Job Descriptions: Food & Consumer Packaged Goods

We’re assembling collection of job descriptions for a wide array of innovation-related roles, including in the food, beauty, and consumer packaged goods industries. We hope it’ll be useful as you’re trying to build out your own innovation team — or to see how other companies describe what innovation means to them, who innovation leaders report to, etc.

You can help. E-mail us with job descriptions you’ve seen, or used at your organization.

(Please note: Some of these searches may be on-going, but most aren’t. Please check with the company, LinkedIn, or Indeed to confirm.)

Senior Manager/Innovation, Avon

Avon’s Research & Development team of 350 scientists create and evaluate approximately 1,000 new products every year at our state-of-the-art Global Research and Development facility in Suffern, NY.

The $100 million, 225,000 square-foot facility (located on the grounds of our founder’s original laboratory, built over a century ago) is home to the best and the brightest Scientists, Engineers and Technicians in the beauty industry. Many of our professionals hold advanced degrees in Chemistry, Biochemistry, Toxicology, Pharmacology and Microbiology.

Thanks to the pioneering work of this world-class team, we are the global leader in the development of breakthrough beauty innovations, whether it’s through light-adjusting make-up or revolutionary anti-aging skincare. Avon is the proud recipient of several prestigious awards, including most recently, the 2013 Cosmetic Executive Women, Inc. Beauty Insider’s Choice award for ANEW Clinical Pro Line Eraser Treatment, and the 2011 Edison Award (Personal Care segment) for our Lotus Shield product.

Avon’s Research and Development experts span three functional areas: New Technology/Innovation, Product Development, and Product Safety and Integrity.

We are seeking a Senior Manager to join our New Technology functional area working on beauty products (Skin Care, Color cosmetics, Hair and Personal care). The primary responsibility of this position is to lead the upstream research efforts in consumer inspired innovation from conception through product ‘proof of principle’ to deliver transformational innovations to the consumer. The candidate is expected to lead development of new consumer insights and translation of these into technical product direction to generate new product opportunities to fuel our upstream research program. They will work closely with our technology experts to connect new technology opportunities with consumer needs and define how to maximize the impact of these new technologies for the consumer. They will be asked to steer the holistic design of our innovation based on consumer insights and what is needed to delight the consumer. They will work closely with marketing and market research to develop a strong consumer based story, align consumer based success criteria and develop and guide the execution of the learning plan. This will involve integration with efforts in ingredient technologies, packaging, aesthetics, product form and product experience as part of the development process, in partnership with technology and consumer research teams.

In addition the candidate will be tasked with growing consumer inspired innovation capabilities across the R&D organization. The candidate will be responsible for planning, designing and executing these programs as part of a matrix environment, which will require sound judgment, critical observation and intuition skills rooted in the consumer, and interpersonal influence within a multi-disciplinary structure. It is expected that the candidate will have a broad technical knowledge base and an understanding of statistics, along with extensive product design experience, and that they will be able to manage multiple projects under aggressive timelines.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a related scientific discipline, with an advanced degree being preferred but not required.
• Minimum of 10 years of consumer product experience translating consumer insights into novel product opportunities incorporating holistic product design.
• Key requirements for this position are a proven track record of consumer focused innovation, ability to analyze and interpret consumer research data, technical understanding and technical writing.
• The ability to lead multi-disciplinary teams and initiatives.
• Exemplary leadership and influence skills to drive new concepts from initiation to completion.
• Excellent project management, analytical, interpersonal, and communication skills (both written and oral).
• Must be flexible, work well under pressure, use sound judgment, and be a team player in a matrix work environment.
• Ability to travel (domestic and international) 10-15%.

Innovation Manager, Bumble Bee Foods

This role will be an Innovation champion for the Emerging Categories growth pipeline.  Candidates must be highly effective cross functional project managers with strong leadership, and flawless execution capabilities.  

Through strong working relationships with external agencies, vendors and cross-functional counterparts lead Innovation opportunities through stage gates from ideation to commercialization.  In addition to new growth pipeline management, this role will provide project management leadership to established Emerging Categories Brands on Innovation initiatives that grow existing businesses including Bumble Bee SuperFresh, Wild Selections®, and Anova Seafood support as required.  This position demands flexibility, creativity, an entrepreneurial attitude and the ability to work in a fast paced relatively unstructured environment. 

Applicants must have a strong background in Marketing and Innovation with a track record of New Product Development in consumable consumer products. 

