ABOUT THE ROLEThe Manager, Brand Innovation (STEM) is responsible for developing and managing an innovation pipeline aligned with North America Consumer Brands expanding growth ambitions and translating unmet consumer needs into winning products. In this role, you will identify consumer needs and pockets of opportunity, develop a five-year product and marketing innovation plan and drive new product innovations.
The Manager, Brand Innovation will confidently navigate uncertainty, challenge conventional wisdom, and prioritize action. You will effectively lead cross-functional teams, including RD&E, Consumer Insights and Business Analytics, Design, Legal, Regulatory, Product Supply, and Finance, by influencing, encouraging, and celebrating their efforts. Passionate and curious, you will hold strong opinions and continuously seek inspiration from consumer, brand, advertising, technology and start-up trends. With a focus on continuous improvement, it will be your role to refine processes, products, and language. You will acknowledge trade-offs, take calculated risks, and own outcomes, celebrating both successes and failures. Strong problem-solving skills are essential, simplifying complex situations, removing barriers, and recommending alternative actions. Ideally, the candidate has product innovation or marketing commercialization experience in global CPG.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
- Strategic Leadership: Partner with brand teams to develop winning consumer-led brand strategies
- Innovation Pipeline Development: Accountable for developing and managing an innovation pipeline that aligns with brand strategy and growth targets
- Consumer-Centric Concept Development: Translate unmet consumer needs into winning product concepts that satisfy category and customer requirements
- New Product Innovation: Scope, lead, and deliver new product innovations to drive commercial business growth via cross-functional leadership
- Long-Term Planning: Develop five-year product and marketing innovation pipeline that address consumer needs and enhances brand equity by focusing on key problems and aligning with the brand's North Star
- Consumer and Shopper Insights: Understand and leverage consumer and shopper insights to drive segment priorities. Analyze, distill, and make strategic recommendations to support business initiatives and priorities
REQUIRED EXPERIENCE YOU’LL BRING
- Bachelor’s degree in marketing, business administration, or related field with 5+ years of relevant work experience or advanced degree in marketing, business administration or related field with 3+ years of relevant work experience
- Qualified candidates must be legally authorized to work in the US
PREFERRED EXPERIENCES AND SKILLS
- Marketing Experience: 5+ years of marketing experience in developing consumer products
- Leadership: Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams
- Product Innovation: Experience with and passion for portfolio and product innovation, including the ability to distill consumer insights into meaningful and differentiated product offerings
- Cross-Functional Collaboration: Demonstrated ability to execute highly complex or specialized projects with an excellent ability to work with cross-functional teams, critical for driving success
- Barrier Removal: Ability to remove barriers by focusing on priorities, making timely decisions, and maximizing empowerment
- Sense of Urgency: High sense of urgency to deliver winning results individually and through others
- Curiosity and Open-Mindedness: Approach situations and processes with curiosity and open-mindedness, applying new learning
- Industry Experience: Prior experience in FMCG/CPG is preferred
JOB REQUIREMENTS
- Full-time onsite position at Sam’s Hall, Mt. Pleasant, WI
- Remote work is available once per week for eligible employees
- This role is eligible for domestic relocation
