Description
The Senior Innovation Manager leads the end-to-end innovation pipeline across our cannabis portfolio, from consumer insight and concept development through commercialization and post-launch performance.
This role sits within Marketing and drives cross-functional execution, ensuring innovation is consumer-led, commerciallyviable, and operationally executable in a regulated environment.
We'relooking for someone who brings strong CPG innovation discipline, is comfortable operating in ambiguity, and knows how to move ideas from concept to market with both speed and rigor.
This role is ideally based out of our Delta and Downtown Vancouver offices, with an expectation of 2 days per week in Delta and 1 day downtown depending on business needs. This position reports directly to the Senior Director, Consumer & Corporate Marketing.
Key Responsibilities Innovation Strategy & Pipeline Management - Own and evolve the multi-year innovation roadmap aligned to business and brand strategy.
- Identifywhite space opportunities using consumer, market, and retail insights.
- Define the role of innovation across the portfolio (bankers, big bets, experiments).
- Prioritize the pipeline based on impact, feasibility, and commercial potential.
Consumer -
LedInsight & Concept Development - Translate quantitative and qualitative consumer insights into clear innovation territories, product concepts, and experience opportunities.
- Partner with Brand, Commercial, and Sales tovalidateconsumer needs and ensure innovation ideas solve real problems or unlock new occasions.
- Lead concept testing, iteration, and refinement, balancingspeed-to-marketwith quality of insight.
Cross -
FunctionalLeadership & Delivery - Act as the hub across Marketing, R&D / Product Development, Supply Chain,Operations,QA, Finance, and Sales to bring innovation to market.
- Leadcross-functionalinnovation forums,stage-gates, and decision points with clarity and structure.
- Ensure innovation concepts are translated into clear briefs for formulation, packaging, brand, and commercialization partners.
- Partner with Supply Chain and Operations to align innovation timing with capacity, S&OP, and regulatory considerations.
Commercialization & Launch Excellence - Own innovation launch readiness, ensuring all aspects of brand, sales, education, and operations are aligned prior to launch.
- Define success metrics and actively trackin-marketperformance, learning, and optimization opportunitiespost-launch.
Financial & Business Rigor - Build innovation business cases, including volume, revenue, margin, andinvestment assumptions.
- Partner with Finance to assess ROI, manage budget, and ensure innovation contributes to bothtop-linegrowth and margin health.
- Continuously evaluate innovation performance and recommend scale, iterate, or sunset decisions.
Regulated Market & Category Leadership - Ensure all innovation is compliant with applicable cannabis regulations, while still delivering differentiated consumer experiences.
- Stay ahead of emerging trends in cannabis, adjacent CPG categories, and global innovation spaces to inform future opportunities.
- Serve as a thought partner to senior leadership on where the category is going and how the portfolio should evolve.
People Leadership & Capability Building - Lead, coach, and develop direct reports, creating clarity on expectations, priorities, and development goals.
- Build a strong innovation culture rooted in consumer obsession, accountability, learning, and collaboration.
- Provide ongoing feedback, performance coaching, and career guidance to support individual and team growth.
- Establish clear ways of working, decision frameworks, and rhythms that enable teams to move quickly whilemaintainingrigor.
- Partner with Marketing leadership to help shape future innovation capabilities, resourcing needs, and talent development plans.
Experience & Qualifications Required - Minimum7-10years of experience in innovation, brand management, product marketing, or portfolio strategy within CPG or regulated categories
- Proven experience leading end-to-end innovation from insight through commercialization
- Strong understanding of consumer-led design, stage-gate processes, and commercialization rigor
- Demonstrated ability to influence cross-functional teams without direct authority
- High comfortoperatingin fast-moving, ambiguous, and regulated environments
- Experience working closely with supply chain, formulation, or product development teams
- Strong analytical mindset balanced with creative thinking
- Proven experience managing, coaching, and developing people, including settingobjectives, providing feedback, and leading performance discussions.
- Demonstrated ability to build trust, motivate teams, and lead through influence incross-functionalenvironments.
- Experience balancinghands-onownership with effective delegation infast-movingorganizations.
- Experience in cannabis, alcohol, wellness, or other regulated CPG categories preferred
Why Rubicon? - Salary of $105,000-$115,000 with20% bonus potential and a monthly phone stipend.
- Flexible hybrid schedule (3 days in the office)and unlimited vacation.
- Dog-friendly office - because great teams include four-legged coworkers too.
- Medical and dental benefits after 3 months.
- Opportunities for learning, growth, and career development as the company continues to expand.
- Be part of a team that values quality, compliance, and doing things the right way.
- Join a publicly listed, mission-led company focused on sustainability and product excellence.
- Work in a collaborative environment with smart people who value initiative and curiosity.
We believe hiring should be a human process. Every application is reviewed by our team, and we do not use artificial intelligence or automated tools to screen, rank, or make decisions about candidates.
We take a deliberate approach to evaluating each applicant based on their experience, skills, and potential, ensuring every candidate is considered thoughtfully and fairly.
Compensation
$105,000.00 - $115,000.00 per year