Scope

• This position will be responsible for identifying growth opportunities, pitching them to leadership and managing efforts to develop product and marketing innovation opportunities that are commercially viable.  The successful candidate needs to effectively manage multiple projects within budget, and work collaboratively with a diverse set of internal and external functions from R&D, Quality Assurance, Demand Planning & Procurement, Insights, Finance, Legal, Marketing, and Sales.  A successful candidate must be comfortable not only developing, vetting, and business planning the launch of new products, but also with terminating projects that are deemed unviable, too risky, or not rewarding enough as they progress. 
• This role also requires deep engagement with market and consumer insights and the candidate must be comfortable as a subject matter expert on pertinent Market Research and Syndicated data within the organization.  The role will need to convey expertise in research & insights to support the VP/ GM, Emerging Categories and other senior leaders in developing organic growth strategies for the company.                     

Duties

The duties of this position are those described below.  This job description does not state or imply that the duties listed are the only duties and responsibilities assigned to this position.  Employees holding this position will be required to perform any other job-related duties as requested by management.

•  Identify and build business cases for new product platforms and brands. 
• Manage the development and vetting process for new product concepts from ideation, through stage gates, to commercialization
• Occasionally work with VP/GM and Brand Manager, Emerging Categories to manage significant innovation initiatives for products/product lines falling within existing Emerging Categories portfolio such as line extensions and/or opportunities to major changes the current portfolio
• Develop and maintain an Innovation budget to support strategy development and the advancement of new product development efforts, including creative / agency expenses, 3rd party experts, market research, and procurement of materials to support innovation efforts including packaging development, ingredients, and samples
• Coordinate the development of products, packaging, sourcing, manufacturing, sales, and marketing plans to support the launch of new products by collaborating and managing the appropriate internal and external functional experts
• Entrepreneurial project planning and project management in a lean organization
• Familiarity with Stage Gate innovation management, and the ability to apply those principles in a relatively unstructured and extremely fast paced environment.Scoping, contracting, and managing any necessary market research with external agencies including research design, and the creation of any required research stimulus
• Manage creative agencies in the development of concepts, packaging, digital and other creative assets required for commercialization.  Ensure materials are on strategy and on budget, identifying cost-savings opportunities that deliver greater marketing spend efficiency and enhance the overall quality of programs
• Develop integrated marketing plans to support product launches that combine traditional, digital, social media, and shopper marketing vehicles as appropriate
• Collaborate with Marketing and Sales to develop launch plans ranging from a traditional national or regional multi-channel product launch to a highly entrepreneurial incubator or test markets.
• In collaboration with the appropriate Sales and Marketing stakeholders, manage development of pre-launch sales aids, sales samples, premiums and display materials, from design strategy through vendor management to delivery for launch
• Leverage consumer insights and research to ensure a robust product development and innovation pipeline.
• Identify and close gaps in the Company’s knowledge base regarding consumer behaviors/attitudes, marketplace dynamics, new technology tools and trends, as well as broader industry trends
• Work to align innovation priorities, sequencing, and resourcing across the organization by partnering closely with leaders throughout marketing and across functions and lines of business
• Provide thought leadership and expertise on Innovation management to VP/GM Emerging Categories, and R&D leadership on Innovation capabilities and organization
• Contribute and consistently deliver to short and long-term personal and department development objectives

Experiences/Skills Required

• Five to 7 years workplace experience – preferably in packaged goods consumer marketing with deep experience in new product development and brands.
• Demonstrated success in building breakthrough new product platforms and organic growth strategies. 
• Success should be demonstrated in circumstances that had highly constrained resources and budgets.
• Experience with primary and secondary research, including research design, research agency management, and analysis. This includes comfort and experience with common qualitative and quantitative Innovation research tools including concept testing, conjoint studies, volumetric testing, packaging and messaging research, product and sensory testing such as Kano, central location testing, and home use testing, shelf testing, BASES, TURF, conjoint, perceptual mapping or MIND modeling, etc.
• Demonstrated organizational and project management skills.
• Financial management and data analytical skills to support forecasting, and basic cost accounting,  budgeting and pro-forma P&L modeling.
• Ability to develop productive relationships and communicate effectively with management, peers, plant personnel, suppliers and customers.
• Ability to motivate and inspire cross functional teams to meet deadlines and achieve goals.
• Experience with negotiating scopes of work and vendor contracts to increase impact and minimize costs.
• Familiarity with several channels of distribution, including grocery, mass, club and ecommerce. 

