Position Summary: We are looking for a Sr. Director, Consumer Strategy, Innovation & Intelligence who will be responsible for building and scaling the company's foundational understanding of consumers, culture, and future growth opportunities.This role owns the insight engines that fuel strategy and innovation-from trends and cultural listening, to segmentation and demand space mapping, to concept development, innovation validation, and in-market learning. The Director ensures that consumer understanding is not episodic, but systematic, predictive, and embedded across brand, innovation, and portfolio decisions.Reporting to the VP of Strategy & Intelligence, this role partners closely with Brand, Innovation/R&D, Marketing, and Regional teams, and may directly manage a team of insights specialists and external research partners.Key Responsibilities:
Consumer Understanding & Strategic Foresight
- Lead enterprise-wide consumer understanding across Americas and sometimes, global markets.
- Own trend, cultural, and behavioral intelligence-integrating social listening, cultural analysis, desk research, and emerging signals.
- Translate macro and micro trends into foresight frameworks that inform long-term strategy and innovation pipelines.
- Serve as the authority on why consumers behave as they do and where future growth will come from.
Segmentation, Demand Spaces & Growth Frameworks
- Lead the design and refresh of consumer, need-state, and occasion-based segmentations.
- Develop demand space and Jobs-to-be-Done (JTBD) frameworks to identify whitespace opportunities.
- Ensure segmentation is actionable-embedded into brand strategy, innovation briefs, portfolio architecture, and go-to-market decisions.
- Partner with Strategy and Analytics leaders to connect segments to sizing, prioritization, and investment decisions.
Innovation, Concept & NPD Intelligence
- Own the consumer intelligence agenda supporting innovation-from early ideation to post-launch optimization.
- Lead concept development, screening, and refinement using both qualitative and quantitative methods.
- Guide innovation pipelines with clear consumer-backed rationale, trade-offs, and success criteria.
- Partner with R&D, Brand, and Commercial teams to ensure innovation is both desirable, differentiated, and scalable.
In-Market Learning & Optimization
- Establish systems for ongoing in-market learning-tracking brand health, communication effectiveness, and innovation performance.
- Integrate post-launch insights to refine positioning, claims, and execution.
- Ensure learning loops are fast, actionable, and directly inform course correction.
- Balance rigor with agility, enabling "test-and-learn" cultures across brands and markets.
Research Excellence & Methodology Leadership
- Set standards for research quality, innovation, and relevance across quantitative and qualitative methods.
- Oversee the design and execution of foundational and ad hoc research (U&A, segmentation, brand health, pricing, innovation).
- Champion modern approaches including social intelligence, behavioral science, and hybrid qual-quant-AI methods.
- Manage internal capabilities, relationships with research vendors, platforms, and partners to ensure best-in-class delivery.
Leadership, Talent & Capability Building
- Lead, mentor, and develop a team of consumer insights and innovation intelligence professionals (as applicable).
- Build a culture of curiosity, rigor, and strategic impact.
- Partner with other Directors within Strategy & Intelligence to ensure seamless integration of consumer insight, analytics, and commercial strategy.
- Act as a visible thought leader internally, elevating how the organization understands and applies consumer insight.
Executive Influence & Collaboration
- Serve as a trusted advisor to senior leadership on consumer-led growth and innovation decisions
- Present insights and foresight clearly to executive audiences, shaping strategic alignment.
- Facilitate workshops and strategic sessions to translate insight into action.
- Ensure Strategy & Intelligence is viewed as a growth partner, not a research service.
Requirements:
- Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Business, Psychology, Anthropology, Economics, or related field (Master's, MBA, or PhD equivalent preferred)
- 13+ years of experience in Consumer Insights, Strategy, Innovation, or related leadership roles within CPG or consumer-driven industries
- Proven experience leading foundational consumer understanding, segmentation, and innovation intelligence
- Strong command of qualitative and quantitative research methodologies
- Experience embedding consumer insight into brand strategy, innovation pipelines, and portfolio decisions
- Demonstrated ability to influence senior leaders with insight-backed recommendations
- Comfort operating at enterprise scale and across global markets
Preferred Qualifications:
- Experience with breadth of insights, and human-centric strategy frameworks
- US Multi-National and International experience across Americas or global markets
- Experience leading and developing insights teams
- Background in food & beverage, snacks, or culturally driven categories
- Experience modernizing insights functions or standing up new capabilities
The base salary for this position is between $180,000.00 and $200,000.00 per year. Actual compensation will depend on a variety of factors, including qualifications, experience, and location. This position may also be eligible for additional compensation and benefits, including an annual incentive bonus, medical/dental/vision insurance, life insurance, PTO/FTO, and a 401(k) plan with company match.
