Associate Manager, Innovation

Associate Brand Manager, Innovation Responsible for the creation and delivery of a product innovation pipeline that supports the marketing strategy to increase household penetration and help Tate’s achieve its ambition to lead premium snacking in baked goods. The role identifies opportunities through a deep consumer understanding and prioritizes them based on commercial and brand strategy foundations. Responsibilities Support the development of brand innovation strategy and a multi‑year pipeline that aligns with the brand growth strategy and delivers financial targets. Translate unmet consumer needs into winning concepts using consumer research, syndicated data, and market trends. Work with agencies to develop consumer‑centric innovation bundles. Concept validation. Ongoing management of the brand 4:2:1 plans (pipelines). Collaborate with business partners to develop proposals and drive consensus on opportunity size, required resources, complexity, and timeline. Deliver and execute the multi‑year pipeline from concept to launch, collaborating closely with a cross‑functional team. Lead commercialization projects that drive growth, unlock new business, and support Tate’s long‑term strategy. Provide marketing leadership through the innovation stage‑gate process. Collaborate with R&D, Consumer Insights, Sales, Operations, and others through feasibility, commercialization, and launch. Partner with Sales to develop channel and customer‑level understanding to inform packaging, pricing, and placement. Work in close partnership with R&D to ensure the product development brief is clear and the product exceeds consumer expectations during prototyping and testing. Brief Creative teams and external agencies on all innovation‑related needs, managing feedback and approvals efficiently. Work closely with Sales, Consumer Insights, Demand Planning, and Finance to develop item forecasts and projections that align with financial goals and mitigate waste. Partner with Sales to create internal and external sell‑in stories, articulating the business rationale and consumer problem. Post‑launch tracking and integration of learnings into the pipeline. Support the innovation team with data hygiene, budget management, and other needs. Adapt to shifting priorities by taking ownership of new duties and maintaining a roll‑up‑your‑sleeves mindset. Analyze syndicated data (Nielsen or equivalent), Customer POS data, SPARK shipment history, and shopper data to find business opportunities. Proficiency in MS Office, especially Outlook, Power Point, Excel, and Word. Qualifications 6‑8 years of experience in CPG marketing for food manufacturing. Excellent strategic, analytical, and decision‑making skills with a solid understanding of Nielsen Data (or comparable). Knowledge and experience of managing a P&L. Passion for consumer insights and innovation curiosity. Performance mindset; bias for setting and measuring KPIs. Strong interpersonal and communication skills, able to foster open communication and influence others. Excellent written and oral communication skills, including presentation skills, analytical ability, independent decision making, and business vision. Knowledge of the Stage‑Gate process for innovation initiative management. Strong project management skills and ability to prioritize and multi‑task across several complex projects. Entrepreneurial and methodical mindset. Results‑oriented, with high expectations of self and team. Collaborative mindset with strength in receiving and communicating feedback. Education Bachelor of Science or Arts degree. Salary and Benefits Base salary range: $97,300 to $133,815, depending on experience, skills, education, and location. Eligible for a competitive bonus program. Other benefits include health insurance, wellness and family support programs, life and disability insurance, retirement savings plans, paid leave, education programs, paid holidays, and vacation time. #J-18808-Ljbffr Mondelez España Galletas Production SLU