United Kingdom · Innovation Intrapreneurship · Director/VP (16-20 years)

Director, Business Concepts & Innovation

Here is the whole job, in plain words. What it is, a real day, what you decide, how you're judged, how people get here and where they go next. Then the part no course gives you: twelve AI tutors who learn your work.

Experience bandDirector/VP (16-20 years)
Direct reports25-100+ reports
Reports toVP/Head of Corporate Venturing & Incubation or Chief Strategy Officer
UK framework levelUsually a director, accountable for a division and its numbers

Also advertised as Head of New Ventures · Innovation Director, Business Unit · VP, Innovation Strategy

Built on an analysis of 43,079 real UK job descriptions · grounded in qualifications employers recognise

Start with a free Future Fluency check, tuned to Director, Business Concepts & Innovation

Ten quick questions, one per Future Fluency, asked against this role rather than a generic one. About five minutes, and no card.

Start the check, free

1What this role really is

This isn't just about coming up with clever ideas; it's about actually making them happen. You'll be the person shaping the innovation roadmap for a significant part of our business, making sure we're building the right new things and getting them ready to scale. Think of it as running a mini-startup portfolio within a big company, but with all the corporate 'fun' that comes with it.

2What you'd actually use

The tools this job runs on, and how well you'd need to know each one.

Miro, Mural (or similar visual collaboration tools)Strategic/Architect

Defining and standardising visual collaboration practices across your team, integrating outputs into strategic planning, and training the organisation on best practices. You'll design complex, multi-day workshop canvases from scratch.

Figma, Balsamiq (or similar prototyping tools)Strategic/Architect

Evaluating and selecting prototyping platforms for the business unit, articulating how design choices connect to business model assumptions, and overseeing the development of high-fidelity prototypes for user testing.

PitchBook, CB Insights, Statista (or similar market intelligence platforms)Strategic/Architect

Negotiating enterprise licenses, directing research strategy for the business unit, and identifying which data sources are needed to validate the corporate thesis and identify white space opportunities.

Aha!, Productboard (or similar venture roadmapping tools)Strategic/Architect

Managing the entire innovation portfolio for your business unit, creating executive dashboards showing progress against strategic goals, and ensuring alignment with corporate objectives.

Excel (Power Query, Scenario Manager), Causal (or similar financial modelling tools)Strategic/Architect

Auditing and stress-testing financial models from your team, connecting venture portfolio forecasts to corporate FP&A systems (e.g., Anaplan or Pigment), and making high-level financial decisions.

Tableau, Power BI Premium, Diligent Boards (or similar executive reporting tools)Strategic/Architect

Presenting innovation portfolio performance to the executive committee and board, defining key metrics and dashboards for the business unit, and ensuring data integrity for high-stakes reporting.

3What you get to decide, and how that grows

Power in a job isn't your title. It's what you're allowed to decide. Here's how it grows as you move up.

The choice	Coming in	Where you are now	The step above
Strategic Innovation Themes	Supports research and data gathering for theme identification.	Proposes specific concepts within existing themes.	Designs and validates new concepts aligned with strategic themes.
Venture Funding & Kill Decisions	Provides data for funding proposals, documents outcomes.	Drafts funding proposals for single concepts, presents findings to manager.	Leads pitch to Venture Board for concept funding up to £50K, recommends kill decisions.
Team Hiring & Development	No hiring authority, participates in interviews for peer roles.	No hiring authority, provides feedback on junior candidates.	Interviews junior candidates, mentors 0-2 team members.

4How you'll be judged

The scoreboard, honestly: the hard targets, how often each one is actually looked at, and the quiet human signals that never make it onto a dashboard.

Innovation Portfolio Value & Growth

The total projected revenue or market value of new ventures and concepts under your remit that are either launched or in advanced stages of validation.

Target · Achieve a 3x return on innovation investment over a 7-year horizon (realised or on paper). Secure £2M-£10M+ in annual funding for your portfolio.

Your portfolio of 5 active ventures, collectively, is projected to generate £7M in new revenue within 3 years, having received £2M in funding to date. You've also secured an additional £3M for next year's programmes.

Venture Graduation Rate

The number of validated concepts that successfully transition ('graduate') from the innovation lab into a core business unit for scaling, or are spun out.

Target · Successfully graduate 2-3 ventures into core business units or external spin-outs per year.

