Strategic Innovation Analyst

Application Deadline: 28 October 2026

Department: Strategy and Impact

Location: International - UK

Compensation: £45,254 - £49,133 / year

Description

Join us in creating a better world for animals

At World Animal Protection, we are committed to continuously improving how we work so we can create greater impact for animals worldwide. We are looking for a Strategic Innovation Analyst to help identify, develop and shape new ideas, approaches and opportunities that strengthen organisational effectiveness, support strategic priorities and contribute to future growth.

Working within the Portfolio & Business Strategy team, you will help the organisation explore new possibilities, solve complex challenges and develop innovative approaches that respond to real organisational needs. You will collaborate with colleagues across teams and functions to identify opportunities, test assumptions and transform emerging ideas into practical, evidence-based propositions that can be assessed and progressed through strategic planning processes.

This is an exciting opportunity for a strategic and analytical thinker who enjoys working across disciplines, exploring new possibilities and helping organisations turn ideas into meaningful outcomes.

Key Responsibilities

• Identifying innovation opportunities that can strengthen organisational effectiveness, delivery models, growth potential and strategic impact.
• Working with colleagues across teams and functions to surface challenges, opportunities and unmet needs and transform them into clear and actionable propositions.
• Supporting the development of new approaches, concepts and initiatives by assessing their strategic relevance, operational implications, risks and potential value.
• Contributing to the identification and early development of emerging market, partnership and organisational improvement opportunities.
• Consulting with stakeholders to understand the practical, strategic and operational realities that influence innovation and change.
• Assessing innovation proposals and improvement ideas, identifying weaknesses and recommending practical refinements.
• Helping improve how the organisation develops and manages innovation by identifying barriers, gaps and improvement opportunities.
• Providing analysis, insights and recommendations that support stronger organisational decision-making and innovation capability.

Skills, Knowledge And Expertise

We would love to hear from you if you bring:

• Experience in strategic innovation, business improvement, organisational development, strategy or a related analytical field.
• Strong ability to apply conceptual frameworks and sound judgement to the development and assessment of new ideas and organisational approaches.
• Experience working across functions to identify needs, capture opportunities and develop proposals for innovation or improvement.
• Strong stakeholder consultation skills and the ability to understand the strategic, operational and practical realities of different contexts.
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving and written communication skills.
• Experience assessing current ways of working and recommending practical improvements that deliver value.
• The ability to manage complex work independently while maintaining strong collaboration with colleagues.
• A good understanding of how innovation, strategy, planning and organisational performance interact in practice.

Experience working within a global or multi-stakeholder organisation, or familiarity with Microsoft 365-based planning, reporting or workflow tools, would be advantageous but is not essential.

Why join World Animal Protection?

This role offers an exciting opportunity to help shape the future of World Animal Protection. You will work across multiple functions, contribute to strategic thinking and help transform emerging ideas into practical solutions that strengthen our ability to create lasting change for animals around the world.

Benefits

• All staff are entitled to 24 days of annual leave per calendar year (from January 1 to December 31). In addition, there are 2 Global Wellbeing midyear closure days and 3 additional days to be taken at the end of the calendar year, as determined by World Animal Protection. For part-time staff, holiday entitlement is prorated accordingly
• An increase to annual leave through length of service - 1 additional days leave after each years' service up to max 5 days.
• Opportunity to flex public holidays to an alternate day that better suits an employee and their beliefs.
• A range of 'Inclusivity Benefits': to aid belonging and inclusion at work, and to give our employees support in the moments they most need it:
• Bereavement/Compassionate Leave (10days)
• Carers/Dependent Leave (3 days)
• Disability Leave (10 days)
• Menstrual and Menopause Leave (12 days)
• Pregnancy Loss Leave (10 days)
• Fertility Treatment Leave (5 days per cycle, up to max 3 cycles)
• Gender Affirming Medical Leave (20 days)
• Companion animal bereavement Leave (2 days)
• Pawternity’ leave (2 days)
• World Animal Protection have a generous Pension Scheme – World Animal Protection contribute 6% and the employee must contribute a minimum of 4%.
• Employees are entitled to 2 days Volunteer Leave (pro-rata) a year to volunteer for a cause that matters to them
• Full time staff work 35 hours per week Monday to Friday. Actual working hours are flexible however as a global organisation working hours would need to fit with the requirements of the role. In most circumstances, employees can start between 8am and 10 am and finish between 4pm and 6pm however there may be occasions for the need to work outside these hours
• All World Animal Protection employees receive Life Assurance. Under the Death in Service benefit scheme the employee will receive 3 x annual salary to go to their nominated beneficiary (only applicable if you are in the pension scheme)
• We offer excellent Family Friendly Policies – enhanced Gender-Neutral Parental Leave for new parents
• Flexible working options including compressed hours
• Interest-free season ticket loans are available to all staff after 6 months service, the cost of which is deducted from your salary over the course of the year.
• Cycle to work scheme, a tax-free way to purchase your bike, the cost of which is deducted from your salary over the course of a year.
• We offer a free and confidential Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) from an independent provider of employee support services. The EAP is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and is accessible by telephone, email or online and is available in many languages. The service is there to help with a wide range of work, family and personal issues.
• We cover the cost of an annual eye test.
• Where job vacancies occur, we encourage internal applications, we have a good track record of offering existing staff promotions.
• We are committed to ensuring our employees have the appropriate qualifications and skills to fulfil their job role and progress their careers. World Animal Protection invests in employee’s development by offering opportunities to undertake studying for relevant qualifications paying professional membership fees and agreeing suitable study leave.