NPD Director, Breakthrough Innovation, Global Learning & Creative

accobrands•Ela Township, IL

1d•$185,000 - $205,000•Hybrid

About The Position

ACCO Brands is seeking a New Product Development Director to lead Breakthrough Innovation for the Global Learning & Creative portfolio. This role is accountable for defining and advancing enterprise-critical innovation platforms that drive long-term category growth and competitive advantage across global markets. This leader operates at a strategic and executional level, personally leading high-impact programs while shaping how innovation is defined, prioritized, and delivered across the broader NPD organization. The role has enterprise-wide influence, partnering with global brand owners and regional commercial leaders to align innovation with long-term brand strategy and financial objectives. As a senior member of the innovation leadership team, the Director provides thought leadership on portfolio direction, innovation investment, and capability building, ensuring ACCO’s innovation engine delivers sustained commercial impact.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Engineering, Industrial Design, or related field; MBA preferred
15+ years in product development, product management, or innovation, with a demonstrated track record of personally ideating, developing, and launching commercially successful new products — not solely overseeing them
Proven experience leading breakthrough or platform-level innovation in consumer products, learning/education, creative/arts, office products, or comparable categories
Demonstrated experience leading global enterprise-wide product programs, including coordination with regional commercial teams and global brand stewards
Demonstrated fluency in both Stage Gate and Agile (or hybrid) product development methodologies, with judgment on when to apply each
Experience establishing or evolving innovation operating frameworks — project prioritization, governance cadence, portfolio visibility, and best-practice codification — in partnership with (not in place of) a PMO
Proven ability to deliver in resource-constrained, ambiguous environments
Strong financial acumen, including ownership of pricing strategy, margin optimization, and ROI delivery, with the ability to influence broader investment decisions and long-term value creation
Advanced ability to translate consumer insight into product design and product design into commercial reality
Strong leadership communication skills, with the ability to shape and present strategic recommendations to executive audiences
Track record of building, coaching, and retaining high-performing product management and product development talent — especially developing breakthrough thinking in more junior team members

Responsibilities

Personally lead the ideation, design, and launch of globally-scoped, platform-level new product programs, from insight through commercialization that drive category growth and strengthen ACCO’s competitive market position across regions
Identify and articulate consumer, category, and white-space insights across global markets, and translate them into commercially viable, differentiated, and exciting product concepts while defining broader innovation opportunity areas and strategic platforms for future growth
Operate as a hands-on builder on the most strategic "big bet" programs — not solely through delegation
Assemble, coach and develop a team of New Product Managers, with a specific focus on building breakthrough thinking capability, insight-driven design, and commercial rigor
Lead programs through Stage Gate where appropriate, and design Agile or hybrid approaches where speed-to-market demands it
Partner closely with the PMO (which this role does not own) to drive process improvement, identify speed unlocks, and align governance — without duplicating PMO accountabilities
Deliver programs on-time, on-budget, and on-financials, with disciplined trade-off management when resources, timing, or scope must flex
Partner with global brand owners who hold brand equity stewardship for Learning & Creative brands to ensure new product programs are anchored in brand strategy, equity, and long-term positioning
Lead alignment on program-level innovation priorities and platform decisions across global and regional stakeholders
Coordinate with regional Marketing and Product teams to align timing, scope, and go-to-market approach for globally-scoped Learning & Creative launches, maximizing reach and commercial impact
Build the operating connections, briefing cadence, and decision points required for multi-region launches to be executed cleanly and at speed
Serve as the operational backbone for new product development across the team, ensuring projects are prioritized, sequenced, and executed with consistency and rigor.
Establish and run the operating framework for how the broader team manages new product development — including project prioritization, IBP/PMR inputs, and innovation best practices - across the NPD function, ensuring consistency, scalability, and alignment with enterprise innovation objectives
Codify and scale innovation best practices, templates, and standards so the team gets faster and better over time
Influence senior leaders across Marketing, Design, Engineering, Supply Chain, Finance, and Sales — in NA and globally — to align behind breakthrough programs and new ways of working
Navigate cross-functional resistance to faster, more iterative innovation approaches, with executive sponsorship from senior leadership
Provide data-driven recommendations and thought leadership on portfolio direction, category opportunities, and innovation investment within Learning & Creative
Drive change initiatives that elevate the speed, quality, and ambition of ACCO's innovation engine
Own program-level financials including margin, ROI, and commercial outcomes for launched products and contribute recommendations that inform overall innovation portfolio performance, investment prioritization, and long-term value creation
Establish positioning, pricing, and margin targets for new platforms in partnership with global brand owners and category leadership
Manage and optimize external partnerships (agencies, manufacturers, innovation partners) to extend internal capability and accelerate launches