Last year, you oversaw the successful integration of 'Project Alpha' (a new subscription service) into the Retail BU and helped 'Project Beta' (a niche FinTech solution) secure external seed funding for a spin-out.

Strategic Alignment Score

How well your innovation portfolio aligns with the company's stated 3-5 year strategic pillars and growth objectives, as assessed by the C-Suite and Venture Board.

Target · Maintain 80%+ alignment of the innovation portfolio with the company's long-term strategic pillars.

In the latest review, 9 out of 10 active innovation programmes clearly mapped to one of the three strategic growth areas identified by the Board, demonstrating strong strategic focus.

Time-to-Decision & Kill Rate

The average time it takes for a concept to move from initial idea to a 'go/no-go' decision (fund or kill), and the percentage of projects that are proactively stopped.

Target · Reduce average time from idea to decision by 15% year-over-year. Maintain a kill rate of 40-50% for early-stage concepts (shows effective de-risking).

You've streamlined the Venture Board process, cutting the average decision time from 12 weeks to 9. Also, 45% of concepts that started the year were either killed or significantly pivoted based on early validation data, saving future investment.

Venture Board & C-Suite Engagement

The quality of your relationships with the Venture Board and C-Suite, reflected in their trust, proactive consultation, and willingness to champion your programmes.

You're regularly invited to strategic planning sessions, not just to present innovation updates. Board members proactively seek your opinion on market shifts. They champion your team's work internally and externally. Decisions are made promptly and with clear rationale, showing confidence in your recommendations.

Business Unit Sponsorship & Adoption

The level of genuine buy-in and active sponsorship from business unit leaders for graduating ventures and their willingness to allocate resources for scaling.

BU leaders are actively involved in the validation process, not just passive recipients. They allocate budget and headcount for graduated ventures without significant pushback. They publicly advocate for the innovation team's impact and success within their units.

Team Leadership & Talent Development

How effectively you lead, mentor, and develop your team, fostering a culture of psychological safety, high performance, and continuous learning.

Your team consistently meets or exceeds performance targets. You have a clear succession plan for key roles. Team members report high levels of job satisfaction and growth opportunities. You're known for giving constructive, actionable feedback and creating a safe space for experimentation and learning from failure.

External Reputation & Ecosystem Influence

Your standing as a thought leader in innovation, both within the company and externally, attracting talent and partnerships.

You're asked to speak at industry conferences or contribute to publications. External partners proactively approach us for collaboration. You're seen as a magnet for top innovation talent, making recruitment easier. Your team's work is referenced as a benchmark within the industry.

5Would you like it

The honest version. What people enjoy, and what grinds them down.

What people enjoy

Building the Future

You get a real buzz from seeing a nascent idea evolve into a validated concept, knowing that your work is directly shaping the company's next big thing. You're excited by the prospect of creating new revenue streams and market opportunities.

You're the first one in the office, sketching out new business models on the whiteboard, or staying late to refine a pitch for a truly novel concept. You love the 'zero to one' journey.

Solving Big, Messy Problems

You're energised by tackling complex, undefined challenges that don't have obvious answers. You enjoy the intellectual puzzle of de-risking a new venture and navigating organisational hurdles to make it happen.

When a new, ambiguous strategic challenge lands on your desk, you don't groan; you see it as an exciting opportunity to apply your problem-solving skills and leadership to something truly impactful.

Leading & Developing People

You find deep satisfaction in mentoring your team, helping them grow their skills, and empowering them to lead their own innovation programmes. You're a champion for their ideas and their development.

You spend significant time in 1-on-1s, not just reviewing work, but coaching your team through difficult stakeholder conversations or helping them refine their strategic thinking. You celebrate their successes and learn from their failures together.

