Senior Brand Manager, Innovation - CPG

Senior Brand Manager, Innovation -CPG

Orange, CA -HYBRID

Full time

The Senior Brand Manager of Innovation plays a pivotal role in shaping the future of our company by leading the development of new product platforms within our 5-year Innovation Pipeline across retail, convenience and foodservice. This strategic position ensures the pipeline remains robust and capable of delivering against annual revenue targets driven by innovation. By harnessing consumer trends and customer insights, the Senior Brand Manager will craft and execute a forward-thinking innovation strategy that fuels growth and strengthens the company’s market leadership. The role is centered on platform creation and bringing them to life with financially viable consumer driven concepts. This position leads cross-functional teams and external agency partners to bring breakthrough products to life.

• Develop long-term innovation pipeline
• Develops new product platforms by working with internal cross-functional teams, sales, and directly with customers to ensure smooth product launch
• Introduces new ideas for innovation, including the areas of product development and packaging
• Develops and tracks projects against published timetable
• Coordinates the development of P&L’s for new products
• Coordination between the US and Mexico
• Written and oral communication in Spanish a plus.
• Displays excellent interpersonal skills and close collaboration with cross-functional teams
• Demonstrates strong problem solving, project management, and communication skills
• Participates in innovation meetings and presentations to customers
• Partners with leadership to develop an operating plan and budget while maintaining responsibility to operating within the set budget
• Plays active role on cross-functional teams
• 30% Travel and includes travel to Mexico.
• This position is responsible for leading a cross-functional team that will include consumer insights, R&D, Supply Chain, Operations, Trade Marketing and Finance.

Qualifications :

• Education: BA/BS Degree required. MBA strongly desired
• Minimum of seven years of marketing and product development experience, preferably with a food or beverage company in the consumer packaged goods industry
• Strong working knowledge and understanding of Mexican food and the food industry
• Broad knowledge of product development concepts and processes
• Successful track record in launching new products
• Experience in new product concept research validation
• Ability to apply leadership, strategic thought and innovation to new product development and business opportunities
• Strong product development modeling and forecasting
• Excellent analytical, problem solving and evaluation skills
• Outstanding project management skills
• Solid financial analysis, planning, budgeting, and costing abilities/experience
• Strong leadership and interpersonal skills
• Excellent verbal and written communications and oral presentation skills
• Highly effective ability to collaborate, negotiate, influence, and network with a wide range of diverse groups, including senior leadership, management, external customers, vendors
• Able to thrive within a multi-project, cross functional environment
• Highly organized, self-starter with the ability to manage projects with limited oversight

Education and/or Experience:

• B.A. / Master's degree (M. B. A.) or an equivalent; and five plus years related experience and/or training; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Language Skills: Excellent written and verbal communication skills. Fluency in Spanish is a plus.
• Mathematical Skills: Basic forecasting, costing and P&L skills.
• Reasoning Ability: Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions from a large amount of data.
• Computer Skills: To perform this job successfully, an individual should have knowledge of most commonly used business systems and software applications in addition to Windows Office and how these systems relate to business processes.