Personal Characteristics

• Creative thinker and innovator who also embraces data and business pragmatism to support their ideas.
• Strong leadership and flawless execution are required to overcome organizational barriers and risk aversion commonly associated with the type of adjacency growth efforts this Innovation champion will manage.
• An ability to incorporate and align varied opinions and organizational perspectives into the work
• A bias for action and an entrepreneurial willingness to jump into the trenches when necessary to get a job done quickly.
• This means periodically assuming responsibilities that may be outside the official job description to maintain progress.
• Self-starting, proactive, resourceful, highly energetic style, with an ability to work effectively with a broad range of stakeholders, both internal and external.
• Ability to work independently in a fast-paced environment
• A hands-on team player who has a visible, effective leadership style.
• Good listener, strong communication skills, flexible and fair
• A willingness to take chances, fail fast and fail cheaply, and learn from failures.
• Strong communicator with demonstrated presentation, verbal and written skills
• Able to be decisive and demonstrate good decision making skills in a high energy, fast paced environment with minor guidance or support
• A reputation of integrity, high intelligence, creativity and the ability to exercise good judgment
• Ability to leverage knowledge and resources outside of direct reporting lines
• Ability to give and receive timely feedback with superiors, peers, and subordinates. 

Education

• BA or BS in Business, Marketing or Communications or equivalent experience required. MBA a plus.Technical requirements include MSWord, Excel and Powerpoint. Experience with with syndicated data platforms such as Nielsen or IRI as well as familiarity with other third party Innovation insight providers such as Mintel, Data Monitor etc.

Senior Product Manager of Innovation, Continental Mills

Job Purpose: Builds and leads breakfast and bake platforms feeding Krusteaz innovation funnel and pipeline.  Identifies and develops innovation big bets, platform extensions, and renovation opportunities that build our brands and create new products.  Leads white space identification and concept/proposition development, business strategy and cross-functional teams to commercialize new products.  Strong cross-functional linkage with brand management, and partnership with research and development, consumer insights and sales functions to leverage existing brand assets and promote new products.  May also manage growth projects past initial development phases into launch and early steady-state on-going business.  Genuine passion for the value and contribution made through innovation and a desire to share that passion with others.  An innovation ambassador to the organization. 

Responsabilities and Influence: 

• Strategy/Positioning of New Products:
  • Inspire cross-functional team members with a vision and assume the Project Leadership role on product development initiatives
  • Builds strategy through thoughtful consumer insights, thorough competitive and market analyses and deep understanding of emerging trends
  • Aligns innovation with company’s strategic priorities, and leverages strategic opportunity areas across relevant markets
  • Defines the positioning for Big Bets and new platforms in the bake and breakfast pipeline and integrates new proposition with established brand positioning and brand evolution strategy
  • Defines point of differentiation vs. competition and develops strategies to insulate proposition vs. competition
• Ideation:
  • Defines Big Bets and strategic platforms; identifies insight opening plan and builds a robust pool of insights, ideas, and concept propositions
  • Build an innovation pipeline and funnel against strategic platforms to deliver long term plan
• Analysis:
  • Leads external and internal analysis and case studies of the business environment, competitors, customers, market trends, and the implications and recommendations for the business
  • Quickly analyzes data and information from a wide variety of sources to develop effective business building plansLeads the analysis protocol – business case development, testing and associated hurdles and tracking mechanisms.
  • Oversees financial analysis, P&L development, capital feasibility and cash flow analysis
• Planning/Stakeholder Alignment:
  • Leads cross functional team to develop new initiatives from discovery and ideation through commercialization using the stage gate process
  • Serves as project champion coordinating activities across functions to deliver project objectives
  • Plans appropriately through each stage of the innovation pipeline to ensure adequate depth/resources to meet business objectivesLeads transition of new products/new business projects to appropriate commercial team
  • Supports total Continental Mills portfolio Innovation Strat Plan planning and quarterly assessment
• Partnership Management:
  • Develop supplier relationships to close internal capability gaps required to meet identify new innovation opportunities 
  • Builds relationships with key industry influencers and customers while anticipating future needs
  • Develops and manages a marketing staff that supports Innovation
  • Prepares and manages against an annual operating budget that supports corporate objectives
  • Performs other duties as assigned
  • Desired Skills and Experience
• Essential Function, Skills and Attributes:
  • Leadership & Management
  • Provides leadership to the organization through credible technical and ethical business practices
  • Exhibits leadership characteristics consistent with Continental Mills vision and philosophies while integrating company culture
  • Approvals, decisions and activities impact the overall design of systems, programs, operations, research and budget affecting critical aspects of the final products & service
• Coaching, Motivating and Mentoring
  • Selects, manages and develops team membersSets expectations, tracks results, and manages accountability
  • Effective developer of people. 
  • A teacher, coach, mentor and role modelIs confident to give people space to learn and make mistakes
• Technical Capability
  • Current knowledge of the Food Industry; suppliers, customers, and service providers
  • Working knowledge of product development, process development, regulatory requirements and project management
• Communications
  • Influences and persuades executive level leadership. 
  • Communicates technical concepts and ideas to the organizationStrong written, oral and facilitation skills
  • Excellent listener. 
  • Empathetic to individual concerns and directs necessary follow-up actions
  • Conveys information in understandable terms at all levels of the organization (internally and externally)
• Personal and Social Competence
  • High integrity and honesty, promoting trust in all actions
  • Responsive, with the ability to handle changing timelines and priorities
  • Ability to work both independently and in a team environment
  • Ability to travel as business needs require

