Senior Manager – Innovation

Senior Manager – Innovation

Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree required
• MBA or BBA preferred, but not required
• At least 5-7 years of direct product innovation, CPG, or brand marketing experience
• Strong communication and presentation skills are required
• A highly motivated leader with the ability to devise an excellent solution in unstructured situations
• Proven ability to effectively manage multiple projects in a dynamic environment is required
• Strong collaborator with demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional teams and direct reports

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement the innovation pipeline and innovation strategies feeding the long-range and annual plans for assigned categories reflecting overall corporate and business unit goals
• Lead development and execution of product and packaging innovation projects including: concept development, feasibility, validation, product and packaging, R&D, business proposal and approval, project execution, customer sell-in, and tracking of in-market performance
• Work in our innovation project management packaging and specification systems to advance projects with the cross-functional team
• Act as liaison with all other corporate functions to ensure business initiatives receive necessary focus
• Creatively identify opportunity areas for growth by effectively using syndicated research and trend data, primary market research, and competitive intelligence
• Develop meaningful consumer positioning for all innovation product lines that creates added value versus competitive and effectively communicate product advantages to consumers
• Work collaboratively with insights, R&D, Channel Marketing, and the BU to identify new ideas, build research and development plans, screen ideas and food, and optimize our innovation offerings to meet consumer operator needs and have a clear POD vs. our competitors
• Work together with the sales and channel marketing organization to understand and integrate operator and/or distributor strategies into the innovation pipeline
• Proactively work with these partners on innovation forecast accuracy, maximization of opportunities, and development of plans to deliver against JBP objectives
• Build relationships with external innovation agencies and other suppliers in the development and implementation of marketing strategies and programs
• Manage direct reports, training on the innovation process and overseeing projects they own to ensure they stay on time and on track and any issues that arise are resolved successfully
• Leverage synergies across retail and foodservice channels to maximize idea scale. Act as an expert and advisor to other Tyson Innovators
• Partner with PMO organization to ensure compliance with Stage gate process design and supporting systems

Preferred Qualifications

• MBA or BBA preferred, but not required