Sr Manager, Innovation & Strategy

Nestle Operational Services Worldwide SA•Arlington, VA

2d•$170,482 - $230,330

About The Position

This role is a commercial innovation strategy and capability leadership position responsible for translating Nestlé USA innovation priorities into practical, division-level action. The Senior Manager partners across brands, categories, Commercial Development, Sales, Finance, Consumer Insights & Foresight, Digital, R&D, TAG (Technical Application Group), and external partners to build innovation strategy, stronger rolling pipelines, embed Innovation the Nestlé Way, improve portfolio governance and performance visibility, and accelerate scalable, consumer-led innovation. The role combines strategic thought leadership with hands-on execution, helping teams move from ambition to prioritized opportunities, robust concepts, and disciplined commercialization.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree required; MBA or Master's degree in Marketing, Business, Innovation, Strategy, or a related field preferred.
8+ years of progressive experience in CPG innovation, marketing, strategy, consumer insights, commercialization, or related roles.
Demonstrated experience building innovation strategies and pipelines and leading cross-functional work in a complex, matrixed organization.
Working knowledge of front-end innovation, portfolio management, stage-gate governance, commercialization, and performance tracking.
Experience translating consumer, category, customer, technical, and financial inputs into clear recommendations and action.
Strong project and partner management experience, including the ability to manage multiple priorities, senior stakeholders, external resources, and budgets.

Nice To Haves

MBA or Master's degree in Marketing, Business, Innovation, Strategy, or a related field preferred.

Responsibilities

Partner with division and Product Experience (PX) teams to translate Business Strategy and Brand priorities into long-term innovation strategy with actionable, rolling three-year pipeline plans.
Lead innovation-needs and opportunity assessments, including Brand Building the Nestle Way alignment, to identify gaps, clarify choices, and strengthen future growth platforms.
Integrate Consumer Insights & Foresight perspectives into strategy, opportunity framing, concept development, and pipeline decisions.
Lead the practical adoption of Innovation the Nestlé Way, including the FEI process, frameworks, best practices, and connections to commercialization and stage gate governance.
Diagnose capability and process needs across divisions and develop customized coaching, workshops, playbooks, and toolkits based on business priorities.
Coach brand and cross-functional teams through opportunity framing, prioritization, concept development, experimentation, and decision-making.
Partner with Learning & Development and Marketing Transformation teams to embed innovation capability into sustainable ways of working.
Support monthly Nestlé USA innovation scorecard routines, consolidating inputs and surfacing trends, risks, recommended actions, and implications for performance, incrementality, and pipeline strength.
Enable efficient leadership innovation reviews through clear templates, decision-oriented insights, and follow-through on actions and commitments.
Champion stage gate data quality and reporting routines in partnership with TAG and cross-functional owners, escalating gaps and driving action plans.
Strengthen portfolio discipline through clear prioritization, lifecycle performance tracking, and transparent governance routines.
Partner with R&D and TAG as technical enablers, connecting commercial opportunity with product experience excellence, sensory, 60/40+, feasibility, and category-specific superiority frameworks.
Collaborate with Commercial Development, Sales, Finance, and division teams to strengthen retailer-facing innovation strategies and improve the launch and scale of innovation across priority channels, including eCommerce and Club.
Partner with Digital teams to ensure innovation tools are strategically aligned to business needs, user-friendly, and embedded within divisional ways of working.
Act as an integrator across functions, clarifying roles, interdependencies, decision points, and ownership needed to move innovation forward with speed and accountability.
Serve as a trusted innovation advisor to division and functional leaders, providing clear recommendations, constructive challenge, and hands-on support.
Build strong relationships across a complex matrix and influence decisions without direct authority.
Foster collaboration, transparency, knowledge sharing, and continuous improvement across the Innovation Center of Excellence.