Minimum Education and Experience

• Education:
  • Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing, Business Administration or similar fields required
  • MBA in Marketing or related field strongly preferred
• Experience:
  • Minimum of 7 years relevant Marketing and/or innovation experience
  • The ideal candidate will have progressed through the marketing ranks at a top-tier consumer packaged goods company (preferably in the food industry)

  • Proven success with innovation and commercialization processes. 

  • Track Record of new product successes in marketAlternatively, experience with a major innovation consultant agency supporting multiple clientsPassion for Food, “foodie”, is a plus

Liquid Innovation Manager, Diageo

Purpose of Role: The individual is expected to manage projects, initiatives and technical work streams with limited guidance from line manager. Leveraging commercial and consumer insight, the individual will act as the functional lead on cross functional project teams. They will be responsible for crafting, developing and validating beverages and new technologies for application in market.

Key Outputs: Deep knowledge in product development is required. The role requires the ability to leverage knowledge in other technical disciplines. The individual must demonstrate accountability for the end-to-end project execution.

• Consistently creates exceptional liquids across categories (Malt, Spirit) that meet internal standards for quality, and consumer testing hurdles
• Enjoys creative work on the bench top and brings creative culinary/ mixology flair to development
• Independently creates a smart development strategy.
• Aligns strategy with manager, Marketing & sensory/Consumer Research – can effectively create and manage experimental designs to deliver optimal solutions
• Leverages consumer insights in liquid development work: caters the scope to consumer opportunities
• Interprets consumer/sensory learning to deliver optimal liquid solutions within cost targets
• Formulates creatively and balances the commercialization requirements to ensure feasibility
• Seeks out new ingredients/ methods for better outputs
• Adheres to best practice and governance procedures, including the responsible drinking agenda and DMC
• Has growing insight in commercial science, and uses this to invent new technical opportunities
• Has good links to external experts, and leverages their expertise to hone experimental designs and interpretation
• Leverages other internal scientists to define, improve and implement project work

Technical Leadership Expectations:

• Organizational Impact & Influence
  • Can effectively manage self and prioritize objectives to consistently achieve objectives and business results. Independently designs and executes experiments to accomplish research/ project objectives within budget. Applies knowledge of industry trends and internal/ external developments to improve individual and group performance. Develops strong relationships within and across functions. Identifies broader opportunities and understands and adheres to the appropriate legal and regulatory requirements of the region. Seeks out and demonstrates accountability for the use of beneficial new technologies and methods. Has sufficient understanding of marketing data to assess different technical solutions based on their suitability to the concept.
• Decision Making / Problem Solving
  • Shows commitment in dealing with complex issues; successfully identifies, analyzes and solves problems with some guidance. Anticipates key technical issues and integrates data & knowledge to recommend timely, optimal business solutions. Raises issues with appropriate context and views obstacles as solvable challenges. Presents calculated risk mitigation plans to deliver exceptional results. Incorporates new thinking to deliver smart technical solutions.
• Communication Skills & Independent Judgment
  • Cultivates a culture of openness and information sharing. Feeds timely information to keep sr. management well informed; caters message to audience with some guidance. Can interpret and simplify complex technical issues into key messages and recommendations. Understands when to manage technical/ business challenges independently and when to engage line manager. Demonstrates sound independent judgment, even in times of tight deadlines and budget constraints. Responds quickly and effectively to changes in project needs and priorities.

• Desired Skills and ExperienceEducation & Experience

  • Bachelors degree in Chemistry, Engineering, Food Science, or related discipline required. Additional certifications including Masters or PhD a plus. Culinary/ mixology, flavor chemistry or research science experience a plus.