What frustrates people

Fighting the Corporate Immune System: You'll constantly justify your existence and methods to functions like Finance, Legal, and IT, who are built for certainty and optimisation, not exploration and failure. It's like trying to teach a cat to fetch.
The Tyranny of the Quarterly Business Review (QBR): You'll often be forced to show short-term, hard-ROI metrics for a venture that might not generate revenue for 3-5 years. It's a constant battle to manage expectations for long-term bets.
Stakeholder Whiplash: One day, an executive sponsor loves your idea; the next, after a tough QBR, they get cold feet and ask you to pivot to something 'safer.' You need a thick skin and the ability to navigate shifting priorities.
Pilot Purgatory: You'll successfully prove your concept in a pilot, but it might never get the resources to scale because it's not a core business priority. It can become a 'zombie project' that just lingers.
Resource Scavenging: You'll constantly have to beg, borrow, and 'steal' time from developers, marketers, and legal experts in the core business who are already over-committed. Getting dedicated resources is a constant battle.
Death by a Thousand Papercuts: The sheer exhaustion from navigating procurement, legal reviews, and IT security hurdles that are designed for billion-pound business lines, not a two-person experiment. It's administrative quicksand.

What this role does not give you

A predictable, linear career path with clear milestones every 12 months. Innovation is inherently non-linear.
Guaranteed success for every project you champion. Failure is a part of the learning process here.
A quiet, solitary work environment. You'll be constantly interacting, persuading, and collaborating.
Instant gratification. Many of your biggest wins will take years to fully materialise.

6Who you work with

This role directly impacts our long-term market competitiveness and revenue diversification. You're responsible for identifying and nurturing the next generation of products and services, essentially future-proofing a significant chunk of our business. Get it right, and you'll create substantial new value; get it wrong, and we risk falling behind the market.

Inside the business

C-Suite (CEO, CFO, CPO, CTO)
Business Unit VPs and Managing Directors
Heads of Product Management
Legal and Compliance teams
Finance and FP&A leadership
HR and Talent Acquisition

Outside the business

Strategic partners and ecosystem players
Venture Capital firms (for market intelligence)
Industry bodies and thought leaders
Key clients and customers (for co-creation)

7What you need before you start

Not a wish list. The things you would be expected to already have.

A minimum of 16 years of progressive experience in innovation leadership, product management, corporate strategy, or venture building roles, with a clear track record of bringing new concepts to market.
Proven experience leading and managing large, diverse teams (25+ people, including managers) in a dynamic, often ambiguous environment.
Demonstrable experience with P&L responsibility for significant budgets (typically £2M+) and making strategic investment decisions.
A history of successfully presenting to and influencing C-Suite executives and Board members on strategic initiatives.
Deep expertise in at least two major innovation methodologies (e.g., Lean Startup, Human-Centered Design, Business Model Canvas) and a track record of implementing them effectively.

8What to practise next

Where the job is going, and what to do about it starting this week.

Ecosystem Orchestration & Platform Strategy

Innovation increasingly happens at the intersection of multiple partners and platforms. As a Director, you'll need to move beyond managing internal projects to building and orchestrating external ecosystems, identifying strategic partners, and understanding how our ventures fit into broader industry platforms.

Platform Business Models · Strategic Partner Identification & Management · API Economy & Integration Strategy · Venture Capital & Startup Landscape

This quarter: Map out the existing ecosystem for your business unit's strategic innovation themes, identifying key players and potential gaps.
Next quarter: Initiate conversations with 2-3 potential strategic partners or startups that align with your innovation objectives.
Month 3-6: Develop a 'partner-first' strategy for one of your key innovation programmes, outlining how external collaboration will accelerate its growth.
Month 6-12: Present a recommendation to the C-Suite on a potential strategic alliance or minority investment in a promising startup.

Quick win: Subscribe to key VC newsletters and industry reports specific to your business unit's domain. Start attending virtual or in-person industry ecosystem events to build your network.

9Staying current once you are in

What people here do to keep up

Regularly attend industry conferences and innovation summits (e.g., Innovate UK, World Economic Forum, SXSW) to stay current on trends and build your network.
Actively participate in innovation leadership forums or peer groups to share best practices and learn from other senior practitioners.
Read widely across business, technology, and design publications (e.g., Harvard Business Review, MIT Technology Review, Fast Company).
Mentor aspiring innovation professionals or participate in startup accelerators as an advisor—it's a great way to give back and stay sharp.
Consider executive education programmes focused on digital transformation, AI strategy, or corporate venturing from top business schools.

10How the AI economy is changing work like this

Before we ask anything of you, here's what we can already say about AI and work of this kind:

The new skill this role is being asked for: AI-Driven Portfolio Optimisation

With the sheer volume of data from experiments, market research, and venture performance, traditional manual analysis is becoming too slow. AI can help us identify patterns, predict venture success (or failure), and optimise resource allocation across a complex portfolio. Competitors are already using this to make faster, smarter investment decisions.

