Innovation Lead, Cleo
Fintech
£102.5-127.7k
Plus equity
1-2 days a week in office
AI personal finance assistant
Open for applications
AI personal finance assistant
201-500 employees
Open for applications
£102.5-127.7k
Plus equity
1-2 days a week in office
201-500 employees
Company mission
To help millions of people improve their financial health, and relate to them in a way their banks never could.
Role
Who you are
- We have an exceptionally high bar for talent, seeking individuals who are not only at the top of their field but also embody our culture of collaboration and positive impact
- If you’re driven by complex challenges that push your expertise, the chance to shape something truly transformative, and the potential to share in Cleo’s success as we scale, while growing alongside a company that’s scaling fast, this might be your perfect fit
- A strong background in the consumer fintech ecosystem is essential, as you will need expert knowledge to drive developments that meet the evolving demands of our customers
- Visionary Thinking: You’re a creative force with an innate ability to generate and champion bold, transformative ideas
- Strategic Innovator: You combine imagination with sharp analytical thinking to identify opportunities and shape them into actionable strategies
- Thrives in Complexity: You excel in navigating unstructured environments, bringing clarity and focus to undefined challenges
- Dynamic Collaborator: You bring people together to co-create, driving alignment and inspiration across teams
- Customer-Centric Mindset: You deeply understand and empathise with customer needs, crafting ideas that deliver both delight and tangible value
- Proven Innovator: You have experience in consumer fintech 0→1 product development and have a track record of originating innovative concepts which drive to successful outcomes
- Action-Oriented: While you’re a dreamer, you’re also a doer, eager to translate big ideas into tangible, testable concepts
- A proven track record of originating and developing groundbreaking ideas that have led to impactful business outcomes
- Exceptional communication and storytelling skills to inspire and align diverse stakeholders
- A mix of creative instinct and rigorous problem-solving to balance boldness with feasibility
- Deep experience in consumer-facing products (B2C); fintech experience is a must
- Familiarity with customer research, market analysis, and strategic validation methods
What the job involves
- This isn't just a job; it's a chance to join a team of brilliant, driven individuals who are passionate about making a real difference
- As Innovation Lead, you’ll be at the forefront of driving Cleo’s diversification strategy, leading the discovery of high-impact New Bets that redefine our product offering and expand our revenue streams
- You will thrive in ambiguity, marrying imaginative creativity with sharp strategic thinking to generate and validate ideas that have the potential to shape Cleo’s future
- This isn’t just about process—it’s about envisioning what’s next
- You’ll be a creative powerhouse and a catalyst for innovation, bringing bold, unconventional ideas to life and fostering a culture of experimentation
- Success in this role is measured by the strength and originality of the concepts developed, as well as their potential impact on Cleo's customers and business
- Develop deep understanding of user problems, the competitive landscape, and Cleo’s right to win in new spaces
- Run ideation and brainstorming sessions to generate early-stage concepts that can diversify Cleo’s product offering
- Engage with internal and external experts to sharpen thinking and improve the quality of concepts
- Collaborate with cross-functional partners (design, research, engineering, analytics, commercial) to shape and evolve ideas
- Map key assumptions and coordinate scrappy testing plans with research and analytics to validate early-stage concepts
- Build compelling, data-informed cases for why Cleo should invest in the concepts you’ve developed
- Challenge conventional thinking and surface bold ideas aligned with Cleo’s mission and customer needs
- Uncover Opportunities: Partner with Research and Product Marketing to identify unmet needs, whitespace, and emerging trends
- Develop and iterate on concepts with clear value propositions and a path to commercialisation
- Draw on the expertise of cross-functional teams to refine and strengthen ideas throughout the process
Application process
- We aim to move as fast as possible. Usually 2-3 weeks is enough time for us all to get to know each other
- Step 1: 30 mins video call with a member of our Talent Team to find out more about your experience and why you’re potentially interested in Cleo
- Step 2: 1 hour with the Hiring Manager - Tom May, Product Director - New Ventures
- Step 3: Take home task interview, presented to two of our Product team
- Step 4: 45 minutes each with two cross-functional peers
Salary benchmarks
Our take
People are increasingly not satisfied with the products being offered by traditional banks, which have proven slow to react to the needs of younger consumers who expect more from their everyday experiences.
Cleo was one of the first companies to make great use of chatbots that sit within Facebook's messenger app. This chatbot-first approach and Gen Z user base have given it strong virality. It now has millions of registered users, 99% of which are based in the US, leading to a decision to take a year break from the UK market to focus on its US Gen Z customers. And after a successful year in the US its now eyeing up a return to the UK.
Its Series C funding will help the company to double down in the US, where it will make a significant increase in employee headcount, and enable Cleo to maintain and expand its service during an economic downturn.
Financial advice delivered via bots is a crowded space, so Cleo benefits from having a strong brand presence. It has gone for very bold, fun, Gen Z-focused messaging which helps it to stand out from competitors such as Emma, Plum, and Chip.
Kirsty
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Insights
Company
Employee endorsements
Nice people
"Cleople are unmatched. The vibes, the energy, the friendships. I genuinely love my colleagues and have developed real-life friendships. I don't know..."
Funding (last 2 of 5 rounds)
Jun 2022
$80m
SERIES C
Dec 2020
$44m
SERIES B
Total funding: $137.5m
Company benefits
- Learning and development
- Mental health support
- Agile working
Company values
- Make it Happen
- Learn at Speed
- Bring Good Vibes
Company HQ
London, UK
Leadership
Barnaby Hussey-Yeo
(Founder & CEO)Previously a Data Scientist at Wonga, one of the companies that pioneered the smart use of data for loan decisions. Joined Entrepreneur First where Cleo was formed.
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at Cleo
Annie Jackson (Head of Talent )
- We’ve set up an internal committee of truly passionate people that are dedicated to ensuring Diversity and Inclusion is embedded in how we all operate as a team. We agree on meaningful actions, and get on with implementing them. We have three main focuses right now, which are:
- 1) Improving SocioEconomic diversity across the company
- 2) Increasing the number of women in Leadership roles
- 3) More community outreach
- Check out our 2022 Diversity and Inclusion report, here: https://web.meetcleo.com/blog/cleo-diversity-equity-and-inclusion-report-2022
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