VP/Innovation, Del Monte Foods

General Profile

• The Vice President of Innovation is responsible for driving the company’s overall innovation agenda, overseeing and leading a high performance innovation organization designed to achieve the company’s growth targets. The Vice President will have oversight for all major product innovation activity across the enterprise from ideation through commercialization. Building strategies based on thoughtful consumer insights, thorough competitive analysis and a deep understanding of emerging cultural trends, the Vice President is responsible for managing the company’s Disciplined Entrepreneurship innovation process through the requisite strategic, consumer, technical, and business viability stage gates. The Vice President will work in close partnership with CCSI, R&D, Finance, Sales, Operations and the Established Marketing Groups to maximize the performance outcomes of all innovation initiatives. This position will manage and sustain the Innovation Center of Excellence, responsible for creating and sustaining a culture that fosters and attracts successful innovators and entrepreneurs. The Vice President will represent the Innovation Group with multiple stakeholders including the executive team, base brand leaders, retail customers, and the external Innovation community.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategy
  • Lead a diverse innovation team to develop a pipeline of strategically-grounded innovative products and new product platforms to build and maintain a scalable innovation model to drive competitive differentiation and in-market competitiveness.Identify strategies and consumer insights to drive innovations that move the company into “white spaces” of opportunities.
• Innovation and Strategy
  • Develop an innovation strategy that aligns with the company’s corporate goals that lead to sustainable revenue, market share growth, and profitable targets.
  • Manage the Disciplined Entrepreneurship Model to generate breakthrough and/or “bend the curve” product ideas.
  • Lead, coach and inspire diverse, cross-functional teams to meet goals and timelines.
  • Develop commercialization plans and launch recommendations across all initiatives before transitioning to Base Brand Teams.
  • Drive organizational capability by building a highly committed and successful innovation team through training, mentoring, and recruitment of best-in-class talent.
  • Drive collaboration across all stakeholders (CCSI, R&D, Base Marketing Teams, Manufacturing, Sales etc.) to ensure effective alignment of resources.
  • Collaborate with CCSI COE to leverage research (historical, secondary) and insights (consumer and supplier research, trends) to inspire transformative innovative thinking and the fusion of product technology with strong design and form.
  • Build consensus and alignment around key innovation project priorities across all stakeholders through data-informed insights, analytics and a collaborative management style.
  • Apply world-class marketing and sales skills to support the company’s field sales operation with key account headquarter calls.
  • Champion innovation throughout the organization.
• Organizational Development and People Management
  • Select, train and manage career development of direct reports as part of the Innovation Center of Excellence
  • Manage a team of Directors, SBMs and ABMs to meet innovation goals
  • Work with internal and external innovation leaders, universities, trade associations to build and enhance the capabilities of the Innovation Center of Excellence.
• Finance
  • Responsible for the development and management of the annual Innovation ME budget.
  • Manage all projects and product launches within agreed to financial goals.
• Linking Mechanisms and Expectations
  • Manage internal resources or external innovative/growth agencies to develop concepts and prototypes.
  • Lead and guide commercialization of all initiatives with all cross-functional teams, partnering with CCSI, R&D, Operations, Finance, Sales, and Creative Services with a General Manager’s perspective.
  • Be the face of innovation with customers, partnering with Sales.
  • Lead, represent, and champion innovation in all forums, and specifically with senior executives.

Ideal Background

• Education: MBA
• Experience: Senior experience in leading and driving marketing and innovation teams. Track record of successfully bringing new products to market. 15-20 years

VP/Innovation, Edible Arrangements

Innovation is essential to Edible Arrangements success – from products to processes and relationships to opportunities.  We are looking for a Vice President of Innovation who is hyper-curious and is always in search of a new and better way. This proven leader will be experienced in taking ideas and bringing them to life to meet clear company objectives. If you’re passionate, results driven and want to be part of a high powered, fast paced team, please read on. 

As our Vice President of Innovation you thrive on being “in the know” from what’s new in gifting, food and guest experience to the coolest new technology and means of reaching and WOWing our guests.  

To become a Vice President on the Edible Arrangements team, show us your:

• Ability to utilize a combination of trend research and instinct to seize opportunities and be the first to market
• Talent in building a robust product pipeline from the “obvious” to the “outside our comfort zone” 
• Experience in taking innovation beyond products to trends that can grow all areas of our business (marketing, technology, guest experience, just to name a few)
• Expertise in building a curious, collaborative and competitive team that is driven to deliver (and actually delivers; the kind of team everyone wants to be on)
• Strength in developing affiliate relationships
• Success in developing a creative and systematic team culture
• Proven capability to lead and exceed expectations

Manager/Innovation, Georgia-Pacific

Georgia-Pacific creates long-term value by using resources efficiently to provide innovative products and solutions that meet the needs of customers and society, while operating in a manner that is environmentally and socially responsible, and economically sound. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia-Pacific is one of the world’s leading manufacturers and marketers of building products, tissue, packaging, paper, cellulose and related chemicals. The company employs more than 30,000 people at approximately 300 locations in North and South America.

