Innovation Officer (Portfolio)

Dementia is the UK’s biggest killer, and nearly one million people are living with it today. Behind every number is a person, a family, and a need for better support, care and hope. 

What would it take to turn an idea into something that improves lives at scale? And how do we make sure good innovations do not get stuck, but reach the people who need them? 

At Alzheimer’s Society, innovation is how we turn ideas into real world change. We identify, support and invest in solutions that improve diagnosis, care, access to treatment and help prevent crisis. Our Innovation Programme has supported more than 60 innovations, reaching over 1.5 million people and helping partners secure millions in further funding. 

We are looking for an Innovation Officer (Portfolio) to help grow and strengthen this impact. You will sit within our Innovation Team in the Research and Influencing Directorate, supporting performance, relationships and learning across our investment portfolio. 

This role is about helping good ideas go further and making sure they deliver real benefit for people affected by dementia. 

What does it look like when innovation truly works in the real world? 

What you’ll do 

You will manage relationships with our innovation portfolio partners, monitoring progress, impact and reach, seeking opportunities for wider implementation and scale of innovations, how can we drive opportunities for wider adoption and growth of innovations? 

You will help us understand the impact of our innovation portfolio by turning project data into clear, useful insight through dashboards and analysis. .How do we frame data to focus on outcomes and emphasise real world change?  

You will track the return on investment of innovations within the portfolio, monitoring quarterly   sales and annual returns to understand whether innovations are delivering the expected impact and sustainability. How do we balance impact, growth and financial return? 

You will help with operational delivery, including due diligence, contracting, and invoicing. How do we keep the behind the scenes work steady so innovation can move forward? 

You will also help share the work of our team and innovators we support  through events, communications, and engagement. How do we make impact feel real and support innovations to be accessible to others? 

You will support learning and evaluation to understand what works and why. How do we make space for learning, not just delivery? 

Key responsibilities include: 

• Manage portfolio partner relationships through regular engagement, meetings, and stakeholder support 
• Develop and maintain impact metrics and dashboards to track portfolio performance, returns, and impact 
• Monitor financial performance including sales, returns, and quarterly partner reporting 
• Review and analyse partner reports to identify progress, risks, and key themes across the portfolio 
• Support income‑generation opportunities by identifying routes for testing, implementation, and scaling 
• Monitor compliance requirements including contractual obligations and brand‑licensing agreements 
• Lead evaluation activity by designing, commissioning, and monitoring evaluations with partners 
• Prepare and coordinate partner representation and involvement in meetings and events 
• Support operational processes such as invoicing, due diligence, contracting, and onboarding of new partners 
• Collaborate across teams and contribute to continuous improvement of portfolio management and reporting 

About you 

You care about work that makes a difference. You are curious, open to learning, and comfortable working across information, people and processes. 

You might come from innovation, partnerships, health, charity or the public sector. Or somewhere completely different. 

We do not expect you to know everything on day one. We care more about how you think and how you work with others. 

If you meet some of the criteria but not all, we would still really like to hear from you. 

• You are interested in understanding what is working and what is not, and why  
• You enjoy working with others to keep things moving  
• You can manage multiple pieces of work and notice what matters most  
• You communicate clearly, even when information is complex or changing  
• You find practical ways forward when things are not straightforward  

We are building innovation that transforms lives. This role helps make sure that happens. 

Dementia is the UK's biggest killer. One in three people born in the UK today will develop dementia in their lifetime.

At Alzheimer's Society, we're the UK's leading dementia charity and the only one to tackle all aspects of dementia by giving help and hope to people living with dementia today and in the future. We give vital support to people facing the most frightening times of their lives, while also funding groundbreaking research and campaigning to make dementia the priority it should be.

Together with our supporters, we're working towards a world where dementia no longer devastates lives.

Our values make sure that our focus is clear for the challenges and opportunities ahead and remind us of what we all stand for.

Our commitment to Equity, Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging

We need to ensure the voices around our table better reflect and understand the communities we exist to serve. We strongly encourage individuals to apply who have a disability, impairment or health condition or individuals who identify as Black, Asian or from another minority ethnic background, as these groups are currently under-represented at Alzheimer's Society.  

We want everyone we work with, as a colleague, volunteer, supporter, or someone we support, to feel included and that they belong at Alzheimer's Society. 

Our Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy here along with our internal employee forum and Employee Lived Experience network groups help us promote inclusion and belonging, becoming an engaged and inclusive organisation for all our people. 

Our hiring process

During your recruitment process we want to make sure that you bring your whole self and can be at your best. We are working hard to ensure our recruitment process is as inclusive as possible, so please do inform us of your experience and anything you think we could do better by completing our candidate survey when you apply.  Please also contact Alzheimer's Society Talent Acquisition Team via [email protected] for application support or any adjustments you might need.

To ensure fairness and consistency to select the best candidate for this role, all our applications are anonymised up until an interview has been confirmed. We recognise the benefits of AI, but if you're considering using it to submit your application, we encourage you to reflect on the value it truly adds. AI tools often lack the personal touch and authenticity that set candidates apart. We want to hear your unique perspective, experiences, and skills, so we encourage you to showcase them in your own voice.

We try to avoid closing roles early where possible, however if we receive a high volume of applications, we may close earlier than the advertised closing date. Should this occur, we will aim to provide you with at least 48 hours' notice.

We are committed to safer recruitment and ensuring the welfare of those we work with, due to the nature of some of our roles, we might need to carry out a Criminal Record Check at the relevant level. You can read more information via our Website.

Giving back to you

Our employees work hard every day to make a true difference in people's lives. We are proud to support them with a range of benefits, recognition and many options for working agilely, all contributing to a strong work life balance. We also have various learning programmes to support you in your development and help you grow to realise your potential and shape a career with Alzheimer's Society. 

You can also visit our Working for Us pages, which give you more information about what it's like to be an employee at the Society.