Senior Director, Innovation & Packaging Workflow Operations
About The Position
The Sr. Director I, Innovation & Packaging Workflow Operations is responsible for architecting, governing, and continuously modernizing the end‑to-end packaging workflow ecosystem—spanning innovation, commercial delivery, and base business execution. This role leads the teams accountable for KO Art, Adobe Workfront packaging workflow management, packaging graphics operations, and workflow technologist functions. This role also leads the NAOU innovation operating system by orchestrating the full Stages & Gates and Leap Lab framework—from concept through launch—to ensure rigor, cross‑functional alignment, and timely gate readiness for all innovation projects. The role ensures strong end‑to-end innovation pipeline management in Workfront, with every initiative evaluated, resourced, and advanced using clear visibility into consumer desirability, financial viability, and technical feasibility. This leader drives the intersection of MarTech workflow tools, innovation governance, and packaging operational excellence, ensuring that KO Art and Adobe Workfront continue to evolve as next‑generation platforms supporting automation, AI augmentation, and data‑driven decision-making.
Requirements
- 10–12+ years experience in marketing or commercial operations, packaging workflow operations, packaging graphics, innovation management, or related fields.
- Expertise in packaging processes (design, artwork, prepress, color, regulatory, print production).
- Experience leading large cross-functional teams and influencing senior-level stakeholders.
- Experience with Stages & Gates, innovation governance, or commercialization processes.
- Proficiency with Adobe Workfront and KO Art (or equivalent workflow management platforms).
- Familiarity with digital proofing, color management technologies, and packaging quality systems.
- Strong analytical and data storytelling skills, including dashboarding and KPI management.
Responsibilities
- Ensures end‑to-end innovation workflow operations by leading portfolio health and pipeline management in Workfront, providing clear visibility into project status, resourcing, and progression against consumer, financial, and technical criteria.
- Oversees the full innovation operating system—including Leap Lab and the Stages & Gates process—to drive governance, cross‑functional alignment, and timely advancement of initiatives from concept through launch.
- Develops and maintains Workfront dashboards, reporting, and analytics that equip senior leadership with real‑time insights for pipeline reviews, prioritization, and strategic decision‑making.
- Supports and enables the Leap Lab team by designing operational efficiencies, streamlined routines, and agile ways of working that accelerate rapid prototyping and future‑back innovation.
- Leads and develop team of packaging workflow team, utilizing KO Art and Adobe Workfront for packaging workflow orchestration, ensuring both systems operate as an integrated backbone for packaging delivery.
- Champion the use of AI-enabled features—including automated compliance checks, metadata population, digital proofing, predictive workflow insights, and error‑reduction tools—within KO Art and Workfront.
- Provide strategic direction, capability-building, and performance management for teams managing daily workflow execution, dashboards, pipeline visibility, troubleshooting, testing, documentation, and process governance.
- Serve as the functional owner for all packaging-related governance within Leap Lab & Stages and Gates, ensuring packaging briefs, risk assessments, business case inputs, and technical feasibility deliverables meet the required rigor at each stage.
- Ensure that packaging workflows accommodate rapid prototyping, accelerated testing, iterative design cycles, and the operationalization of breakthrough innovation.
- Drive NAOU-wide packaging workflow improvements through simplification, automation, fast-track paths, and cycle-time reduction.
- Monitor performance KPIs (cycle time, accuracy, compliance, stakeholder satisfaction, bottlenecks, throughput) and elevate systemic risks, gaps, or improvement opportunities to leadership.
- Establish routines for pipeline health, operational reviews, Workfront dashboard reporting, and executive visibility for packaging status across innovation and base business portfolios.
- Serve as the senior liaison connecting Marketing, Design, R&D, Supply Chain, Packaging Graphics, Commercial, Legal/SRA, and Global functions.
- Partner closely with Brand and Creative teams to ensure packaging workflows support design intent, brand storytelling, and creative excellence.
- Own KO Art and Workfront platform strategy, implementation, upgrades, and long‑term roadmap.
- Lead integration of AI, workflow automation, and data intelligence into packaging processes.
- Ensure interoperability across marketing technology platforms and alignment to total marketing workflow standards.
- Drive measurable improvements in cycle time, rework reduction, accuracy, and packaging readiness.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Director
Education Level
No Education Listed
