Head of Innovation in England

Join to apply for the Head of Innovation role at The Pensions Regulator.

Base pay range: Salary starting from £84,011 per annum dependent on skills and experience, plus excellent benefits package, and flexible working arrangements.

Contract type: Permanent

Location: Brighton/hybrid (8 days per month in the office)

About this role:

We are looking for a visionary and entrepreneurial leader to join our senior team as Head of Innovation. This role is central to shaping and delivering TPR's innovation strategy, helping us remain a modern, agile, and proactive regulator in a rapidly evolving pensions and technology landscape. We are particularly seeking someone who has successfully innovated business models - ideally within financial services or pensions - and who brings an entrepreneurial spirit to regulatory challenges. You will understand how to balance bold thinking with safe experimentation, and how to translate innovation into tangible, scalable impact.

You will lead the development of a forward-looking innovation strategy that aligns with our regulatory priorities and organisational goals. Working across TPR and with external partners, you will embed innovative thinking into how we regulate, develop policy, and deliver services. This includes identifying opportunities for innovation, designing and delivering pilots, and ensuring new approaches are tested safely and effectively.

A key part of the role involves co-ordinating TPR's response to new ideas from industry, ensuring consistency and appropriate regulatory guidance while encouraging innovation that benefits savers. You will also convene stakeholders from across government, industry, and the regulatory community to collaborate on solutions to complex pensions challenges. Externally, you will represent TPR in national and international forums, contributing thought leadership and helping shape the broader innovation ecosystem. Internally, you will foster a culture of experimentation, learning, and continuous improvement, embedding innovation as a shared capability across the organisation.

This role requires autonomy, strategic influence, and a collaborative mindset. You will work closely with senior sponsors to co-create success criteria, ensuring clarity of purpose, alignment with strategic goals, and shared ownership of outcomes.

The role criteria:

• Proven experience in innovating business models, ideally within financial services or pensions, with a track record of translating bold ideas into scalable, impactful solutions.
• Entrepreneurial mindset, with the ability to identify opportunities, challenge conventional approaches, and drive change in complex regulatory environments.
• Ability to define success in evolving contexts and influence strategic direction through collaboration and inclusive leadership.
• Experience leading high-performing teams focused on innovation, design thinking, Agile delivery, and measurable impact.
• Strategic thinking and problem-solving skills, with the ability to navigate complexity and ambiguity.
• Clear and effective communication skills, with experience in stakeholder engagement, public speaking, and cross-sector collaboration.
• Experience managing budgets, risks, and governance processes in complex organisations.
• Regular engagement with Boards and Executive Committees to help shape organisational priorities.
• Ability to inspire and support diverse teams, including experience with matrix working.

The team:

The Innovation team plays a key role in helping TPR evolve as a forward-thinking, proactive regulator. We bring together people, ideas, and approaches to tackle complex challenges and improve outcomes for savers. We work collaboratively across TPR and with external partners to explore new models, pilot innovative solutions, and embed a culture of creativity and continuous improvement. Our work spans regulatory design, policy development, and service delivery; always with a focus on impact, inclusion, and learning. As Head of Innovation, you will lead a team that is curious, collaborative, and committed to making a difference. You will foster an environment where innovation is a shared responsibility, championing diversity and inclusion, and inspiring confidence across the organisation and beyond.

Reward and benefits:

We offer 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays, a hybrid working model, 35 hour working week (full-time), flexible working patterns, and flexitime. We also provide competitive parental leave, as well as a Civil Service Pension with an average employer contribution of 27%. Our dedicated benefits portal (Edenred) offers retail, gym, tech and restaurant discounts, and a cycle to work scheme.

Our culture:

TPR strives to be a high-performing organisation, and we prioritise our people's growth and well-being. We offer various learning, secondment and development opportunities, support flexible working, and foster a diverse and inclusive environment. Equality, diversity and inclusion is very important to us and we strive to make sure everyone has an equal opportunity to succeed.

About The Pensions Regulator:

With a career at TPR, you will be joining an organisation with real purpose and who are proud of their diverse range of skills and experience that positively impact on millions of people. Everyone at TPR plays an important role in helping to keep more than £2trn of savings safe. Our Corporate Strategy outlines a bold and challenging vision of how pensions regulation should continue to evolve to keep pace with a change in the scale and nature of the pensions landscape. We believe diversity and inclusion are vital to good decision-making for positive saver outcomes. We are committed to creating a supportive, inclusive, and dynamic work environment where everyone can thrive; understanding the link between the work we do and its positive impact on society.

Applications:

To avoid disappointment, we would invite you to submit your application as soon as possible, as we reserve the right to close the vacancy early if a high volume of applications are received. This is to ensure that we can continue to provide a positive candidate experience, with each application being reviewed and considered. Unfortunately, once a vacancy has closed, we are unable to consider further applications. Current TPR employees who want to apply for this vacancy should first contact their line manager to discuss their application. We welcome applications on a part time and job share basis.

Selection and interview:

If you are shortlisted for interview, we will be in contact with you shortly after the closing date. We aim to respond to every application however due to the large volume of applications this is not always possible. If you have not heard from us within 21 days of submitting your application, please assume you have been unsuccessful on this occasion. As a Disability Confident Employer, we are committed to the recruitment, employment, retention, and development of people with disabilities, and to improving their employment opportunities. Candidates who declare that they have a disability and who meet the criteria outlined in the 'what you will bring' section will be offered an interview.

Diversity and inclusion:

TPR is committed to promoting diversity, inclusion and equality in the workplace, creating an environment where everyone is encouraged to be themselves, enabling our people to feel supported, represented and do their best work. We encourage applicants from all backgrounds and with different identities and experiences to apply for roles with TPR.

Further information:

Please visit our website to find out what it is like to work at TPR, our culture, interview process and our commitment to our employees. If you have any queries about this role, or if you have a disability and wish to request a reasonable adjustment at any stage of the recruitment process, please email.