, with global awards and kudos programmes.
• As an international company, the chance to collaborate with teams around the world.

We’re not solely focused on a checklist of skills. We champion energy and ambition and look for colleagues who will roll their sleeves up, join in and help make things happen. If it sounds like a match and you have most – although not all – of the skills and experience listed, we welcome your application.

If you would like to request reasonable adjustments or accommodations to assist your participation in the hiring process and, or in the advertised position, please inform the appropriate Talent Acquisition Partner for the role once they have been in touch. Your request will be reviewed and considered in confidence. At Informa, you’ll find inclusive experiences and environments where all perspectives and backgrounds are welcomed. As part of this approach and our diversity and inclusion commitments, we are also formally an Equal Opportunities Employer.