Brand Manager - Innovation (Multiple Positions)

The Kraft Heinz Company•Chicago, IL

1d•$120,800 - $151,000•Onsite

About The Position

We are hiring Brand Managers into multiple Innovation Marketing teams. As a Brand Manager focusing on innovation, your responsibilities will span from consumer insight generation and concept ideation to product development, packaging design, and business case development. You’ll manage cross-functional teams to bring the brand’s innovation plan to life for consumers and drive overall category growth for retailers by focusing on bigger and bolder bets.

Requirements

Experience managing the full lifecycle of CPG product commercialization through the stage gate process, from idea generation to product launch and retail distribution.
Innovative and consumer first mindset – is inherently innovative & collaborative and prioritizes resourcefulness over resources.
Has a natural ability to put the consumer first, understand their pain & pleasure points and iterate quickly based on consumer learning
Experience with syndicated sources such as Nielsen or Circana/IRI
Strong project management skills with ability to successfully handle multiple projects simultaneously and deliver on timelines (experience in cross-functional team management preferred)

Responsibilities

Manage the creation and validation of a multi-year innovation strategy and Now, Near, Next pipeline that is rooted in meaningful consumer pain points and white space in the category.
Execute the innovation strategy by collaborating with cross-functional team (R&D, consumer insights, quality, operations, sales and finance) to take ideas from concepts to reality by validating or invalidating critical desirability, feasibility & viability assumptions.
Manage agency relationships for packaging design of new products, and lead validation with consumers in partnership with the consumer insights team.
Own innovation through the stage gate process, providing visibility to senior leaderships on risks & opportunities, and aligning next steps/tradeoffs.
Leverage syndicated data sources to understand own and competitor category performance, bringing forth insights and recommendations that drive business impact.
Bring forth a consumer-first mindset to day-to-day decisions, ensuring the integrity of the brand remains protected while balancing financial and operational considerations.
Be a champion of an innovation culture across the Marketing team, bringing the outside in, challenging the status quo and driving continuous improvement in how we innovate.