Sr. Director, Portfolio Planning Innovation

Kinder's • Walnut Creek, CA

22h

About The Position

The Senior Director, Portfolio Planning Innovation is accountable for the integrated demand and supply planning of Kinder’s Innovation Portfolio, from early commercialization through launch and scale. This role owns the Innovation S&OP operating model, serving as the single point of accountability that connects Marketing, Sales, R&D, Finance, Operations, and Contract Manufacturing into one aligned plan.
This leader will balance portfolio demand signals, supply capacity, inventory strategy, and risk, enabling faster innovation launches while protecting service, cost, and agility in a high-growth environment.

Requirements

• 12+ years of progressive experience in S&OP, IBP, demand and supply planning, or innovation portfolio management.
• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Business, Operations, or related field; MBA preferred.
• Proven experience leading cross-functional, end-to-end planning processes in a fast-growth or highly dynamic environment.
• Demonstrated success owning both demand and supply accountability, not just coordination.
• Strong working knowledge of advanced planning platforms (e.g., SAP IBP, Kinaxis, Blue Yonder).
• Executive-level communication skills with the ability to frame trade-offs and influence decisions.
• Track record of leading change, building new operating models, and scaling planning maturity.

Responsibilities

• Own and lead the Innovation S&OP process, integrating demand and supply into a single, executable innovation plan.
• Establish portfolio-level trade-offs across speed, cost, capacity, and risk, enabling fact-based decision-making at the executive level.
• Translate innovation strategy into time-phased demand and supply plans, from concept through commercialization and scale-up.
• Serve as the primary orchestrator between Innovation, Commercial, Finance, and Operations for all innovation planning decisions.
• Own the demand signal for innovation initiatives, partnering with Marketing, Sales, and Finance to align forecasts, assumptions, and launch timing.
• Drive clarity on volume phasing, customer timing, and demand uncertainty, including scenario planning for upside/downside cases.
• Ensure innovation demand plans are fully embedded into enterprise S&OP / IBP cycles.
• Own supply readiness and feasibility for innovation projects, including capacity, materials, inventory strategy, and network deployment.
• Partner with Operations, Procurement, and Contract Manufacturers to ensure innovation launches are realistic, scalable, and resilient.
• Define make-to-stock vs. make-to-order strategies for innovation SKUs, including secondary placements (PDQs, DRUs, pallets).
• Lead risk identification and mitigation plans for innovation supply constraints.
• Bridge Innovation S&OP with enterprise S&OP, S&OE, and IBP, ensuring innovation does not operate as a disconnected process.
• Ensure alignment between short-term execution decisions and long-term innovation portfolio strategy.
• Lead monthly Innovation S&OP reviews and contribute to executive IBP discussions with clear recommendations and trade-offs.
• Act as a neutral, enterprise leader who drives alignment and accountability across functions.
• Establish governance, decision rights, and escalation paths for innovation planning decisions.
• Foster a “Fail Forward” mindset, using root-cause learning to continuously improve innovation planning effectiveness.
• Champion the use of advanced planning tools, analytics, and AI to improve innovation forecast accuracy, scenario modeling, and supply readiness.
• Own innovation-specific planning master data in partnership with Supply Chain and Finance.
• Define and track KPIs for innovation service, speed-to-market, inventory, and forecast accuracy.
• Collaborate closely with Contract Manufacturers and key suppliers to support innovation agility and reliability.
• Develop contingency strategies for demand volatility, material constraints, and launch risk.

Benefits

• We offer a range of total rewards that may include paid time off, 401k, bonus / incentive eligibility, equity grants, competitive health benefits, and other family-friendly benefits, including parental leave.
• Kinder’s benefits vary based on eligibility and can be reviewed in more detail during the interview process.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level