We'll only ever tell you what we can actually back up. No hype, no scare tactics.

The rising capability

Zavmo analysis

What's rising in its place

This is where the work is heading, and the higher pay with it. Get fluent here and the shift stops being a threat and starts being your edge.

AI-Driven Portfolio Optimisation

With the sheer volume of data from experiments, market research, and venture performance, traditional manual analysis is becoming too slow. AI can help us identify patterns, predict venture success (or failure), and optimise resource allocation across a complex portfolio. Competitors are already using this to make faster, smarter investment decisions.

Predictive Analytics for Venture Success
Resource Allocation Algorithms
Scenario Planning with Generative AI
Automated Market Signal Detection

Ethical AI for Innovation & Responsible Tech

As we increasingly use AI in our products and processes, the ethical implications—bias, privacy, societal impact—are becoming paramount. Boards and regulators are scrutinising this more closely. Ignoring it isn't an option; it's a strategic risk and an opportunity for differentiation.

AI Bias Detection & Mitigation
Data Privacy & Governance in AI
Societal Impact Assessment for New Tech
Explainable AI (XAI)

What you’ll use

Skills this role draws on

Technical

Lean Startup Methodology
Human-Centered Design (HCD)
Jobs-to-be-Done (JTBD) Framework
Business Model Canvas / Lean Canvas
Venture Financial Modeling
Corporate Venture Governance

The pathway

How you actually get there, here

How you become one varies far more by country than what one does. This is the UK route. Most people take one of these ways in; the right one depends on where you're starting from.

1
Manager, New Ventures (L5)
3-5 years in previous role
Skills to master
- Leading a team of intrapreneurs, managing a portfolio of concepts, owning a budget, presenting to the Venture Board, and building strong cross-functional relationships.
You're ready to move on when
- Consistently delivering validated concepts that show strong potential for scale.
- Successfully mentoring and developing junior team members.
- Demonstrating strong financial acumen and P&L management for your ventures.
- Building a reputation as a trusted advisor to senior leaders on innovation matters.
2
Head of Product (with Innovation Focus)
5-8 years in previous role
Skills to master
- Deep product lifecycle management, market launch experience, P&L ownership for a product line, and a proven ability to drive new product development beyond incremental improvements.
You're ready to move on when
- Successfully launched and scaled multiple products, particularly those requiring new business models.
- Demonstrated ability to identify and capitalise on market white spaces.
- Strong leadership of product teams and a track record of cross-functional collaboration.
- Experience presenting product strategy and performance to executive leadership.
3
Strategy Consultant (Senior Principal/Partner)
8-10 years in previous role
Skills to master
- Developing and implementing corporate innovation strategies for diverse clients, leading large engagement teams, and driving business transformation programmes. You'll need to show you can move from advising to doing.
You're ready to move on when
- Led multiple innovation-focused consulting engagements with tangible client impact.
- Developed and presented strategic recommendations to C-Suite clients.
- Managed complex project teams and client relationships.
- Demonstrated a strong understanding of internal corporate dynamics and how to navigate them effectively.

11Where this role leads

The long view:Ultimately, this role is a launchpad for significant leadership opportunities, both within our organisation and beyond. We're investing in leaders who can shape the future, and we're committed to helping you get there. It won't be easy, but it will certainly be impactful.

Pay & demand

Pay and demand for this role will appear here, each figure traced to a named authoritative source (e.g. the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, under the Open Government Licence). We don’t show numbers we can’t attribute.

The ten Future Fluencies

Zavmo analysis

The credential is what you can do today. These are what keep you valuable.

A qualification proves you can do the job as it's defined today. These ten are what decide whether you're still the obvious person for it in five years. They're the capabilities employers are now writing into senior roles faster than people are learning them. Zavmo weaves them through whatever you study, so you come out with both: the credential and the fluency.

The highlighted ones are the Fluencies your role leans on hardest, from how Director, Business Concepts & Innovation is actually changing. In about two minutes, the free confidence check asks where you stand on each of the ten. That's the whole check, and it's what makes the plan yours rather than generic.

12The team that's yours

No two people are taught the same way. This is one-to-one, not one-to-many.