The Manager of Innovation will drive innovation and commercialization of new products/categories for Georgia-Pacific’s Home Cleaning Solutions category team.  GP’s HCS business is comprised of well-known brands like Brawny® and Sparkle®, as well as a portfolio of Customer Brands; however, brand licensing and new brand development is also within scope. The Manger of Innovation will act as an entrepreneur and provide leadership in the development and implementation of a long-term innovation vision and new products development agenda for an assigned category. This position will work closely with Brand & Product Marketing, R&D, Consumer Insights, Sales, Manufacturing/Ops, Strategic Sourcing and Finance to deliver innovation in a collaborative effort. This position reports to the Sr. Director of Innovation for the HCS business.

Responsibilities:

• Establish Innovation platforms and an initiative pipeline that is based on market opportunity analyses, in-depth consumer insights and key economic drivers, while grounded in the company’s business strategy.
• Work closely with R&D, operations and large multifunctional teams to deliver an innovation pipeline to the market.
• Responsible for leading critical, early stage commercialization (marketing side) elements of the new product development process.
• Lead projects from conception to early stage commercialization by leveraging company’s innovation process (Innovation Engine), utilizing agreed upon tools and metrics where established.
• Work with Consumer Insights and R&D to refine the process with new/additional Best Practice protocols that will deliver a more efficient and successful innovation process.
• Accountable for communication at several levels within the company to ensure all stakeholders are fully integrated into the key innovation activities and progress.
• Champion innovation, sharing best practices, across the company.
• Network and interact with sales, customers, external inventors to prospect innovation and pave the way for new products in the market. ? ?

Basic Qualifications:

• Education: Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering or Business is required.
• 3+ years prior CPG product development experience, including consumer insights analysis, concept development, technical feasibility assessment and third party manufacturing management required.
• Successful multifunctional, large project management experience is required.
• Previous experience with developing and commercializing new products is required.

Skills/Knowledge/Abilities:

• Entrepreneurial, resourceful and comfortable operating without a high level of structure (start up or small company experience a plus)  is desired.
• Previous experience in either durables or consumables, w/ mix of both ideal.
• Technical side product development experience (i.e. R&D) is optimal. 
• Successful career progression, with a history of increasing levels of responsibility.

Director of Innovation, Peeled Snacks

Reporting to the CEO, the Director of Innovation will be responsible for the strategy and execution of all Peeled Snacks current and new product lines.  The Director of Innovation will create an innovation pipeline and develop new product lines, including concept ideation, product development, sourcing, production, and copacking.  The Director will also provide strategic and managerial leadership to fulfill company goals. This includes managing contract manufacturing, production and inventory planning, procurement and fulfillment functions, and operational support to senior management to improve efficiency and profitability throughout the organization.

• Work closely with CEO, Marketing and Operations team to evaluate opportunities in healthy snacking
• Manage process to create and launch new products including manufacturing, branding, packaging, costing/pricing, and more
• Work with sales team to develop launch plan for new products
• Provide strategic direction for all operations
• Work with existing and new copackers, suppliers and manufacturers to reduce costs and increase gross margins, increase capacity and ensure quality specifications
• Manage inventory and production planning, including demand planning with sales team
• Determine purchasing needs and variables, negotiate contracts and oversee the ordering of all materials
• Manage Operations Manager in processing orders, customer service, and logisticsDesired Skills and Experience
• 10+ years work experience in related field, food experience desired but not required
• Excellent communication skills
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced environment, and able to make quick judgment calls on priorities and multi-task
• Demonstrated project management experience
• Proven capacity for building external relationships and managing vendors
• Superior forecasting and analytical skills
• Able to travel (and drive) to copackers and suppliers
• Passionate about eating well and living a healthy lifestyle.
• Interested in being a part of a growing food company and have a strong conviction in our mission to create healthy snack foods.

Director/Spirits Innovation, Pernod Ricard

Position Summary: Responsible for leading spirits innovation for Pernod Ricard USA (in conjunction with VP, Innovation and Insights). This role needs to balance creative and strategic excellence with disciplined project leadership/management to deliver sustainable innovations with pace. As a result, this position is partly strategic – seizing opportunities seen in the market, assessing the portfolio for plays in different spaces; partly creative – having an eye for stunning and timeless design and a creative approach to both branding and problem-solving; and partly execution-oriented – driving the details and having the tenacity to get the job done, relentless attentiveness to deadlines and a disciplined approach to projects/process. This is a high visibility, high risk and high reward role for a passionate, entrepreneurial achiever, who seizes opportunities and is excellent at managing a large number of projects and cross-functional teams to success.

