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
We are seeking a R&D Head of Advanced Research to lead a central, enterprise‑level R&D capability acting as a Deep Technology Accelerator. This role is responsible for identifying, prioritising, and scaling breakthrough technologies that fuel long‑term product superiority, category leadership, and competitive advantage.
Operating at the intersection of advanced science, consumer insight, external innovation, and emerging technologies, the Head of Advanced Research will build future‑facing platforms and pipelines that redefine category standards and unlock sustainable growth. The role partners closely with senior enterprise leaders and represents the organisation externally across the global innovation ecosystem.
The core mission is to break traditional trade‑offs—such as sustainability versus performance—by systematically developing innovations that sit at the intersection of unmet consumer needs and science opportunities. Success is measured by the speed, quality, and impact of breakthrough technologies brought to market, and by the role's influence on enterprise‑wide transformation.
Responsibilities
Build a breakthrough technology pipeline
Create and deliver a multi‑year, high‑impact pipeline of advanced technology platforms that fuels global category innovation, supported by step‑changing patents, intellectual property, and proprietary inventions.
External technology & partnership leadership
Lead the identification, evaluation, and commercialisation of external technologies through licensing, joint development, acquisition, and strategic partnerships. Assess high‑value opportunities for potential and long‑term technology collaboration.
Open innovation ecosystem development
Establish a world‑class open innovation network spanning start‑ups, founders, CEOs, universities, suppliers, venture capital, and private equity. Build a strategic supplier Joint Value Creation (JVC) model and convene a scientific technology advisory board of leading global innovators.
Advanced consumer research & analytics
Lead advanced consumer research and analytics capabilities, leveraging AI and data platforms to unlock breakthrough trends, emerging Intellectual Property, benefits, forms, claims, and scientific communication that build external scientific credibility.
Evidence generation & scientific rigour
Create and scale high‑throughput screening and evidence‑generation capabilities that deliver defensible, claims‑ready science and demonstrable product superiority versus competition.
Platform scaling & de‑risking
Develop advanced technology platforms through iterative consumer and scientific evaluation loops, ensuring new concepts are pressure‑tested, de‑risked, and commercially viable before full‑scale development.
Enterprise impact
This role is a catalyst for enterprise innovation and growth, redefining category standards and shaping future‑proof competitive advantage. Working closely with the Chief R&D Officer, the Head of Advanced Research contributes directly to building a breakthrough pipeline representing a significant share of future global innovation growth.
This is a rare opportunity to shape the future of science‑led innovation at enterprise scale, combining deep technical leadership with external influence, strategic partnerships, and long‑term value creation.
What You'll Bring
Basic Qualifications:
We are looking for professionals with these required skills to achieve our goals:
* MBA or PhD required
* Life Sciences or closely related discipline preferred
* 10+ years in advanced research, life sciences, or deep technology leadership roles (20+ years preferred for senior candidates)
* Track record for value creation, growth acceleration with a strong business acumen and deep understanding of business models and joint value creation partnerships
* Strong technical life sciences foundation with a proven record of industry‑leading innovation at global scale
* Extensive external network across academia, start‑ups, founders, suppliers, and emerging technology ecosystems
* Demonstrated experience in IP strategy, regulatory awareness, and technology governance
* Strong consumer and market insight capability, combined with agile, cross‑functional leadership
* Strong people leadership experience, typically managing 5+ senior professionals.
Please save a copy of the Job Description, as this will not be available post closure of the advert.
When applying for this role, please use the 'cover letter' of the online application or your CV to describe how you meet the competencies for this role, as outlined in the job requirements above. The information that you have provided in your cover letter and CV will be used to assess your application.
Why Haleon
Our Win as One Framework is a simple, stretching definition of our future direction. It includes our purpose, ambitions, strategic drivers, and behaviours that will enable us to Win as One. This framework guides our decision-making, strategy, and culture. The successful candidate will demonstrate the following capabilities:
* Consumer first, always: Engage key business counterparts and operational stakeholders to deliver operational execution of Haleon strategies related to eCommerce activities, always putting the consumer first.
* Collaborate for impact: Establish and maintain relationships with critical groups to ensure customer knowledge is utilized to inform and deliver on the eCommerce roadmap, collaborating for impact.
* Unlock value, at pace: Drive business process improvement throughout the commercial and operational support teams, unlocking value at pace.
* Grow myself and others: Continuously look for opportunities to learn, build skills, and share learning, growing myself and others.
Job Posting End Date
Equal Opportunities
Haleon are committed to mobilising our purpose in a way that represents the diverse consumers and communities who rely on our brands every day. It guides us in creating an inclusive culture, where different backgrounds and views are valued and respected – all in support of understanding and best serving the needs of our consumers and unleashing the full potential of our people. It's important to us that Haleon is a place where all our employees feel they truly belong.
During the application process, we may ask you to share some personal information, which is entirely voluntary. This information ensures we meet certain regulatory and reporting obligations and supports the development, refinement, and execution of our inclusion and belonging programmes that are open to all Haleon employees.
The personal information you provide will be kept confidential, used only for legitimate business purposes, and will never be used in making any employment decisions, including hiring decisions.
Adjustment or Accommodations Request
If you require a reasonable adjustment or accommodation or other assistance to apply for a job at Haleon at any stage of the application process, please let your recruiter know by providing them with a description of specific adjustments you are requesting. We'll provide all reasonable adjustments to support you throughout the recruitment process and treat all information you provide us in confidence.
Note to candidates
The Haleon recruitment team will contact you using a Haleon email account ). If you are not sure whether the email you received is from Haleon, please get in touch.