Zavmo is a hyper-personalised AI learning platform. Twelve virtual tutors, each with a different way of teaching, and one orchestration agent that picks the right one for the moment. So every single lesson is shaped around you, your role, and the way you learn. Not a course everyone sits through. A conversation built for you, and no one else.

…and nine more, matched to you after your first chat. Meet all twelve

Start free and meet yours

13What it feels like

A conversation, not a course

Because your tutor knows your role, your projects and your last session, learning sounds like this. And it's different for every single person:

Develop and Review a Vision for an Enterprise VentureLevel 7

Applied to your work in Director, Business Concepts & Innovation

By completing this unit, learners will be able to develop and review a vision for an enterprise venture. This includes achieving buy-in, identifying options, assessing organisational capacity, and evaluating performance impact.

How the thinking builds

Remember
Understand
Apply
Analyse
Evaluate
Create

An illustration of a Zavmo lesson, built from this role’s own route. The unit, its objective and every criterion above are the awarding body’s own words, not an example.

One to one, not one to many

No two people run this the same way

A course is written once and handed to everyone. This is assembled around you, and keeps changing as it learns you. Five things it reads, and what each one changes.

Your actual work Every lesson is taught against a live piece of your own work, not a worked example from a textbook.
What you already know The first conversation finds your starting point, so you skip what you can already do and spend the time on what you cannot.
The conditions you learn under Not a learning-styles quiz. The evidence does not support those. The dimensions the research does back, read once and used to shape the plan.
How far you got last time It picks up mid-thought. The tutor knows what you said, what you struggled with, and what it asked you to try.
Which tutor suits the moment Twelve of them, each for a different kind of thinking. The one who walks you through a first idea is not the one who stress-tests it.

See how you learn, free. Eight questions, no sign-up. A directional taster; the diagnostic inside Zavmo goes deeper and keeps adapting.

DemonstrateIllustration

Evidenced on your work in Director, Business Concepts & Innovation

You do not finish by watching something. You finish by showing it on the work you already do, against the measures this job is judged on.

Innovation Portfolio Value & GrowthThe total projected revenue or market value of new ventures and concepts under your remit that are either launched or in advanced stages of validation.Your portfolio of 5 active ventures, collectively, is projected to generate £7M in new revenue within 3 years, having received £2M in funding to date. You've also secured an additional £3M for next year's programmes.Achieve a 3x return on innovation investment over a 7-year horizon (realised or on paper). Secure £2M-£10M+ in annual funding for your portfolio.
Venture Graduation RateThe number of validated concepts that successfully transition ('graduate') from the innovation lab into a core business unit for scaling, or are spun out.Last year, you oversaw the successful integration of 'Project Alpha' (a new subscription service) into the Retail BU and helped 'Project Beta' (a niche FinTech solution) secure external seed funding for a spin-out.Successfully graduate 2-3 ventures into core business units or external spin-outs per year.
Strategic Alignment ScoreHow well your innovation portfolio aligns with the company's stated 3-5 year strategic pillars and growth objectives, as assessed by the C-Suite and Venture Board.In the latest review, 9 out of 10 active innovation programmes clearly mapped to one of the three strategic growth areas identified by the Board, demonstrating strong strategic focus.Maintain 80%+ alignment of the innovation portfolio with the company's long-term strategic pillars.
Time-to-Decision & Kill RateThe average time it takes for a concept to move from initial idea to a 'go/no-go' decision (fund or kill), and the percentage of projects that are proactively stopped.You've streamlined the Venture Board process, cutting the average decision time from 12 weeks to 9. Also, 45% of concepts that started the year were either killed or significantly pivoted based on early validation data, saving future investment.Reduce average time from idea to decision by 15% year-over-year. Maintain a kill rate of 40-50% for early-stage concepts (shows effective de-risking).

These are this job's own measures, with its own targets. Nothing is marked evidenced, because nobody has started this yet. Yours would fill in from the work you bring.

Your passport

This isn't a certificate you file away. It's a passport to the life you're designing.

Every credit you earn and every fluency you build adds up: evidence where it counts, carried with you. Zavmo keeps the map: where you are, where you're heading, and the next step, at your pace, around your life. From Director, Business Concepts & Innovation to VP/Head of Corporate Venturing & Incubation (L7), and whatever you decide comes after.

