Director Content Innovation (m/f/d) in London

Location(s): Heidelberg, Berlin, London, Beijing, Shanghai, Pune

Overview

We are seeking a Director, Content Innovation to lead the development of new research content types, content-enabled services, and AI-supported content innovation opportunities that drive sustainable growth across Research Publishing. This role sits within the Content Innovation team and focuses on identifying emerging customer needs, translating technology and market trends into innovation priorities, and shaping new concepts from experimentation through to scalable implementation. The Director will work across research publishing, technology, product, marketing, and commercial teams to design, test, and transition high-value content innovations into the business. A key part of the role is providing practical leadership in applying agentic AI to improve content value, user experience, and business impact in a responsible and effective way. The role also supports the Content Innovation strategy by helping to define priorities, guide experimentation, and ensure innovation efforts align with broader business goals and user needs.

Key Success Factors

• Solid AI experience with strong user‑centred product and design thinking capability.
• Strong awareness of global technology trends, innovation ecosystems, and emerging AI capabilities, combined with experience working across international markets and multicultural teams.
• Strong expertise in research and research publishing, strategy and reporting, and a deep understanding of researcher, editor, and institutional user needs.

Responsibilities

• Discover: Undertake research, monitor new trends, technologies and techniques to understand and consider all possibilities. Track competitors, work with market research, editorial colleagues, tech colleagues and others in pursuit of these insights. Translate external trends, technology developments, and customer insights into clear strategic priorities and experiments.
• Develop: Apply a rapid, agile process of content and product design, including testing, refining and validation. Provide practical leadership in applying agentic AI to identify, pilot and scale content innovation opportunities that improve content value and business impact. Design new content innovations and content‑enabled services that meet identified needs across both human‑ and machine‑readable applications.
• Plan: Work with commercial colleagues and strategic marketing colleagues to establish suitable business models and go‑to‑market plans to meet these needs. Work with publishing, editorial, technology and external partners as needed to develop plans, milestones, etc. to deliver on these opportunities at scale.
• Implement: Transition implementation responsibilities to the relevant business unit, acting as adviser and trainer as needed to support success. Define success metrics and use data to guide iteration, adoption, rollout, and handover readiness. Develop and agree on formal documentation for handovers with heads of relevant business units.
• Leadership: Contribute to setting out the content innovation purpose and its goals to colleagues. Contribute fully to the development of strategic objectives and tactical goals of the company. Support and engage with other leaders to create a culture that is mutually supportive with teams that work together to serve our external communities.
• Culture: Foster a culture of innovation, accountability, external curiosity and experimentation. Support driving diversity, equity and inclusion within the Content Innovation team.

Qualifications

• Successful track record in planning, leading and delivering innovative content and product innovations and content-enabled services.
• Excellent analytical skills.
• Experience of working with Artificial Intelligence and Agentic AI, with the ability to balance innovation with trust, quality, and user value.
• Experience working in environments where accuracy, credibility, and responsible use of technology are critical.
• Significant experience in customer-facing digital content, products and/or services, ideally including high degrees of community interaction.
• Strong product mindset, including experimentation, prioritisation, validation, and translation into scalable solutions.
• Proven ability to move from concept and experimentation to scaled implementation in live workflows, products, or services.
• Experience building successful investment cases.
• Experience defining success metrics and using data to guide iteration, adoption, and rollout.
• Ability to manage multiple stakeholders and evidence of successful implementation of strategies, programmes of initiatives in large, complex organisations achieved on strength of personal credibility and working through people rather than positional power.
• Track record of working across geographies and with different nationalities and cultures.
• Proven ability as a self-starter and results focused.
• Comfortable working with less process-oriented and structured functions.
• Experience presenting to and working with senior leadership.
• Excellent communication skills and ability to build both internal and external relationships.
• Flexibility to work with a varied workload, often under pressure.
• Flexibility to travel regularly.
• Significant experience in research publishing, scholarly communication, scientific content, or another high-trust knowledge domain.
• Strong understanding of researcher, editor, and institutional user needs.

Personal Characteristics

• Innovative mindset and creativity to implement new content types that meet customer needs and enable rapid sustainable growth.
• Constant aim for excellence and performance-driven approach.
• Intellectual confidence to challenge status quo.