Brand Manager, Away From Home Innovation - Condiments & Sauces

The Kraft Heinz Company•Chicago, IL

2d•$120,800 - $151,000•Hybrid

About The Position

As a Brand Manager for Away From Home Innovation, you will help lead the strategic development and execution of the innovation pipeline for Kraft Heinz’s Away from Home (AFH) Taste Elevation Platform. You will contribute to ideation, curation, and commercialization of innovative products aligned with global trends and company growth. The role collaborates across functions to make Away from Home an important source of innovation for the broader Kraft Heinz portfolio, while supporting ESG initiatives and sustainability goals. The position involves developing and prioritizing innovation opportunities, managing commercialization, and supporting the innovation stage-gate process. You will work with cross-functional partners and external agencies, validate concepts with consumers, refine positioning and messaging, and use syndicated data to inform business decisions. The role requires balancing consumer and operator needs with financial and operational considerations. The position is based at the Chicago/Aon Center. It is described as a normal office environment with moderate travel to customer locations, stores, and manufacturing facilities. The office is an open workspace. Office-based employees may work virtually up to two days each week and are expected to work in person at their assigned location at least three days per workweek during defined core days.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in business, marketing, or a related field; equivalent experience will be considered.
Five to seven years of experience in marketing, product innovation, or brand management.
At least three years leading innovation or product development from concept to market in the consumer goods sector.
Proven success developing and executing strategic marketing plans, including situation assessments and tactical initiatives.
Experience leading cross-functional teams and managing multiple projects simultaneously to deliver results within agreed timelines.
Strong project management, organizational, and analytical skills, including the ability to make data-driven decisions and develop business cases.
Ability to simplify complex challenges, make quick decisions, and drive progress in fast-paced and ambiguous environments.
Growth mindset focused on continuous learning, anticipating consumer needs, and using insights to fuel innovation.
Results-oriented problem-solving skills and a track record of managing ambiguity and overcoming obstacles.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills, relationship-building ability, stakeholder influence, and collaborative leadership.
Strategic thinking and the ability to assess issues from multiple perspectives and anticipate future impacts.
Strong organizational agility, including navigating formal and informal channels, delegating, and removing roadblocks.
Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.

Nice To Haves

MBA with a marketing focus.

Responsibilities

Support development of a strategic innovation approach aligned with market trends, consumer insights, and AFH growth objectives.
Identify and prioritize opportunities and lead commercialization of key pipeline initiatives in line with Kraft Heinz business objectives.
Collaborate with R&D, culinary, consumer insights, quality, legal, operations, sales, and finance stakeholders to execute innovation initiatives.
Foster an innovation culture by championing creative thinking and new product development that reflects global trends and cultural shifts.
Support the innovation stage-gate process, including deliverables, timelines, approvals, resourcing, and prioritization.
Manage agency relationships for packaging design and lead consumer validation with the consumer insights team.
Work with commercial teams to refine product positioning and messaging for target customers in the Away from Home market.
Analyze internal and competitor innovation performance using syndicated data sources and provide actionable insights and recommendations.
Maintain a consumer-first mindset and strong operator understanding while balancing brand integrity, financial considerations, and operational considerations.