Level 7 · in progressAI Fluency→ VP/Head of Corporate Venturing & Incubation (L7)→ your design

Where this takes you

Ultimately, this role is a launchpad for significant leadership opportunities, both within our organisation and beyond. We're investing in leaders who can shape the future, and we're committed to helping you get there. It won't be easy, but it will certainly be impactful.

See Your Progress GrowIllustration

Director, Business Concepts & Innovation

Lean Startup Methodology
Human-Centered Design (HCD)
Jobs-to-be-Done (JTBD) Framework
Business Model Canvas / Lean Canvas
Venture Financial Modeling
Corporate Venture Governance

This is your Mind Palace on learn.zavmo.ai. Every skill above comes from this role's own record, not an example borrowed from another job. A node lights up when you evidence it, and what you build stays yours between jobs. That is the part a course cannot do.

14The detail, folded away

Everything else the record holds

The career branches in full, how AI is already showing up in the day-to-day, and the questions people ask about this job. Here when you want them, out of the way while you decide.

Where it leads next, rung by rung

Where it leads

The career path, and where it branches

Director, Business Concepts & Innovation is a start, not a ceiling. Each step below asks for new skills and hands back more autonomy.

VP/Head of Corporate Venturing & Incubation (L7)
3-5 years in current role
This is a significant step up, moving from business unit specific innovation to setting the entire company's innovation thesis and managing the enterprise-wide portfolio. You'll report directly to the C-Suite or Board.
- Enterprise Innovation Thesis Development
- M&A Integration for New Ventures
- Advanced Corporate Venture Capital Models
- Global Innovation Policy & Advocacy

Working with AI on the job

Working with AI

Where AI is starting to help

As a Director, your time is precious. You're juggling strategic decisions, team leadership, and high-stakes presentations. The good news? AI isn't just for junior roles; it's a game-changer for senior leaders like you, freeing you from tedious tasks so you can focus on what truly matters: driving the future of our business.

We're embedding AI tools directly into our innovation workflows, giving you and your team a significant advantage. Imagine cutting down research time, getting first drafts of complex reports in minutes, and even having an AI partner to challenge your strategic thinking. This isn't just about efficiency; it's about amplifying your strategic output and making more informed decisions, faster.

Automated Interview Synthesis

Use AI transcription and summarisation tools (like Dovetail or Gong) to automatically transcribe hours of customer interviews and user tests. Then, let AI generate instant summaries, extract key themes, identify unmet needs, and pull compelling quotes for your presentations. No more sifting through hours of audio manually.

Accelerated Market Sizing & Trend Analysis

Use AI-powered research platforms to rapidly scan and synthesise thousands of market reports, competitor filings, and global news articles. Get a first-draft TAM/SAM/SOM analysis with sources cited, or quickly identify emerging trends and white space opportunities that would take weeks to uncover manually. This gives you a strategic edge.

Generative Ideation & Strategic Partner

Use Large Language Models (LLMs) as your personal brainstorming partner. Prompt it with 'Act as a Jobs-to-be-Done expert. What are 10 potential solutions for a customer struggling with [problem]?' to generate a wide range of initial ideas, challenge your assumptions, and overcome creative blocks. It's like having a team of consultants on demand.

Board-Ready Pitch Deck Narrative Drafting

Feed an LLM your raw data, customer insights, business model canvases, and strategic objectives. Ask it to draft a compelling narrative for a 10-slide pitch deck or a full board presentation, focusing on the problem, solution, market opportunity, and financial projections. You'll spend less time drafting and more time refining the strategic message.

Common questions

How do you become a Director, Business Concepts & Innovation?

Common routes in include Manager, New Ventures (L5) (3-5 years in previous role), Head of Product (with Innovation Focus) (5-8 years in previous role) and Strategy Consultant (Senior Principal/Partner) (8-10 years in previous role). Times vary with prior experience.

Where can a Director, Business Concepts & Innovation progress to?

This role can lead on to VP/Head of Corporate Venturing & Incubation (L7) (3-5 years in current role), depending on the skills you build.

What level is a Director, Business Concepts & Innovation in the UK?

This role aligns to RQF Level 7 on the UK framework, a guide to the depth of qualification it maps to, not a hard entry bar.

What new skills matter most for a Director, Business Concepts & Innovation?

Increasingly, AI-Driven Portfolio Optimisation and Ethical AI for Innovation & Responsible Tech. These are the areas where the higher-paid, future-proof work is heading.

