Senior Manager – Innovation

Entity:

Technology

Job Family Group:

Research & Technology Group

Job Description:

As Senior Manager – Innovation, you will be a key part of the team leading the Future Innovation agenda for Downstream Research & Development. Shaping and enabling the capabilities, facilities, operating models, and delivery required to accelerate technology solutions, to generate value for bp. The role brings together strategic innovation leadership, programme delivery, business engagement and integration. Turning complex opportunities into practical and scalable outcomes will be key.

The Senior Manager - Innovation will lead a portfolio spanning innovation delivery, technology centre readiness, digital and data-enabled ways of working, as well as the governance needed to ensure programmes are delivered safely, efficiently, and with clear business value. The role will work across global teams, Projects, Procurement, Facilities, HSSE, and business partners, including the Bengaluru Technology Centre programme and wider Future Innovation priorities.

This is an exciting opportunity to shape bp’s Future Innovation capability from a senior leadership position, connecting strategic ambition with practical delivery. The successful candidate will help build the operating models, partnerships, facilities, and delivery needed to accelerate innovation across bp’s Research and Development area and create measurable value for bp’s businesses.

Key Accountabilities:

Strategy & Vision: Set and communicate a compelling Future Innovation vision aligned with bp’s Technology strategy. Translate priorities into clear portfolio plans that balance near-term delivery, medium-term capability building, and longer-term innovation impact.

Innovation Portfolio Leadership: Shape, prioritise, and govern the Future Innovation portfolio, ensuring resources are focused on the highest-value opportunities and that progress, risks, dependencies, and business impact are visible to interested parties.

Programme Delivery: Lead delivery of strategic innovation programmes and workstreams, including integrated plans, timeframes, budgets, risks, governance, and cross-functional coordination across Technology, Projects, Procurement, Facilities, HSSE, suppliers, and external partners.

Financial and commercial accountability: Own and oversee budgets across the programme, ensuring disciplined planning, prioritisation and cost management. Develop robust investment proposals and reasoning for new programmes, facilities and capabilities. Ensure procurement and contracting strategies support programme outcomes, risk management and long-term organisational value. Hold suppliers and partners accountable for performance, quality, safety and delivery. Find opportunities to simplify delivery, improve productivity and maximise value from bp’s investment.

Technology Centre Readiness: Provide senior leadership for planning, commissioning, operating model development, and business readiness activities for new or evolving technology centre capabilities, ensuring alignment between facility design, technology needs, governance, digital systems, and future growth requirements.

Build trusted relationships: across bp businesses and Technology teams, acting as a senior interface for Future Innovation priorities and translating complex programme activity into clear executive communications, leadership updates, and decision materials.

Innovation Enablement: Drive the development and adoption of new ways of working, collaboration models, digital tools, external ecosystem engagement, and business processes that improve innovation productivity and shorten the path from idea to business impact.

People Leadership: Build and lead a high-performing, inclusive innovation team and network, developing capability through coaching, mentoring, hiring, onboarding, and clear prioritisation. Create the conditions for collaboration across organisational and geographic boundaries.

Governance, Risk & Safety: Champion bp’s safety culture and operational excellence expectations, ensuring innovation activities are delivered in compliance with applicable safety, risk, procurement, financial, and governance requirements, with lessons learned embedded across the portfolio. Work with HSSE, engineering and operational leaders to ensure facilities and capabilities are safe, compliant and ready for operation.

Requirements of the role:

• Bachelor’s degree in science, engineering, or project management, or a related subject area with relevant experience.
• Consistent record leading complex, high-value technology, innovation, transformation, facility readiness, or operational delivery programmes in a global organisation.
• Demonstrated people leadership experience, including building, developing, and motivating teams and networks across multiple locations and business areas.
• Strong portfolio and programme management capability, including governance, prioritisation, budget management, risk management, dependency management, and reporting to senior levels.
• Experience working across research, technology, digital, engineering, facilities, procurement, safety, or business-facing environments to deliver integrated outcomes.
• Excellent relationship management and influencing skills, with the ability to work through ambiguity and align senior leaders, technical experts, suppliers, and delivery teams around shared priorities.
• Strong communication skills, including the ability to prepare executive-level communications, governance materials, programme updates, cases and decision papers.
• Clear commitment to safety, integrity, inclusion, and operational excellence, with the ability to role model expected behaviours and embed effective controls across programmes.

Desirable Criteria

• An advanced degree or equivalent professional experience in technology, R&D, engineering or programme delivery.
• Experience establishing or scaling technology centres, laboratories, R&D hubs, innovation ecosystems, or cross-functional capability centres.
• Experience with automation, data, AI, laboratory systems, or knowledge management capabilities that enable faster and more effective innovation delivery.
• Experience building and sustaining partnerships with start-ups, suppliers, national laboratories, or other external innovation partners.
• Familiarity with intellectual property, commercialisation, technology maturation, and business integration pathways.
• Experience operating within international, culturally diverse, and geographically distributed teams.

Why join us?

We’re committed to supporting leaders who want to make an impact. At bp, you’ll have the chance to shape and influence outcomes across businesses. You’ll be part of an inclusive environment where diverse perspectives are valued, and where your contribution to performance and integration matters. We invest in the growth and wellbeing of our people, providing the resources, networks, and development opportunities needed to thrive.

Our total rewards package includes competitive pay, bonuses, share options, and a range of flexible benefits designed to meet your needs — from healthcare and retirement plans to paid time off and agile working. We recognise that people have multifaceted lives, and we strive to offer a career experience that reflects that.

Location:

Please note that roles based out of Sunbury will move to Timber Square, Southwark, from Q4 2027

Apply now!

Travel Requirement

Up to 10% travel should be expected with this role

Relocation Assistance:

This role is not eligible for relocation

Remote Type:

This position is a hybrid of office/remote working

Skills:

Agility core practices, Agility core practices, Analytical Thinking, Artificial intelligence, Creating new methodologies, Experimental Design, Formulated product testing, Formulation Deployment, Formulation design, Influencing, Intellectual Asset Management, Multi-physics modelling, Presenting, Product Development, Product Sustainability Performance Management, Project Management, Raw materials knowledge, Research and Development, Rheology, Safety management across the value chain, Science and Technology Leadership, Scientific publication, Technology Management Processes, Testing electric vehicle charging systems, Thought Leadership {+ 2 more}

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Future Location Notice:  This role will start in Sunbury, London. bp has announced a planned office move to Timber Square, London, with all positions currently advertised in Sunbury, including this one, expected to relocate around Q4 2027-Q1 2028. This presents an exciting opportunity for all employees and leaders to come together in one London location. The specific date of the move will be confirmed closer to the time.

Legal Disclaimer:

We are an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of protected characteristics like race, religion, color, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, veteran status or disability status. Individuals with an accessibility need may request an adjustment/accommodation related to bp’s recruiting process (e.g., accessing the job application, completing required assessments, participating in telephone screenings or interviews, etc.). If you would like to request an adjustment/accommodation related to the recruitment process, please contact us.

If you are selected for a position and depending upon your role, your employment may be contingent upon adherence to local policy. This may include pre-placement drug screening, medical review of physical fitness for the role, and background checks.