Job Description
Full job description
Innovation & Whitespaces Lead
Location: Brisbane or Sydney
Hybrid Working: 3 x days onsite/ 2 x days remote available
Job type: Permanent, full-time
Opella is the self-care challenger with the purest and third-largest portfolio in the Over-The-Counter (OTC) & Vitamins, Minerals & Supplements (VMS) market globally .
Our mission: to bring health in people’s hands by making self-care as simple as it should be for over half a billion consumers worldwide.
At the core of this mission is our 100+ loved brands , our 11,000-strong global team, our 13 best-in-class manufacturing sites and 4 specialised science and innovation development centers.
Through our unique and balanced portfolio of more than 100 loved brands, including 15 global and local high-growth challengers such as Telfast, Nature’s Own, Cenovis & Ostelin we deliver our mission.
We are also proud to have been the first, large, pure consumer healthcare company to achieve B Corp certification with Australia in February 2025 . Today, with 2/3rd of our global business certified, we continue to make progress towards global certification.
Find out more about our mission to bring health in your hands at www.opella.com.
About the job
The Innovation & Whitespaces Lead is an exciting and dynamic leadership role within the Health and Wellness category- VMS & OTC, responsible for spearheading innovation of Australia’s biggest VMS portfolio to life for the business and drive unparalleled growth into the future.
By providing innovative leadership and strategic direction, this motivated person will allow our brands to outgrow the category via exceptional team leadership and challenger mindset, delivering consistent and significant innovation that truly delights consumers, while leading and evaluating whitespace opportunities for Opella ANZ.
This role has true ownership of Innovation and is seen as a leader across the organisation with opportunities for regular senior management exposure and global opportunities. Beyond delivery of results, this person will be able to shape processes, operating model and culture as Opella builds for the future.
This role sits on the Brand Leadership Team reporting into the Head of Brand & Innovation on the ANZ LT.
Main Responsibilities
Lead the innovation team to deliver Bigger and Faster Innovation across Nature’s Own, Cenovis and Ostelin. Work alongside the Brand Leads to ensure innovation strategy and projects align with the Brand Vision and Ambition
Full responsibility for 3-5 year VMS Innovation Pipeline including Portfolio Strategy to drive scale, prioritization and differentiation.
Full responsibility for delivery of Innovation in 2026 onwards via team leadership
Expectation to identify segments / trends / formats / flavours / packs / ingredients to deliver growth
Expectations to collaborate closely with internal Brand teams, Sales, R&D, Development Centre, M&S, Project Managers, Science team
Partner and influence external CMOs, Customers and Suppliers
Expectation to support governance process with emphasis on simplification to unlock resources, speed and growth
Strategic Thought Leader: Be Consumer obsessed and customer focused to deliver compelling and differentiated innovation
Deep Category, Competitor, customer and consumer understanding to turn insight into meaningful NPD action for growth.
Lead internal and external partners to co-create Innovation successes for growth.
Actively brings the external environment into the business to inspire innovation via partner expo’s, annual NPD reviews and workshops, partnerships and investigating new opportunities in consultation with the Science Hub and Dev centre.
Represent the VMS category to the regional Leadership team for Business reviews, Strategic planning and other relevant presentations to executives
Whitespace Lead: Ability to evaluate and seek new opportunities for Opella ANZ in geographic expansion, segment expansion or brand expansion.
Inquisitive mind to evaluate opportunities with minimal data or experience
Ability to reapply best practice and global learnings
Ability to build business cases and work with external partners to bring opportunities into Opella
People Management: Create and lead a high performing team while driving overall ANZ culture
Drive a High Performing Culture within direct and indirect team
Lead, Coach and Motivate 2 direct reports to maximise individuals potential and contribution
Get the best out of the team and empower Innovation team to pursue outperformance vs the market.
Manage the overall prioritisation, productivity and effectiveness of the Innovation team
Actively develop talent through targeted development plans and coaching
Actively address emerging performance gaps in a timely manner
About you
We believe that professionals with the following experience and skillsets are well-suited for this position:
Qualifications:
Degree qualified in Business, Marketing, or alike (Science qualifications also a bonus).
Essential Skills & Experience
Min 10 x years Innovation/Brand Building experience within Consumer Healthcare or FMCG Industries
Min 5 x years leading teams / supervisory experience with proven ability to people manage and inspire confidence of Innovation both internally and externally
Sound understanding of multifunctional organisation – Sales, Finance, Supply, Science, Development etc
Desirable Skills and Experience:
Ability to clearly and concisely express ideas in spoken and written communications to large and senior audiences
Health and Wellness Category knowledge (min FMCG experience), bonus for TGA + Regulatory environment
Why us?
At Opella, you will enjoy doing challenging, purposeful work, empowered to develop consumer brands with passion and creativity. This is your chance to grow new skills and be part of a bold, collaborative, and inclusive culture where people can thrive and be at their best every day.
We Are Challengers.
We are dedicated to making self-care as simple as it should be. That starts with our culture. We are challengers by nature, and this is how we do things:
All In Together: We keep each other honest and have each other's backs.
Courageous: We break boundaries and take thoughtful risks with creativity.
Outcome-Obsessed: We are personally accountable, driving sustainable impact and results with integrity.
Radically Simple: We strive to make things simple for us and simple for consumers, as it should be.
Join us on our mission. Health. In your hands.
www.opella.com/en/careers
#LI-Hybrid
Innovation & Whitespaces Lead
Location: Brisbane or Sydney
Hybrid Working: 3 x days onsite/ 2 x days remote available
Job type: Permanent, full-time
Opella is the self-care challenger with the purest and third-largest portfolio in the Over-The-Counter (OTC) & Vitamins, Minerals & Supplements (VMS) market globally .
