Excellence & Innovation Lead

Frontiers; London; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company in the publishing sector is seeking an Excellence & Innovation Lead to drive high-impact initiatives that enhance operational efficiency and customer satisfaction. This hybrid role involves collaboration across teams to deliver measurable outcomes and requires strong analytical, communication, and leadership skills.

Benefits

Additional wellbeing days

Access to learning platforms

Free online yoga classes

Volunteer days

Pension plan

Private medical care

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience leading operational or business improvement projects.
• Strong business acumen with strategic and operational balance.

Responsibilities

• Lead strategic initiatives from idea generation to implementation.
• Manage stakeholder relationships at all levels.

Skills

Analytical Skills

Collaboration

Communication

Change Management

Job description

Who we are

At Frontiers we are on a mission to make all science open, enabling the research community to develop the solutions we need to live healthy lives on a healthy planet.

Frontiers is one of the world's most cited publishers. Our articles have been viewed more than 3.7 billion times, reflecting the power of research that is open for all.

Join the publishing revolution.

Follow the links below to learn more about our work.

https://progressreport.frontiersin.org /

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87ejFfnQzko

What we can offer you

At Frontiers our working model for new roles is hybrid, offering flexibility to work from home while staying connected through our office hubs in key locations. This approach reflects our commitment to productivity, trust, and a collaborative team culture.

We provide a range of benefits across our global locations, including but not limited to:

• 4 additional wellbeing days in addition to existing annual leave allowance

• Access to learning platforms and dedicated learning & development time

• A range of wellbeing initiatives, including free online yoga classes and an employee assistance plan

• Employees can dedicate three days each year to volunteer

• Additional benefits depending on your location (e.g. pension plan and private medical care)

At Frontiers, we are on a mission to make science open and accelerate solutions to the world’s biggest challenges. As part of this, our Excellence & Innovation team plays a critical role in advancing P ublishing Development by partnering closely with our Publishing teams to deliver innovative, high-impact solutions that improve the experience for our editors and authors, while enhancing operational efficiency and customer satisfaction.

We’re seeking a strategic, collaborative, and action -oriented Excellence & Innovation Lead to join our team. If you’re passionate about solving complex problems, driving meaningful change, and delivering high-impact solutions, this is your opportunity to lead exciting, cross-functional initiatives that influence business direction and deliver measurable impact, in a mission-driven environment .

About the role

As Excellence & Innovation Lead, you’ll drive high-impact, cross-functional initiatives that solve strategic challenges and improve how we work as a publishing business. You’ll lead a cross-functional delivery team, managing initiatives from ideation to pilot and scaling, ensuring solutions deliver tangible business value, improve customer and team experiences, and gain wide adoption. Reporting to the Publishing Director – Excellence & Innovation, this role also involves close collaboration with Publishing leadership and may include managing Specialists within the team.

The deadline for applications is May, 23rd 2025

Your application should include CV and Cover Letter.

As an Excellence & Innovation lead you will:

• Lead strategic initiatives from idea generation to scaled implementation, ensuring objectives , milestones, and success metrics are achieved.

• Lead a cross-functional team and drive collaboration with Publishing T eams , Product Management, Software Engineering, User Experience, and other teams to deliver impactful, measurable outcomes.

• Define success metrics and report on project outcomes, business impact, and customer experience improvements.

• Manage stakeholder relationships at all levels, from internal users to executive leadership, to gather feedback, secure buy-in, and ensure alignment.

• Lead problem-solving initiatives , developing innovative, data-informed solutions that address complex challenges.

• Support change management , evaluating business readiness, creating clear narratives for change, and ensuring smooth adoption of new tools and practices.

• Provide leadership and guidance to Excellence & Innovation Specialists (where applicable), contributing to a high-performing, collaborative team environment.

• Document best practices and SOPs , supporting communication, training, and quality adoption of new services and processes.

About you:

• 5+ years of experience leading operational, transformation, or business improvement projects in cross-functional environments

• Strong business acumen and the ability to balance strategic priorities with operational realities

• A creative, innovative mindset, always seeking smarter, better ways of working

• The ability to work independently and manage ambiguity while keeping projects moving forward

• Excellent analytical ski l ls , confident using data and insights to inform decisions, evaluate options, and track outcomes

• Strong collaboration and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to build alignment and influence at all levels

• Excellent communication skills , facilitation, and change management capabilities , with experience in executive-level communication.

• A data-driven, pragmatic approach to decision-making and problem-solvin g

• Experience in publishing, innovation , or a tech- enabled business is a plus , but not essential

This role is ideal for candidates from operations, transformation, consulting, innovation or publishing leadership roles looking to lead high-impact projects in a mission-driven, growth-focused environment.

This is a hybrid role where you'll work in our Lausanne, London, or Madrid office (depends on your location) for three days a week, with the option to work remotely for the other two days.

Apply now

Please click the 'apply' button on this page and submit your application in English.

Please inform us if you require any special accommodations to participate fully in our recruitment experience. You can contact us at [e-mail] for any additional support.

Equal opportunity statement
Frontiers actively embraces diversity and is a safe and welcoming workplace. Recruitment is free from discrimination – including based on race, national or ethnic origin, age, religion, disability, sex, gender identity or sexual orientation. With employees from more than 50 different nations, our diversity creates vibrant teams and constantly challenges us to appreciate multiple perspectives.