Marketing Manager, Innovation

**Snapshot of a Day-in-the-Life**:

- Own the creation and validation of a robust pipeline of innovation ideas designed against meaningful consumer needs. Scope includes new platforms and new product lines. You will identify consumer problems and shepherd solutions through the front-end innovation process to convert them into PDP-ready (Stage Gate) projects. Responsibilities also include:

- Partnering with Consumer Insights to develop and implement a reinvigorated approach to consumer research.
- Developing ‘Need to Believe’ business plans built on solving consumer problems and fulfilling demand space gaps and ensuring project feasibility.
- Identifying assumptions and conducting consumer tests to validate.
- Lead the front-end innovation approach, including governance (Monthly Innovation Steering Meetings), processes, tools, and metrics.
- For new platform innovation, you will also:

- Build prototypes and pilots with cross-functional teams when necessary, engaging external partners as appropriate.
- Support development of the selling story, in close collaboration with internal sales organization to influence customer sell-in across all channels.
- Partner with the Commercial Execution team to launch these new platforms through PDP and into market, and lead in-market performance for an introductory term (~12 weeks).
- Liaise and work collaboratively with Category and Brand Marketing teams to ensure:

- Alignment and effective transition of projects from Innovation team leadership to Category team leadership.
- A smooth transition from the Innovation process to the PDP process.
- Innovations within brands happen within the defined brand governance.
- Lead the annual innovation planning process ensuring innovation goals are realized and the long-term pipeline is robust.
- Teach, help energize and help build fluency in the process with the Category/Brand teams and overall Marketing & Innovation organization. Serve as a champion of the Innovation culture at MLF.
- Partner with Finance to ensure KPI progress is tracked, and results are consolidated, for all innovation projects to help the Innovation Steering Team monitor progress and provide guidance and support.

**What You’ll Bring**:

- General Manager mindset with a bias towards delighting consumers.
- Bachelor’s Degree and a track record of developing and launching successful product innovations and leading change in a CPG environment.
- The ability to navigate ambiguity and transform it into clarity for the organization. This includes having the ability to identify all relevant information (including data from numerous tools) to drive to meaningful insights.
- The presence, influence, entrepreneurial spirit and change management skills needed to launch new products.
- Strong relationship building skills with a well-developed “people interaction” skillset who can successfully navigate and influence a complex organization.
- A strategic thinker who will roll up their sleeves and get their hands dirty, and who can be creative within constraints. Must embody the important MLF value of “Intense Curiosity” about food and consumers and how it relates to our Brands.
- Ability to partner with the Consumer Insights group to identify meaningful consumer problems and develop and validate solutions, and quickly develop “Need to Believe” business cases and get to decisions on whether to proceed or not.
- Ability to develop and sell-in business case plans for innovation and commercialization ideas.
- Must be a self-starter with an ownership mindset; passionate, proactive and performance driven, with a bias for action.
- A true love of food, and a desire to develop successful new food solutions for unmet consumer challenges.
- Comfort operating in a manufacturing setting preferred - Ability to understand how innovation will be produced (i.e. manufacturing process, raw materials required, costing, feasibility of plans, etc.) and drive the work forward with cross-functional teams.
- Exceptional Project Management Skills
- Experience managing multiple priorities and large business critical projects with timeliness and in collaboration with a strong cross-functional team (both internal and external team members)
- General MLF Marketing competencies:

- Commercial Acumen - Solid understanding of key drivers of marketing, brand management, and the P&L and ability to leverage them to identify and execute changes to move the business forward.
- Communication Skills - Able to effectively communicate consistently with a variety of audiences to achieve desired outcomes.
- Leadership and Influence - Able to stay focused on driving key business priorities in a dynamic business environment.
- Agility & Effectiveness
- Skilled in mobilizing and managing teams to achieve commercial objectives.
- Critical Thinking, Insights & Strategic Leadership - Big picture thinking with an ability to clearly articulate a strategic direction, justified with sound fact-based ration