The honest bit

You’ve started things before

Most of them were built for a room full of people who aren’t you. A cohort moves on whether or not your week allowed it, and by the third week the thing you’re behind on becomes the reason you stop opening it.

There’s no cohort here, and no timetable to fall behind. Before anything starts, Zavmo asks when you’re sharpest and how long you can realistically sit down for, then builds the sessions around those answers. A bad fortnight changes your pace. It doesn’t put you behind.

And you only pay once you start learning. Searching and planning are free, and you can cancel any time — so the cost of finding out is an afternoon, not a year.

What it costs

Less than one coaching session. Every month.

A single career-coaching hour costs more than a month of this, and it ends when the hour does. Zavmo doesn't. It's £70 a month, about £2.30 a day, for a companion that knows a Director, Business Concepts & Innovation, works on the job you actually do, and keeps going at your pace rather than a timetable's.

Searching and planning stay free. You only pay when you start learning.
Your credits are yours. Regulated, and they don't vanish when a subscription ends.
Cancel any time and billing stops. No notice period, no minimum term.

Your path, personalised

You have the map. Walking it is the part we do together.

This route runs to 4 national skill standards. That is a real journey.

Zavmo shapes a learning experience as unique as you are. It fits how you learn, your pace and the work you already do. Every step stays benchmarked to recognised national standards. That’s the plan for becoming a Director, Business Concepts & Innovation: personal to you, and it still counts. The first steps are free.

Independent research finds well-designed intelligent tutoring performs nearly as well as one-to-one human tutoring: VanLehn (2011), Educational Psychologist.

A private tutor in the UK averages £35–40 an hour . Zavmo is £70/month.

A Zavmo curriculum screen: a three-month plan of nine units, ninety credits, each one an Ofqual-regulated unit the learner can tick or untick before starting. — A real plan on learn.zavmo.ai: Ofqual-regulated units, credits, and a three-month run at your own pace.

Start free No commitment. See your first steps free.

15Where to go from here

Other roles at Level 7

Same depth of qualification, different job. Useful if the work appeals but this particular role does not.

Other roles in Innovation Intrapreneurship

Stay in the field you know and move sideways rather than up.

If you leave this industry

The skills you'll develop in this role – particularly around venture building, strategic influence, and leading through ambiguity – are highly transferable. You could easily move into similar innovation leadership roles in other large corporations, join a venture capital firm, or even found your own startup. The demand for leaders who can genuinely build new businesses is always high, regardless of industry.

Not sure this is the right direction?

Work out what you actually want from work first, then come back and see which roles fit it. Takes about ten minutes.

You're not behind. You're right on time. The shift is only just beginning. Your role won't look the same in two years. Be the one who leads the change, not the one it happens to. Build my plan, free Here's the first ten minutes: a 2-minute confidence check → your personalised roadmap → meet the tutors matched to you. No card, cancel any time. No card. Build your plan, see your roadmap and meet the twelve tutors matched to you. All free. When you're ready to start learning, it's £70 a month, billed monthly. Cancel any time and billing stops.

Director, Business Concepts & Innovation

What's rising in its place

AI-Driven Portfolio Optimisation

Ethical AI for Innovation & Responsible Tech

Skills this role draws on

Technical

How you actually get there, here

Manager, New Ventures (L5)

Head of Product (with Innovation Focus)

Strategy Consultant (Senior Principal/Partner)

The credential is what you can do today. These are what keep you valuable.

Roles this leads to

No two people are taught the same way. This is one-to-one, not one-to-many.

A conversation, not a course

No two people run this the same way

This isn't a certificate you file away. It's a passport to the life you're designing.

Ultimately, this role is a launchpad for significant leadership opportunities, both within our organisation and beyond. We're investing in leaders who can shape the future, and we're committed to helping you get there. It won't be easy, but it will certainly be impactful.

Everything else the record holds

The career path, and where it branches

VP/Head of Corporate Venturing & Incubation (L7)

Where AI is starting to help

Automated Interview Synthesis

Accelerated Market Sizing & Trend Analysis

Generative Ideation & Strategic Partner

Board-Ready Pitch Deck Narrative Drafting

Common questions

You’ve started things before

Less than one coaching session. Every month.

You have the map. Walking it is the part we do together.