Senior Innovation and Development Manager
Job Description
Job Title: Senior Innovation and Development Manager
Department: Insights and Innovation
Reports To: Director, Insights and Innovation
FLSA Status: Exempt
Summary
As a member of the Innovation Department, Senior Innovation and Development Manager will work closely with the Director, Insights and Innovation in developing innovation as a process and discipline that pervades the organization to meet company strategic growth objectives. Engagements will include identifying trends and growth opportunities in the dry foods market; identifying and researching strategic opportunities for growth; sorting and prioritizing ideas and findings to senior management for further development; developing the standard work of the Innovation and Development Process and facilitating continuous improvement of the process and organizational capacity to leverage it as a competitive advantage.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
1. Innovation Process, Discipline. Ensure analytic rigor related to the incubation and feasibility of new business opportunities, as projects are defined using the A3 management process. Drive the innovation cycle and process to successfully commercialize new products to meet targets for time, cost, and quality. Be the champion for the Innovation Process and its continual improvement via solicitation of cross-functional teams that use/impact its being.
2. Innovation Project Management. Develop strong partnerships with Finance, Marketing, Operations, Procurement, Sales, and Technology to provide a process-centric rigor in the delivery of innovative product concepts. Ensure robust project management disciplines are utilized to manage the Innovation pipeline and organizational capacity to execute. Manage projects and develop other Project Managers. Assist making business cases of innovation pipeline projects; cases will include projected revenue, financial model, 5-year strategic plan, identified resources and requirements needed to execute, and go-to-market strategy.
3. Innovation Team Development. Facilitate team understanding of BAF manufacturing and product mix, markets, and organizational competencies. Contribute to a comprehensive strategic plan for the innovation (and marketing) function and influence the organization to execute it well. Work collaboratively with the Culinary Team and Customer & Consumer Insights Team to identify trends and growth opportunities in the dry products market. As an innovation team, articulate strategic gaps in the market and research opportunities to address these gaps.
4. Organizational Development, Communication. Build and enhance the capabilities of the innovation team and larger organization through disciplined communication and training in innovation, creative thinking, project management, and execution. Work collaboratively across the organization to help secure and share information from cross–enterprise departments and leverage existing BAF assets. Work with idea/concept owners to identify key business issues and Department goals. In particular, partner with business unit leads (VPs, Directors, and Managers) to help enhance rigor around 5-year strategic planning for products, brands and innovation initiatives.
5. Strategic Planning. Assist Director, Insights and Innovation with the development of an innovation strategy to participate in and achieve growth and competitive advantage in new categories/technologies/consumer targets; develop executive level presentations that succinctly and persuasively communicate the strategic plan. Evaluate and make recommendations on company’s short and long term growth strategies.
Must maintain the highest standards of ethics and integrity while embodying the tenets of “What We Stand For” and “The Basic Principles.”
Must maintain the highest standards of data management by creating consistent, reliable data which will ensure accuracy and in turn, maximize the use of data and confidence in decision making.
All employees are responsible for upholding the principles of SQF 2000.
All employees are responsible for immediately reporting any food safety, food quality or plant security issues to management for appropriate action.
Other duties may be assigned.
Supervisory Responsibilities
Directly supervises employees in the Insights and Innovation Department. Carries out supervisory responsibilities in accordance with the organization's policies and applicable laws. Responsibilities include interviewing, hiring, and training employees; planning, assigning, and directing work; appraising performance; rewarding and disciplining employees; addressing complaints and resolving problems.
Qualifications
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Education and/or Experience
Bachelor’s degree required, Master's degree strongly preferred and seven or more years related experience and/or training. A minimum of seven years in strategic planning, marketing, or product development preferred.
Language Skills
Ability to read, analyze, and interpret general business periodicals, professional journals, technical procedures, or governmental regulations. Ability to write reports, business correspondence, and procedure manuals. Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of managers, clients, customers, and the general public.
Mathematical Skills
Ability to work with mathematical concepts such as probability and statistical inference, and fundamentals of plane and solid geometry and trigonometry. Ability to apply concepts such as fractions, percentages, ratios, and proportions to practical situations.
Reasoning Ability
Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions. Ability to interpret an extensive variety of technical instructions in mathematical or diagram form and deal with several abstract and concrete variables.
Computer Skills
To perform this job successfully, an individual should have knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite (Word, EXCEL, Powerpoint, Outlook, Internet Explorer, Publisher) and Microsoft Project.
Other Skills and Abilities
Minimum:
§ Strong analytical skills and problem structuring.
§ Category Management background a plus.
§ A proven track record of 'getting things done’ quickly and successfully.
§ Confident and effective at communicating with all levels of an organization in an honest, open and constructive fashion.
§ Able to teach others and adjust teaching method to various learning styles.
Additional:
§ Demonstrated leadership skills in a team setting.
§ Demonstrated ability to deliver results with large-scale cross functional teams.
§ Exceptional project management skills. Project Management Institute membership and/or Professional Project Manager (PMP) certification preferred.
§ Superior communication (written/verbal) presentation and facilitation skills.
§ Familiarity with foodservice and consumer markets preferred, but not required.
§ Willing to take realistic personal and business risks. Comfortable with ambiguity and influencing others to a greater comfort level.
§ A team player with strong interpersonal and team building skills.
Other Qualifications
Travel up to 40-50% of the time
Physical Demands
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Work Environment
The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Contact
Please send your resume and salary requirements to jobs@baf.com