Our mission: to bring health in people’s hands by making self-care as simple as it should be for over half a billion consumers worldwide.
At the core of this mission is our 100+ loved brands , our 11,000-strong global team, our 13 best-in-class manufacturing sites and 4 specialised science and innovation development centers.
Through our unique and balanced portfolio of more than 100 loved brands, including 15 global and local high-growth challengers such as Telfast, Nature’s Own, Cenovis & Ostelin we deliver our mission.
We are also proud to have been the first, large, pure consumer healthcare company to achieve B Corp certification with Australia in February 2025 . Today, with 2/3rd of our global business certified, we continue to make progress towards global certification.
Find out more about our mission to bring health in your hands at www.opella.com.
About the job
The Innovation & Whitespaces Lead is an exciting and dynamic leadership role within the Health and Wellness category- VMS & OTC, responsible for spearheading innovation of Australia’s biggest VMS portfolio to life for the business and drive unparalleled growth into the future.
By providing innovative leadership and strategic direction, this motivated person will allow our brands to outgrow the category via exceptional team leadership and challenger mindset, delivering consistent and significant innovation that truly delights consumers, while leading and evaluating whitespace opportunities for Opella ANZ.
This role has true ownership of Innovation and is seen as a leader across the organisation with opportunities for regular senior management exposure and global opportunities. Beyond delivery of results, this person will be able to shape processes, operating model and culture as Opella builds for the future.
This role sits on the Brand Leadership Team reporting into the Head of Brand & Innovation on the ANZ LT.
Main Responsibilities
Lead the innovation team to deliver Bigger and Faster Innovation across Nature’s Own, Cenovis and Ostelin. Work alongside the Brand Leads to ensure innovation strategy and projects align with the Brand Vision and Ambition
Full responsibility for 3-5 year VMS Innovation Pipeline including Portfolio Strategy to drive scale, prioritization and differentiation.
Full responsibility for delivery of Innovation in 2026 onwards via team leadership
Expectation to identify segments / trends / formats / flavours / packs / ingredients to deliver growth
Expectations to collaborate closely with internal Brand teams, Sales, R&D, Development Centre, M&S, Project Managers, Science team
Partner and influence external CMOs, Customers and Suppliers
Expectation to support governance process with emphasis on simplification to unlock resources, speed and growth
Strategic Thought Leader: Be Consumer obsessed and customer focused to deliver compelling and differentiated innovation
Deep Category, Competitor, customer and consumer understanding to turn insight into meaningful NPD action for growth.
Lead internal and external partners to co-create Innovation successes for growth.
Actively brings the external environment into the business to inspire innovation via partner expo’s, annual NPD reviews and workshops, partnerships and investigating new opportunities in consultation with the Science Hub and Dev centre.
Represent the VMS category to the regional Leadership team for Business reviews, Strategic planning and other relevant presentations to executives
Whitespace Lead: Ability to evaluate and seek new opportunities for Opella ANZ in geographic expansion, segment expansion or brand expansion.
Inquisitive mind to evaluate opportunities with minimal data or experience
Ability to reapply best practice and global learnings
Ability to build business cases and work with external partners to bring opportunities into Opella
People Management: Create and lead a high performing team while driving overall ANZ culture
Drive a High Performing Culture within direct and indirect team
Lead, Coach and Motivate 2 direct reports to maximise individuals potential and contribution
Get the best out of the team and empower Innovation team to pursue outperformance vs the market.
Manage the overall prioritisation, productivity and effectiveness of the Innovation team
Actively develop talent through targeted development plans and coaching
Actively address emerging performance gaps in a timely manner
About you
We believe that professionals with the following experience and skillsets are well-suited for this position:
Qualifications:
Degree qualified in Business, Marketing, or alike (Science qualifications also a bonus).
Essential Skills & Experience
Min 10 x years Innovation/Brand Building experience within Consumer Healthcare or FMCG Industries
Min 5 x years leading teams / supervisory experience with proven ability to people manage and inspire confidence of Innovation both internally and externally
Sound understanding of multifunctional organisation – Sales, Finance, Supply, Science, Development etc
Desirable Skills and Experience:
Ability to clearly and concisely express ideas in spoken and written communications to large and senior audiences
Health and Wellness Category knowledge (min FMCG experience), bonus for TGA + Regulatory environment
Why us?
At Opella, you will enjoy doing challenging, purposeful work, empowered to develop consumer brands with passion and creativity. This is your chance to grow new skills and be part of a bold, collaborative, and inclusive culture where people can thrive and be at their best every day.
We Are Challengers.
We are dedicated to making self-care as simple as it should be. That starts with our culture. We are challengers by nature, and this is how we do things:
All In Together: We keep each other honest and have each other's backs.
Courageous: We break boundaries and take thoughtful risks with creativity.
Outcome-Obsessed: We are personally accountable, driving sustainable impact and results with integrity.
Radically Simple: We strive to make things simple for us and simple for consumers, as it should be.
Join us on our mission. Health. In your hands.
www.opella.com/en/careers
#LI-Hybrid
💡 Quick Summary
Seeking a career-building opportunity? The Innovation & Whitespaces Lead position is now open for candidates interested in the Health Jobs sector. This role in Macquarie Park offers a professional environment and growth potential.
Requirement Snapshot: Candidates should possess basic communication skills, a proactive attitude, and the ability to work in a team. Experience in Health Jobs is a plus.
