Sr. Project Manager, Innovation

Mezzetta is seeking a Senior Project Manager, Innovation to serve as the operational backbone of our pre-launch innovation project portfolio. This role will bring structure, clarity, and decision discipline to a fast-paced, cross-functional environment-particularly within our innovation pipeline and stage gate process. Reporting to the VP of Strategy & Execution, this leader will standardize and elevate project management practices while also acting as a critical thought partner to functional leaders-ensuring teams understand status, risks, tradeoffs, and implications of key decisions. This role is not just about tracking projects-it is about driving alignment, enabling better decisions, and improving the success rate of innovation at Mezzetta. Responsibilities Innovation & Stage Gate Leadership • Own and continuously improve Mezzetta's innovation stage gate process • Ensure clear entry/exit criteria, decision frameworks, and accountability at each gate • Drive decision clarity and durability-minimizing rework and scope churn • Partner with Innovation, Marketing, R&D, and Operations to ensure feasibility, alignment, and execution readiness • Surface tradeoffs (cost, timing, complexity) to enable strong decision-making Portfolio Visibility & Decision Support • Provide a clear, consolidated view of innovation project portfolio health • Translate complex project data into clear executive-level insights • Identify risks, dependencies, and capacity constraints early • Enable leadership to make inform Innovation Project Management Capability Building • Establish and enforce best practices, tools, and methodologies • Drive consistency in project scoping, planning, and execution • Train cross-functional teams on effective project management and stage gate discipline Execution Excellence • Improve predictability, speed, and quality of project delivery • Drive accountability across teams for timelines, deliverables, and outcomes • Lead retrospectives and continuous improvement efforts • Optimize tools (e.g., Smartsheet) to support scalable executioned prioritization and resource decisions Requirements • Bachelor's Degree. MBA Preferred • PMP Certified Preferred • 10+ years of project management experience, with significant experience in CPG or food manufacturing preferred • Demonstrated success leading innovation pipelines and stage gate processes • Experience operating in ambiguous, fast-changing environments with shifting priorities • Proven ability to drive cross-functional alignment and decision-making without direct authority • Strong ability to translate complexity into clear, actionable insights for leadership • Expertise in project management tools (Smartsheet preferred) • Lean / Continuous Improvement experience (preferred) Pay Range $170,000-$180,000 USD