Responsibilities / Accountabilities:

• Lead key launches of existing brands and new-to-world innovations (MW/SB) to an on-time and successful commercialization, supporting brand teams and with assistance of 2 Project Managers, Designer and Commercial Manager.
• Drive each innovation forward with pace through the innovation stage gate process, collaborating with Field Sales, Trade Marketing, Brand Teams, NPD, Finance and Brand Owners to optimize each execution, launch and commercialization.
• Champion each innovation (with brand teams, where applicable) through 1st year commercialization, including course correction if needed.
• Lead critical PRUSA innovation projectsLead projects through the stage-gate process and ensure compliance from Brand Teams; lead the Spirits Steering Committee approval process and Innovation CouncilSupport brand teams to optimize the overall effectiveness and efficiencies of communication and commercial roll-out
• Provide “Center of Excellence” best in class support capabilities for brand team innovation
• Oversee measurement and evaluation of outcomes through post launch tracking – in-market, post-launch assessment (with Business Insights and Consumer Insights Teams); course-correct if needed
• Champion roll-out through Trade Marketing, Field Sales and ensure successful and sustained commercialization of new-to-world innovations (with Commercial manager and Brand Teams)
• Assess and seize on potential opportunities for PRUSA portfolio.
• Develop winning concepts for franchise extensions and new-to-world innovations from ideation through positioning, design, product development and to a successful launch/sustained commercialization.
• Convert opportunities for PRUSA growth:
  • Monitor technical/packaging/product/flavor developments to quickly seize on opportunities
  • Monitor business/category/trade for business opportunities 
  • Capitalize on portfolio, category and trade/channel/retailer opportunities  
  • Leverage trends, emerging consumer needs, occasions and behaviors — convert into winning ideas.
• Work closely with Brand Teams to coordinate their innovation strategy and product development
• Support Brand Teams in assessing business opportunities, crafting concepts and coordinating operationsWork closely with R&D to brief and guide product developmentManage the Innovation side of the Innovation and Insights Team – including 2 Project Managers, Commercialization Manager, Trends Manager and Creative/Design Manager
• Inspire and motivate innovation team to be high-performance team.
• Define objectives, KPIs and development plans and provide input on mid-year & annual reviews
• Provide direction, coaching and support to day-to-day activities, removing barriers to success
• Drive Center of Excellence/best practices and track performance KPIs — track results of innovations from both PRUSA and competitors to determine, share and set best practices and processes; showcase PRUSA as a global leader in innovation best practice and success.
• Lead and revise the stage-gate process as needed
• Oversee an ongoing program of sharing best practices, innovation trends, new technologies, business trends, etc. with key innovation stakeholders
• Lead development of an annual four year forecast and year one action plans
• Complete and communicate year-end innovation review and action plan
• Capture PRUSA and competitive performance, identify innovation growth drivers and trends, and summarize lessons learned
• Develop four year forecasts an action plan for the coming year 

Nature & Scope:

• The role requires strong relationships across the organization and responsibilities touch all key functions. The PRUSA Marketing Department is the primary beneficiary of this role, but relationships extend to all other PRUSA departments and functions (Commercial / Sales, Finance, Operations, Insights, Analytics, Legal, HR) as well as Senior Management, agencies, vendors, distributors, and Brand Owners.
• This role requires strong communication skills, teamwork, and influencing without authority. Communication can include sensitive information requiring complete confidentiality and discretion in dealings with contacts. The position demands strong project management and organizational skills, and the ability to manage varied priorities. It also demands a strong working knowledge of all of the disciplines of the business, including such areas as supply chain, forecasting, production, operations, trade marketing and finance. Decisions impact the group and organization as a whole, and errors can cause significant expense to the entire organization.

