Associate Manager, Product Pipeline Marketing (IHOP)

Dine Brands Global•Pasadena, CA

7d•$95,000 - $105,000•Onsite

About The Position

IHOP is looking for an Associate Manager, Product Pipeline Marketing to facilitate product innovation and execute market testing to deliver craveable experiences for millions of guests. As a key member of the IHOP Brand Calendar Strategy team, this role will facilitate the development of new products, platforms, and value offers, ensuring they are rigorously tested for future market launches. The ultimate goal is to drive brand growth through product development and testing execution to achieve long-term menu and calendar goals.

Requirements

Bachelor’s Degree and 3-4 years of relevant experience OR MBA Degree and 1-2 years of relevant experience
Professional experience in product development or brand management in national restaurant or consumer packaged goods (CPG) environments.
High level of accuracy with an eye for detail and basic understanding of business and performance data analysis.
Demonstrated ability to establish strong working relationships with internal/external partners
Passion for food and consumer insights.
Ability to prioritize, problem-solve and respond quickly to changes in direction.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills
Strong presentation skills
Proficient in Microsoft Office

Responsibilities

Identify and brainstorm product and value opportunities based on trends, research, sales, and competitive insights, and articulate how they support IHOP’s business goals.
Partner with Consumer Insights, Culinary, and Product Marketing team leader to brief and bring new menu pipeline product concepts to life.
Track status of culinary brief development, CI research, and new ingredient formulation development.
Lead bi-weekly alignment meetings for updates and reviews on all pipeline projects.
Support food show planning to facilitate reviews of new menu innovation through key stage gates of approval.
Prepare & present recommendations to department leader.
Co-design and implement testing plans including concept screeners, operational shakedowns, consumer taste tests, and in-market tests.
Execute tests by collaborating across Restaurant Excellence, Brand Creative, Consumer Insights, Supply Chain, and franchise partners to implement.
Present test and launch plans with clarity and enthusiasm to internal audiences.
Analyze results in partnership with Business Analytics to present fact-based recommendations and business cases to department leadership.
Provide timely updates on project performance and potential executional flags to your manager and cross-functional stakeholders.
Develop strong cross-functional relationships for effective project collaboration.
Monitor business performance and industry trends to become a category expert.
Apply critical thinking to data to distill product insights comprised of key attributes, consumer benefits, and reasons to believe for briefing to internal and agency creative teams.