Technical Product Owner

The Role

Are you passionate about turning bold ideas into market-ready products? Join an inclusive, innovative global FMCG business powered by 25,000 talented employees worldwide, where your expertise will help shape the products of tomorrow.

As a key leader within R&D, you'll transform innovation strategies into successful products that delight consumers while meeting the highest standards of quality, safety, and compliance. You'll bring cross-functional teams together, align technical workstreams, manage risk, and drive projects from concept through to launch readiness.

Principle Accountabilities

• Lead end-to-end technical delivery of innovation projects, transforming consumer and category strategies into scalable, launch-ready products that meet quality, safety, regulatory, and performance standards.
• Drive technical alignment across R&D functions, ensuring formulation, packaging, manufacturing, regulatory, and quality requirements are integrated and achievable within project timelines.
• Orchestrate cross-functional innovation programmes from early concept through to launch, balancing feasibility, cost, compliance, and consumer needs to deliver successful outcomes.
• Identify and manage technical risks, developing robust mitigation plans and guiding teams through key milestones to keep projects on track and launch ready.
• Act as the voice of Global R&D, partnering closely with project, commercial, and supply chain teams to ensure informed decision-making and seamless delivery.
• Champion project excellence, overseeing technical governance, stage-gate readiness, resource planning, and documentation to support efficient, compliant, and successful innovation delivery.

Skills and Experience Required

• Strong technical expertise in a scientific, engineering, or product development field, gained through education, professional experience, or a combination of both.
• Proven experience within R&D or technical project leadership, delivering complex products from concept through to successful market launch.
• Skilled at leading cross-functional teams, bringing together diverse technical experts to achieve shared goals and overcome challenges.
• Strong understanding of the product development lifecycle, including manufacturing, quality, regulatory, and technical requirements within complex or regulated environments.
• Experienced in managing technical risk and making informed decisions, balancing speed, cost, quality, and business priorities to deliver successful outcomes.
• Exceptional stakeholder management and organisational skills, with the ability to influence, align teams, manage external partners, and drive projects forward with clarity and precision.

What We Offer

In return for playing your part in building our future, you will receive a comprehensive compensation package with salary, bonus scheme and further benefits as well inspiring places to work and collaborate with purpose. Here at Imperial we will give you the opportunity to grow and learn, innovate at pace and be a part of our purpose to forge a path to a healthier future for moments of relaxation and pleasure for our consumers.

Everyone Belongs

About Us

We're a truly international company, fourth largest in our industry and operating across 120 markets. An inclusive, innovative global FMCG business supported by 25,000 employees. As we embrace a new era of growth, we are transforming. Our ways of working and culture are driven by a challenger mindset, constantly questioning the status quo where people can bring their best selves to work. Our agility and collaboration are driving our ambitions, innovation and success all supported by our award-winning development programmes that creates exciting and rewarding career opportunities for all. Encouraging inclusion at local levels and supporting a developing and robust diversity agenda globally, we’re fully committed to creating and maintaining an environment that celebrates and respects difference.

As a matter of policy, Imperial Tobacco or its subsidiaries never requests or requires payment as part of any recruitment process.