Innovation Ecosystem & Strategic Partnerships, Senior Manager

Church & Dwight•Ewing, NJ

13d•Hybrid

About The Position

Church & Dwight is seeking an Innovation Ecosystem & Strategic Partnerships Senior Manager to join their team. This role reports to the Director, Marketing Innovation & Development - Beauty. The Senior Manager will be responsible for building and leading a world-class external innovation network, including ingredient suppliers, packaging innovators, contract manufacturers, startups, universities, technology partners, and research organizations. This role acts as a strategic bridge between Church & Dwight Beauty and the external innovation ecosystem, supporting brands like Hero, Batiste, Nair, Viviscal, and Toppik. Key responsibilities include identifying emerging technologies, cultivating high-value partnerships, and translating external opportunities into differentiated products, accelerated speed to market, and sustainable portfolio growth. The role involves collaboration across Marketing, R&D, Procurement, Supply Chain, PMO, and Commercial teams to expand access to breakthrough capabilities, strengthen the innovation pipeline, and shape the future of the Beauty business. The primary purpose of this role is to identify and unlock external innovation opportunities that create competitive advantage across the Beauty portfolio. This leader will continuously monitor emerging technologies, consumer trends, and market developments to ensure Church & Dwight remains at the forefront of beauty innovation. Success requires curiosity, strategic thinking, and the ability to build influential partnerships that go beyond traditional supplier relationships to foster co-creation, exclusive technologies, and long-term growth opportunities. The role challenges the organization to consider how emerging technologies can redefine categories, which partnerships can create sustainable competitive differentiation, how to transform supplier relationships into strategic innovation collaborations, and what capabilities to invest in for future consumer needs.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, Cosmetics Marketing, Chemistry, Engineering or related field required.
8+ years in Beauty, Personal Care, CPG or adjacent industries required.
Experience with suppliers, manufacturers or external innovation partnerships.
Strong strategic thinking and cross-functional leadership.
Must be able to assess and analyze formulas and consumer experience.
Must have an understanding of competitive landscape.
Some travel required

Nice To Haves

MBA or advanced technical degree.
Experience in Open Innovation or Strategic Partnerships.
Experience navigating trade shows and following up with R&D re formulas and suppliers.

Responsibilities

Build an Innovation Ecosystem: Develop strategic relationships with suppliers, manufacturers, startups, universities and technology partners.
Expand a differentiated ecosystem that improves competitive advantage.
Build preferred partnerships for breakthrough innovation.
Technology & Trend Scouting: Identify emerging technologies, ingredients, packaging and manufacturing capabilities.
Monitor consumer, scientific and competitive trends.
Translate discoveries into actionable innovation opportunities.
Deliver analysis of formulas that are being explored from a consumer/competitive standpoint
Strategic Partnerships: Develop long-term co-creation partnerships.
Identify exclusivity and first-to-market opportunities.
Recommend partnership investments.
Portfolio Growth: Support 3–5 year innovation roadmaps.
Introduce externally sourced concepts into planning.
Strengthen the innovation pipeline.
Cross-Functional Leadership: Partner with Marketing Innovation, R&D, Procurement, Supply Chain, PMO and Commercial.
Develop Technology Radar, Innovation Landscape Reviews and Partner Assessments.