Knorr Innovation End-to-End Associate Brand Manager

Unilever•Hoboken, NJ

About The Position

Founded in 1838, Knorr is Unilever’s second-largest brand globally and one of the most beloved names in food. In the U.S., Knorr is driven by a bold purpose: making delicious, nutritious food accessible to all while inspiring home cooks with the flavors and confidence to create meaningful meals every day. The U.S. represents one of Knorr’s most exciting growth frontiers. The brand is not only expanding rapidly but actively shaping the future of its categories by unlocking new occasions, modernizing the portfolio, and bringing culinary inspiration into more homes. As we work toward our ambitious goal of reaching $1 billion in U.S. sales by 2027, Knorr is undergoing a powerful transformation—elevating innovation, premiumizing key platforms, and redefining how the brand connects with today’s consumer. A central part of this journey is the creation of next-generation innovation platforms, including the upcoming launch of core and premium protein cups and expansion into new categories such as bone broth. These initiatives represent Knorr’s commitment to blending culinary expertise, consumer insight, and breakthrough thinking to deliver products that are both purposeful and exciting. The Associate Brand Manager, reporting into the Senior Innovation Brand Manager, will play a critical role in shaping this future, helping craft the long-term innovation funnel across Meal Makers, Bouillon and Cups, bringing bold ideas to life, and contributing to a transformation that will redefine how Knorr shows up in the hearts, minds, and kitchens of consumers. Your every day job will involve plenty of strategic thinking and crafting. We started a journey towards a new and more premium Future-Core that will revolutionize the brand and category. Now it’s time to explore the future of these platform in 2026 and beyond.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree required, MBA preferred with 3+ years of experience in Brand or CPG marketing.
A creative mindset, excellent analytical and problem solving skills
Has a real passion for innovation, crafting mixes that truly excite consumers
Excellent oral/written and presentation skills; ability to tailor your communication style across a multitude of disciplines leadership levels.
Experience leading or working with large teams, with the ability to build rapport and influence cross-functional and global partners.
Strong track record of successful product launches
Foodie/Nutrition literacy coupled with an eye for aesthetic, design, and attention for details.
Comfortable with using data throughout aspects of the role, turning consumer and social insights into strategic thinking, and building viable financial models.

Responsibilities

Lead and support the development of breakthrough innovation platforms for the U.S. Scratch Cooking portfolio, partnering with local and global teams to co-create Knorr’s big bet initiatives across Meal Makers and Mini Meals for 2026–2027 and beyond.
Translate deep consumer understanding into compelling innovation concepts by identifying unmet needs, defining jobs-to-be-done, and crafting differentiated product ideas that deliver superior functional and emotional benefits.
Own end-to-end delivery of assigned innovation projects across multiple stage-gate milestones, including strategy and concept development, business case creation, pricing and P&L modeling, demand forecasting, and go-to-market planning.
Partner cross-functionally with R&D, Supply Chain, Finance, CMI, and regional teams to bring innovations from concept through commercialization, ensuring feasibility, profitability, and speed to market.
Collaborate with external partners including research agencies, design and creative agencies, and flavor experts to elevate product development, packaging, and brand storytelling.
Lead creative development for innovation campaigns, shaping positioning, messaging, and asset creation in partnership with agency and media teams to drive awareness, trial, and early adoption.
Work closely with Sales and Customer teams to develop compelling retailer selling stories rooted in category growth strategy and shopper insight.
Continuously identify emerging food, technology, and consumer trends, bringing best-in-class inspiration and competitive benchmarking to strengthen innovation quality and differentiation.
Manage innovation budgets and allocated resources, ensuring disciplined investment decisions and strong return on investment.

Benefits

Culture for Growth
Top Notch Employee Health & Well Being Benefits
Every Voice Matters
Global Reach
Life at Unilever
Careers with Purpose
World Class Career Development Programs
Check Out Our Space
Focus On Sustainability
Unilever employees are eligible to participate in our benefits plan. Should the employee choose to participate, they can choose from a range of benefits to include, but is not limited to, health insurance (including prescription drug, dental, and vision coverage), retirement savings benefits, life insurance and disability benefits, parental leave, sick leave, paid vacation and holidays, as well as access to numerous voluntary benefits. Any coverages for health insurance and retirement benefits will be in accordance with the terms and conditions of the applicable plans and associated governing plan documents.