Innovation Manager - Global Snacking

Position Title: Innovation Manager - Global Snacking
Position Type: Regular - Full-Time
Requisition ID: 39324
The Innovation Manager is a key contributor of the Global Snacking Innovation Team at McCain and is part of a team building out a strategic disruptive growth platform. This individual is responsible for executing a multi-year platform strategy to unlock profitable growth and drive more of the menu as part of the 2030 business unit strategy. Reporting to the Innovation Senior Manager, the Innovation Manager will lead end-to-end commercialization of breakthrough innovation across all channels and segments, including Foodservice, QSR and Retail across USA & Canada.
Responsible for driving scalable innovation from ideation to market readiness that delivers the company strategy, enhances the brand market position, builds competitive advantage and fuels momentum for continued business growth. Leveraging market trends and intel to identify opportunities and unmet needs, this role will define propositions and drive initiatives from ideation to launch readiness in collaboration with cross-functional partners (brand marketing, Insights R&D, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Go to Market Hub, and Agriculture).
The successful candidate will have natural curiosity and the ability to generate breakthrough "what if" thinking. They will thrive in ambiguity, translating emerging trends, market analysis, and insights into groundbreaking product concepts. They possess a strong commercial acumen and the ability to lead cross-functional teams to success, overcoming challenges to drive profitable growth for the brand and the business.
What You'll Be Doing...

• Deliver compelling disruptive innovation platform strategy, based on consumer, customer and category insights, and market trends, grounded in the McCain long range plan objectives (where to play, how to win, growth targets), category, brand, portfolio strategy and demand space framework.
• Deliver a 3-year disruptive innovation pipeline, inclusive of product and packaging innovation, with a focus on new environments, new occasions and new platform capabilities, with clarity to horizon pathing and pacing of workstreams.
• Lead global and regional projects from opportunity to insight to proposition development and validation, through to launch readiness, leveraging the Navigator process, liaising with the insights, marketing teams and go to market hub. Manage projects to agreed budgets, timelines and KPI's.
• Build innovation commercial propositions with clarity to product mix, pricing, packaging, placement and promotion, with end-to-end oversight from design to deployment, leveraging opportunity framing, concept writing, briefing and launch proposal processes from design to deployment.
• Accelerate the company's innovation process and disruptive innovation planning, leading big bet sizing and pipeline sufficiency (reporting into PPGR) to meet our growth objectives and building best practices for how we innovate that unlocks collaboration and feeds desirability, feasibility and viability.
• Execute innovation process improvement, enhancing process agility while delivering on quality of launch.
• Act as a hub of communication to ensure stakeholders are fully integrated in key disruptive innovation activities.
• Engage cross functionally with go to Market hub, externally with customers and cross-functionally to align innovation, pave the way for new products and drive accountability to deliver to launch timelines.
• Participate in industry events to understand market trends and developments that can be leveraged by the company.
• Champion innovation by actively learning and sharing best practices, keeping a pulse on the competitive environment and identifying rising trends and capabilities.
• Champion an insight led and demand centric growth culture, putting insights at the heart of our disruptive innovation plans and strategy.
• Support global platform innovation strategy & governance, creating strong global partnerships, sharing best practices and leveraging synergies and influencing with global & cross-regional teams.

Strategic skills

• Be a thought leader, bringing fresh ideas forward to drive the business, embracing change, and helping us become more future ready.
• Lead with strategy and challenge the status quo in pursuit of breakthrough new to company/new to world ideas.
• Drive product/brand portfolio growth via distinctly positioned innovation targeted to customer/consumer needs.

Insights led

• Champion a consumer first mentality and culture, ensuring both innovation strategy and decision making are grounded in compelling insights.
• Leverage data and analytics to inform strategic decisions and identify opportunities for growth; be comfortable synthesizing data from multiple sources and tolerating ambiguity when systems and information are limited.

Strong relationship-building skills

• Demonstrate the ability to collaborate cross-functionally, driving inspiration, setting clear objectives, and ensuring accountability.
• Inspire trust and followership through influence, charisma, passion, and drive. Be able to manage stakeholders at all organizational levels to gain "buy in" and adoption.

Drive results

• Establish and work toward goals while overcoming obstacles and/or planning for contingencies. Demonstrate a strong passion for winning, strong prioritization and project management skills, and an ability to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
• Promote an entrepreneurial spirit and start-up culture within a multinational environment

What You'll Bring...

• Bachelor's degree required; MBA preferred
• 3-5 years of Marketing or brand management, with a minimum of 1-2 years in an innovation role
• A proven track record developing new-to-world and new-to-company innovation, white space development, new occasion or new environment penetration
• Track record in championing new ideas and initiatives while creating an environment that supports innovation; leveraging fresh perspectives and new paradigms to create value within the market.
• Strong project management expertise with experience balancing big-picture with day-to-day execution
• Strong cross-functional management and leadership skills with high EQ
• Strong ability to influence people and build strong relationships with both internal and external stakeholders and customers.
• High degree of tenacity and persistence to get actions completed on schedule with a hands on approach when needed.
• Proven track record in delivering several complex projects at a time

Compensation Package : $97,500.00 - $130,000.00 . USD annually + Bonus eligibility
The above reflects the target compensation range for the position at the time of posting. Hiring compensation will be determined based on experience, skill set, education and training, and other organizational needs.
Benefits: At McCain, we're on a mission to create a winning culture that puts employee safety and well-being at the heart of what we do, every day. We understand and appreciate that each person's needs are unique and ensure our benefits & well-being programs reflect that. Employees are eligible for the following benefits: health coverage (medical, dental, vision, prescription drug), retirement savings benefits, and leave support including medical, family and bereavement. Well-being programs include vacation and holidays, company-supported volunteering time, and mental health resources. Coverages are aligned with country, provincial and state governing plans and can vary by work level, location and nature of the role. Additional benefit detail available during the application process.
Your well-being matters to us, and we're here to provide you with the necessary resources to support you in being your best self at work - and at home.
McCain Foods is an equal opportunity employer. As a global family-owned company, we strive to be the employer of choice in the diverse communities around the world in which we live and work. We recognize that inclusion drives our creativity, resilience, and success and makes our business stronger. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, sex, age, veteran status, disability, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law.
McCain is an accessible employer. If you require an accommodation throughout the recruitment process (including alternate formats of materials or accessible meeting rooms), please let us know and we will work with you to find appropriate solutions.
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Job Family: Marketing
Location(s): US - United States of America : Illinois : Oakbrook Terrace
Company: McCain Foods USA, Inc.