Upstream Marketing Director, FEI
About The Position
Solventum is a new healthcare company with a long legacy of solving big challenges that improve lives and help healthcare professionals perform at their best. At Solventum, people are at the heart of every innovation we pursue. Guided by empathy, insight, and clinical intelligence, we collaborate with the best minds in healthcare to address our customers’ toughest challenges. The Upstream Marketing Director, Front-end Innovation will play a significant role in shaping and executing the franchise “Build” strategy – building a strong front-end pipeline that feeds the innovation roadmap with high-quality, validated opportunities. In this role, you will ensure innovation investments are grounded in insights from customers, markets, technologies, and business strategy. Co-own with the Upstream Marketing Director for new products, the Advanced Wound Care Build strategy and innovation roadmap with accountability for the front-end phase – defining new opportunity spaces, unmet needs, and strategic growth platforms.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree or higher in Marketing, Business Management, or a related field
- 12 years of progressive experience in front-end innovation, upstream marketing, and/or innovation strategy roles
- Must be legally authorized to work in country of employment without sponsorship for employment visa status (e.g., H1B status).
Nice To Haves
- Advanced marketing and/or clinical degree (e.g., MBA, RN, MD, or related field)
- Experience in healthcare, medical devices, or other regulated industries
- Knowledge of the advanced wound care market, including negative pressure wound therapies
- Ability to thrive in an action-oriented and high accountability environment
- Proven ability to translate ambiguous opportunity spaces into clear, prioritized innovation strategies
- Deep expertise in structured innovation processes (e.g., design thinking, ethnography, etc.)
- Exceptional strategic thinking, analytical ability, and financial acumen
- Strong collaboration and influencing skills, particularly in cross-functional, matrixed organizations
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, executive presence, and storytelling ability; with experience presenting to C-level executives
Responsibilities
- Lead the development of the long-range innovation roadmap, identifying where the franchise can expand through solving unmet customer needs, innovative technologies, adjacent market categories, or new business models
- Partner with Upstream leadership to align opportunity areas with franchise strategic and financial goals
- Partner with the Upstream Marketing Director to transition qualified opportunities into structured new product initiatives (NPIs)
- Maintain an integrated view of opportunity creation versus concept execution
- Serve as a key member of the Global Upstream leadership team
- Drive structured innovation processes with cross-functional early innovation working teams (e.g., design thinking, jobs-to-be-done, ethnography, etc.) to identify meaningful customer and clinical unmet needs
- Synthesize insights from customers, markets, and technologies into opportunity maps and need statements that guide ideation and feasibility work
- Partner with R&D, Medical Affairs, and Finance to assess early technical, clinical, and financial feasibility and innovation readiness for pipeline of opportunities
- Partner with Senior Strategic Marketing Manager to evaluate whether certain opportunities may be better served through a Buy/Partner strategy
- Define and manage the FEI process, ensuring clarity of roles, decision gates, and progression criteria for early opportunities
- Establish criteria for advancing early concepts into the Upstream Marketing pipeline
- Present opportunity maps and early innovation concepts to leadership to inform resource allocation and Build strategic direction
- Establish and maintain a balanced portfolio of early-stage initiatives, from horizon scanning to concept incubation
- Ensure compliance with corporate policies, procedures, and security standards while performing assigned duties.
Benefits
- Medical, Dental & Vision
- Health Savings Accounts
- Health Care & Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts
- Disability Benefits
- Life Insurance
- Voluntary Benefits
- Paid Absences
- Retirement Benefits
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
