Director, Innovation

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Position Title: Director, Innovation

Position Type: Regular - Full-Time ​

Position Location: Oakbrook Terrace

Requisition ID: 39051

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In every role, McCainers are ambitious, curious, and passionate about creating exceptional work experiences - together. With a customer-first mindset, we make doing business with McCain easy.

About the role.

With a direct reporting line to the North America VP of Marketing, the Director will lead a team of five people located in the Chicago & Toronto areas and be accountable for championing three key areas: the long-term innovation strategy, consumer innovation platforms and propositions aligned to category and brand strategy, and the overall innovation process for McCain.

The scope of the position will include all channels and segments, including Foodservice and Retail across USA & Canada. The measurement of these goals will include the:

• Innovation pipeline sufficiency
• Incremental growth from innovation
• Managing projects to agreed budgets, timelines and KPI’s
• Engagement of direct reports

What you’ll be doing.

• Deliver compelling Innovation and innovation strategy, based on consumer, customer and category insights, grounded in the McCain long range plan objectives (where to play, how to win, growth targets), category, brand strategy and demand framework
• Lead projects from opportunity to insight to proposition development, through to launch, liaising with the insights and marketing teams
• Drive the company’s innovation process and innovation planning, ensuring pipeline sufficiency to meet our growth objectives & secure the necessary resources to fuel progress
• Act as a hub of communication at all levels to ensure stakeholders are fully integrated in key innovation activities
• Interact with Sales and customers to prospect innovation and pave the way for new products in the market
• Participate in industry events to understand market trends and developments that can be leveraged by the company
• Champion innovation by sharing best practices & learning from peers around the world
• Champion an insight led and demand centric growth culture, putting insights at the heart of our innovation plans and strategy

What you’ll need to be successful.

• A bachelor’s or advanced degree in Marketing, Business Administration
• 7-10 years of Marketing or brand management, with a minimum of 4 years in an innovation role
• A proven track record developing new-to-world and new-to-company innovation
• A successful career progression, with a history of increasing levels of responsibility

• Champions new ideas and initiatives while creating an environment that supports innovation; leverages fresh perspectives and new paradigms to create value within the market.
• Experience integrating and balancing big-picture concerns with day-to-day activities
• Leadership and development of high performing, collaborative teams
• Cultivating a culture of diverse & inclusive thinking
• Marketing innovation management
• Strategic thinking & influence
• Proposition development
• Strong grounding in insights and the application of insights to competitive advantage
• Project management expertise
• Proven ability to learn from failure
• Entrepreneurial spirit and ability to promote a start-up culture within a multinational environment

Strategic change skills. The successful candidate will be a leader in bringing fresh ideas to drive the business; embracing change and innovation, helping us become more future ready. They will be a strategy-driven individual who has both the ability and the inclination to address the biggest issues first and to sacrifice secondary issues when necessary. They will have the courage to challenge the status quo in pursuit of greater excellence and breakthroughs.

Insights led this individual will help champion a consumer first mentality and culture change within the business, ensuring that innovation strategy and decision making is grounded in compelling insights. They will be data-driven, solutions-oriented with a proven ability to synthesize data from multiple sources and to tolerate ambiguity when systems and information are limited.

Strong people development and relationship-building skills. A natural coach, this individual will have the ability to get work done through their team; inspiring them to stretch and learn. They will have a strong track record of developing talent by setting objectives, providing feedback, addressing gaps and holding people accountable.

Ability to drive results . Works to achieve goals while overcoming obstacles and/or planning for contingencies. The successful candidate will show a strong passion for reaching targets and thrives in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.

About McCain.

Click Here to learn more about McCain and how we provide you with opportunities to make an impact that matters.

Leadership principles.

At McCain, our leadership principles guide how we engage with customers, collaborate as a team, and achieve success. We focus on understanding customer needs, driving innovation, empowering people, and taking ownership to clear obstacles and deliver results.

The McCain experience.

We are McCain. This statement is a testament to our collective strength and our individual value. Your contributions play a vital role in our success. Our winning culture is rooted in authenticity and trust, empowering us to bring out the best in one another. Here, you’ll find opportunities to learn, grow, and thrive. Join us and experience why we’re better together.

Compensation Package : $146,200.00 - $195,000.00 . USD annually + Bonus eligibility + Long-term incentive eligibility

The above reflects the target compensation range for the position at the time of posting. Hiring compensation will be determined based on experience, skill set, education and training, and other organizational needs.

Benefits: At McCain, we’re on a mission to create a winning culture that puts employee safety and well-being at the heart of what we do, every day. We understand and appreciate that each person’s needs are unique and ensure our benefits & well-being programs reflect that. Employees are eligible for the following benefits: health coverage (medical, dental, vision, prescription drug), retirement savings benefits, and leave support including medical, family and bereavement. Well-being programs include vacation and holidays, company-supported volunteering time, and mental health resources. Coverages are aligned with country, provincial and state governing plans and can vary by work level, location and nature of the role. Additional benefit detail available during the application process.

Your well-being matters to us, and we’re here to provide you with the necessary resources to support you in being your best self at work — and at home.