Desired Skills and Experience

• Requirements:
  • Education: Minimum of Bachelor’s degree; MBA in Marketing preferred.
  • Proficiency in MS-Office – especially excel and PowerPoint. MAC skills such as Photoshop, Keynote a plus. 
• Experience / Background:
  • Minimum 10 years experience in marketing including at least 5 years in marketing innovation and at least 5 years brand management at a managerial level, preferably with a consumer goods company.
  • Experience should include some spirits, wines or beer category exposure; other image-driven category may also be acceptable.
  • CPG, fashion/retail or tech innovation experience a plus. 
• Required Skills/Competencies:
  • Solid experience in innovation — developing and launching new products; a commercial track record of sustained, successful innovations, ideally in the Beverage Alcohol industry.
  • Strong leadership/interpersonal skills.
  • Excellent verbal, written and presentation skills, as well as outstanding aptitude for time management.
  • Strong business, financial and commercial acumen – able to write a strong business case and demonstrated entrepreneurship in personal or business context.
  • Strong experience in managing high-level cross-functional projects. 
• Working Conditions:
  • General Office: Work is performed in a typical office environment.
  • Limited demands for movement and lifting.
  • Normal visual, hearing and language acuity required for correspondence and computer usage. 
  • Travel: FrequentEstimate: 35% of time.

Innovation Manager, Sabra Dipping Company

Are you looking for an opportunity to work in a high growth environment, on a strong, epicurean brand with great equity?  Do you enjoy creating new things, influencing others, and collaborating with cross-functional teams?  

The Innovation Manager is a new role at Sabra, and is the perfect opportunity for someone who is passionate, creative, detail-oriented and collaborative. You will develop a strategic prioritization and focus on future innovations (2-5 years out) by assessing consumer trends and needs in the marketplace. 

This position will be responsible for identifying and developing all the marketing mix elements for longer-term new products launches.

• Lead innovation strategy through partnership with base brand marketing team
• Partner with consumer insights to develop consumer-grounded product innovations from conceptions through launch
• Lead cross-functional teams across all stages of identifying, chartering, developing and launching new products
• Lead development of business opportunity and financial feasibility for innovation
• Partner with R&D and supply chain to develop and commercialize offerings
• Work with sales to develop Sales Story (assortment, merchandising, pricing and shelving)
• Help to develop in-market launch plans 

Desired Skills and Experience

• Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing Research or related field required, Master’s Degree preferred
• 4-5 years of brand management or strategic business consultancy experience
• Strong communication skills (written and verbal)
• Proven leadership capability
• Ability to lead cross-functional teams
• Strong business acumen
• Results oriented and able to respond quickly to changing marketplace dynamics
• Strategic influencing abilities
• Management / people development experienceAdvertising development and new
• Product innovation experience
• Experience developing/assessing Media plans

Open Innovation Manager, Sun Products

The Open Innovation Manager identifies and integrates 3rd party technologies into Sun Products offerings. They lead a team of individuals to scout industrial, academic and entrepreneurial technologies, assessing potential fit with the Sun portfolio through technical and Intellectual Property due diligence. Activities include developing Suns intellectual property strategy as well as managing Confidential Disclosure Agreements and Joint Development Agreements with vendors, entrepreneurs and technology scouting firms. The role is heavily involved in understanding and interpreting the competitive space of Sun Products.

Essential Job Functions:

• Partners in cross functional teams to develop and manage technology strategies
• Develop ownership strategies (IP) and implementation plans for technology platforms
• Act as the technical liaison with key vendors, external technology partners and early adopters utilizing
• Open Innovation (OI) methodologies and processes, working closely with Legal to ensure due diligence (CDAs, JDAs, technology valuation, etc.)
• Drive Open Innovation and technical initiatives to a rapid, high quality decision point (fail fast, fail often).
• Act as the bridge from the long term technical development to the business strategy manage conversion from Technology to Innovation
• Build networks of technical scouting firms (9Sigma, PHLBurg, Tiaxx, etc), vendors, suppliers and potential technology partners.
• Lead projects and/or people as part of project teams, working with marketing counterparts to identify consumer/customer needs and translating these needs into technical specifications.
• Works closely with packaging, process development, and manufacturing to identify technology needs, working to then identify potential external solutions
• Keep current in cutting edge chemistry and supplier opportunities to meet customer needs.
• Responsible for safe working conditions (handles dangerous equipment and hazardous chemicals).
• Is aware of hazards associated with work assigned, observes safe work practices, keeps equipment neat, clean and in safe operating condition, and maintains good housekeeping standards.
• Responsible for following all applicable Federal, State, and Local health, safety, and environmental regulations, as per corporate health, safety and environmental policies.

Qualifications and Experience:

• Four year scientific degree or advanced degree is required.
• Relevant formulating experience in consumer packaged goods will be taken into consideration.
• Experience in managing matters of intellectual property, licensing, etc. a strong plus.

Strong communication skills are required, as the position involves working in multi-functional project teams, with consumers and 3rd parties.

Recruiting & Training