Director, Innovation Excellence

Would you like to join a global, growing company that innovates for a more sustainable tomorrow? UPM could be the team for you. We are frontrunners in developing renewable alternatives to fossil-based materials. Besides enabling both businesses and consumers make more sustainable choices, we strive to create a positive UPM experience for all our employees around the world. We live by our values – trust and be trusted, achieve together, renew with courage. Together we can renew the everyday, for a future beyond fossils! 

Learn more about us as a workplace upm.com/careers

We are looking for a Director, Innovation Excellence to join the UPM Innovation team.

Greetings from your future manager:

“At UPM, innovation is central to our transformation. As Director, Innovation Excellence, you will build and lead UPM’s innovation governance and portfolio management capability, ensuring that innovation efforts are focused, transparent, and value-driven. This role is about bringing clarity, discipline, and decision quality to how we prioritize, manage, and follow up innovation across UPM. If you are motivated by building systems that enable innovation to deliver real impact, I look forward to getting to know you.” – Raisa Vermasvuori, Vice President UPM Innovation

What you will do:

• Build and lead UPM’s innovation governance and portfolio management capability, including frameworks, processes, and decision forums

• Own and develop UPM’s innovation management framework, ensuring clarity on roles, decision rights, prioritization criteria, and follow-up

• Ensure innovation portfolios across UPM are strategically aligned, well-prioritized, and transparently managed, from early ideas to scaled initiatives

• Provide clear, fact-based portfolio insights to support leadership decision-making and trade-offs

• Drive continuous improvement of innovation practices, capabilities, and ways of working, in close collaboration with R&D, Strategic Venturing, and businesses

• Ensure end-to-end innovation flow, connecting R&D, innovation initiatives, and venturing into a coherent, value-driven system

Who you are:

• You have a Master’s degree or higher in Engineering, Technology, Economics, or related field

• You bring a minimum of 10 years of relevant leadership experience in innovation management, R&D governance, technology and R&D management, or portfolio leadership within global industrial environments

• You have a proven track record of building and operating innovation or technology management systems that improve prioritization, transparency, and value creation

• You are comfortable driving difficult prioritization and stop decisions, and enabling leadership to make informed trade-offs

• You have strong stakeholder management and influencing skills, and can lead change across organizational boundaries

• You have sufficient understanding of technology- and sustainability-driven transformation to work credibly with R&D, businesses, and venturing teams

• You are fluent in English; other languages are an asset

This is what we offer to you  

• A meaningful job – We have an inspiring purpose ‘We create a future beyond fossils.’ Our work is impactful and transformative. 

• A caring community – Our community is built on great team spirit and shared commitment. We care about each other and the well-being of our colleagues. We support the work-life balance of all our employees. 

• Development opportunities – We offer you great opportunities to learn and grow throughout your career. We are an international, multi-business organization offering plenty of avenues for personal growth. 

• Responsible employer - Sustainability is at the core of everything we do. We are committed to ambitious, science-based sustainability targets in all areas from climate change to biodiversity. We foster diversity and inclusivity, offering a work environment in which everyone can be themselves. 

Learn about our Rewarding and our Ways of working. 

Additional information 

The position is located in Helsinki, Finland.

The position holder will report to VP, Technology. 

To apply, please submit your CV and cover letter by February 22, 2026. Please note that we accept only applications submitted through our online application system. We begin reviewing applications as they are received, and you may be contacted before the application deadline. 

For support with submitting your application, please contact the HR Service Center at [email protected] or tel. +358204146600. 

For UPM positions located in Finland, a security background check may be performed for those selected to UPM positions, in accordance with the company recruitment guidelines and the Security Clearance Act 726/2014. 
 

UPM Innovation (UPM I) is designed to play a decisive role in fueling UPM’s performance today and shaping its growth and transformation tomorrow. Our ambition is to position UPM as a company-wide center of excellence for innovation management; a trusted partner for businesses, supporting performance, growth and renewal and a platform for future capabilities, enabling UPM's long-term competitiveness.

UPM I stands for innovation with impact, aligned to strategy and powered by people.

UPM – we renew the everyday
Read more: upm.com

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