Finance Director, R&D, Commercialization & Marketing Finance

Kraft Heinz•Chicago, IL

10d•Onsite

About The Position

Here at Kraft Heinz, we grow our people to grow our business, because we believe that great people make great companies. When you join our table, you can expect access to an array of holistic wellness benefits and perks, including medical, dental and vision coverage, 7% 401(k) matching, Business Resource Groups (BRGs) to help foster diversity, inclusion, and belonging for all employees, an industry-leading total rewards package that emphasizes a high discretionary bonus. Benefits begin 30 days after hire for hourly employees, and immediately upon hire for salaried employees. Get a peek into life here at Kraft Heinz through our Instagram and TikTok channels! Finance Director, R&D, Commercialization & Marketing Finance at a Glance…. The Director, R&D, Commercialization & Marketing Finance Reports to the Vice President, Central Finance and leads strategy and execution for a portfolio of programs and capabilities that materially improve business outcomes across Kraft Heinz. Serving as a key bridge between Finance and cross-functional partners in Marketing, R&D, and the Business Units, this role influences and optimizes commercial and product development investments that will power growth at KHC for years to come. The Director leads a team spanning R&D Finance, Marketing/Media Finance, and Commercialization (including new production innovation & renovation), and owns end-to-end financial stewardship of these functions — from strategic capital allocation, developing investment frameworks, enhancing analytics & visibility of our investments, and innovation portfolio analytics.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Accounting, Finance, or related field required
Minimum 10 years of relevant experience, preferably spanning category, corporate FP&A, and/or BU finance; experience in media finance and spend analysis strongly preferred
Demonstrated ability to lead teams and work effectively through others; manages collaboratively with the ability to influence senior management, in some cases without authority
Strong analytical skills, broad business acumen, and proven attention to detail; demonstrated ability to multitask and make key decisions
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with confidence engaging key stakeholders, external agencies, and senior leadership
Strong technical and systems orientation: advanced Excel and PowerPoint; experience with SAP suites (e.g., BOI, BI, BEX) and Tableau; familiarity with MediaTools or other media buying platforms a plus
Ability to recognize opportunities to simplify processes and create efficiencies
Motivated, independent self-starter with a strong drive to learn, willingness to assume senior-level responsibility, and the ability to work effectively under pressure while managing multiple priorities
Positive attitude; open to change and evolving responsibilities

Nice To Haves

familiarity with MediaTools or other media buying platforms a plus

Responsibilities

Serve as strategic business partner to the President of R&D and the Chief Marketing Officer, reporting to the Vice President, Central Finance
Drive insights and strategic vision to influence how KHC manages and optimizes commercial and product development investments in accordance with resource allocation models and the growth plan
Establish and maintain a roadmap of initiatives, capabilities, and process improvements with clear business cases and ROI/value tracking
Influence and align senior stakeholders across functions to drive shared outcomes and resolve tradeoffs
Represent Finance in executive forums, steering committees, and planning cycles (e.g., annual planning, quarterly business reviews); oversee creation of Leadership Team and Monthly Business Review materials
Act as thought leader and strategic finance partner to the R&D Organization on Resource Allocation, Innovation, Renovation, Maintenance (including product / packaging quality & ESG) and Productivity
Act as a thought leader & strategic finance partner to the Marketing Organization on eCommerce, Shopper Marketing, Insights, Digital Platforms, The Kitchen (creative agency), and Brand Capabilities initiatives — including business proposition, value creation, and optimization
Own analytics & budget management for the R&D and Marketing organizations, delivered through the team: Entity-level forecasts leveraging cost drivers, benchmarking analyses, and KPIs to drive efficiencies and inform KHC business decisions
Proactive opportunity and risk assessments, including gap solves
Control of periodic entity-specific SG&A spend (e.g., Fees, Travel) and Complex spend (e.g., Commercial Marketing) packages
Annual Budgeting / CAPEX operating plan builds for these entities
Drive and analyze ROI-driven investment trade-offs, aligning cross-functional investments to KHC’s growth plan and to internal and external BU-specific and P&L line-specific targets
Establish clear cost ownership and funding accountability across BU and Central budgets, implementing routines and guardrails that ensure disciplined, transparent spend management
Proactively drive ad hoc fixed cost analysis (e.g., transformation/restructurings, ROI benchmarking)
Oversee the monthly routine to manage all media buys across the North America Zone, ensuring compliance with KHC policy and that all buys remain within the approved latest estimate (LE)
Ensure a consistent financial reporting cadence with BU stakeholders (including monthly Media Buy reviews with BU Finance) and accurate media LE information; oversee monthly media variance analysis and insights during BU connects
Establish ways of working for non-SOP media spend (e.g., eCommerce, EVP, CRM, HQ Non-Platform, PK, PR) and governance infrastructure including the annual media buy calendar, BCA approval matrices, shift thresholds for Commercial Packages, accrual analysis, and firm-flex capability
Support central marketing initiatives (e.g., Portfolio, Sports & Entertainment contracts) through both spend governance and partnership with BU Finance teams on allocation and funding as these investments are implemented and embedded within the new BU P&Ls
Maintain strong collaborative relationships with external media agencies to ensure consistent, compliant monthly media actuals; ensure MediaTools approver and hierarchy modules remain current and meet governance requirements
Partner with IT teams on media database design to support dashboard and reporting goals
Partner closely with President of R&D, VP of Innovation, the Commercialization Leader, and BU Innovation teams to drive new product innovation, innovation funnel tracking, and delivery of growth plan objectives
Per IA Committee request, need to create process to track comprehensive development costs for Innovation, Renovation, Maintenance and Productivity projects to enable ROI benchmarking and postmortem
Provide thought leadership on how to prioritize different project types to maximize financial returns (e.g. NPV and development cost/effort to compare Innovation Project vs Productivity project if unable to resource both)
Effectively build and leverage a cross-functional network to deliver business objectives (e.g., Commercial Business Units, Sales, Operations, CAPEX)
Recognize opportunities to simplify processes and create efficiencies across the finance function
Lead, coach, and develop a team of managers and individual contributors across R&D Finance, Marketing Finance, and BU Innovation teams; set clear expectations and performance goals
Hire and retain top talent; define role clarity, career paths, and succession plans

Benefits

medical, dental and vision coverage
7% 401(k) matching
Business Resource Groups (BRGs)
high discretionary bonus
Coverage for benefits will be in accordance with the terms and conditions of the applicable plans and associated governing plan documents.
Wellbeing: We offer events, resources, and learning opportunities that inspire a physical, social, emotional, and financial well-being lifestyle for our employees and their families.
Physical - Medical, Prescription Drug, Dental, Vision, Screenings/Assessments
Social - Paid Time Off, Company Holidays, Leave of Absence, Flexible Work Arrangements, Recognition, Training
Emotional – Employee Assistance Program , Wellbeing Programs, Family Support Programs
Financial – 401k, Life, Accidental Death & Dismemberment, Disability