Director, R&D - Consumer Directed Innovation

All Posting Locations: Glenview, IL, US

Job Functions: Research & Development

Date Published: February 13, 2026

Ref#: R-100177

ABOUT THE ROLE

Job Description

As the R&D Director of Consumer Directed Innovation , you will lead the consumer understanding, experience strategy, and design-led research agenda that drives breakthrough food and beverage innovation and renovation for the Kraft Heinz North American Zone (NAZ). This role exists to close the gap between understanding consumers, imagining what’s next, and bringing it to life—ensuring consumer learning is a core driver of product, portfolio, and platform decisions. You will define how consumer insights and experience frameworks are translated into actionable product requirements, guiding teams from early ambiguity through commercialization. This role blends research rigor with a builder’s mindset, enabling better decision-making and bigger, high-quality innovation outcomes. This role reports directly to the VP, R&D Consumer Experience & Innovation Capabilities.

Essential Functions & Responsibilities

• Strategic Program Ownership & Performance Metrics
  • Ownership of Strategic Programs: Serve as the definitive owner for high-visibility strategic programs, managing the end-to-end consumer experience roadmap across NAZ platforms, categories, and brands.
  • KPI Definition & Delivery: Define, track, and deliver on key performance indicators (KPIs) for all consumer experience programs. Establish success metrics—including consumer desirability and market fit—taking accountability for large-scale business impact.
  • White Space & territories: Identify future-facing opportunities by reframing ambiguous signals and tensions into clear innovation territories. Define experience principles and consumer value curves to anchor innovation over time.
  • Strategic Business Pipeline: Lead teams to develop a robust pipeline that translates consumer behaviors into actionable requirements, delivering innovation for core brands (1–2 years) and breakthrough platforms (4+ years).
• Design-Led Consumer Research & Prototype Realization
  • Prototype & Experience Evaluation: Shape and execute qualitative and quantitative research across discovery and validation, including usage/preparation testing, packaging evaluation, and in-home/ethnographic research.
  • Design Implementation: Partner with R&D, Sensory, and Product teams to lead the implementation of design elements into testing prototypes, ensuring physical products accurately reflect the intended consumer experience and formulation decisions.
  • Research Orchestration: Partner with Consumer Insights, Sensory, and external agencies to design research built to inform making and decision-making, not just learning.
  • Internal Advocacy: Serve as the internal consumer advocate, synthesizing research into business-relevant recommendations that influence product roadmaps and portfolio direction.
• Innovation, Realization & Trade-off Management
  • Trade-off Prioritization: Support the prioritization of consumer trade-offs across cost, nutrition, preparation, sustainability, convenience, and scalability to ensure consumer-led innovation successfully ships.
  • End-to-End Continuity: Ensure continuity of consumer intent from early exploration through development and commercialization.
  • Agency Collaboration: Lead agency collaboration across design and research partners, serving as the strategic lead for an ecosystem of external vendors.
• Complex Team Leadership & Capability Building
  • People Management: Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing team of ~14 professionals (including 2–3 direct salaried reports), setting expectations and building bench strength.
  • Capability Elevation: Elevate organizational capability in research design and insight application. Drive adoption of frameworks like Jobs-to-Be-Done and consumer journey mapping, as well as developing custom frameworks to advance innovation tailored to organizational needs.
  • Executive Influence: Act as a strategic partner to senior R&D and Marketing leadership, translating consumer understanding into platform strategies and investment choices.

People Management Responsibilities

• Team (salaried): 3 direct reports, 14 total team responsibility.

Key Outputs & Deliverables

• NAZ Execution: Lead the execution of the R&D Consumer Experience strategy and operating model.
• Learning Frameworks: Implement and continuously improve the Consumer Learning Plan Framework.
• Upskilling: Train and coach teams on technical tools, trend monitoring, and competitive benchmarking to embed consumer centricity into R&D ways of working.

Expected Experience & Required Skills

• Bachelor's, Master's or PhD in Science (e.g., Engineering, Industrial Design, etc.) or Consumer Psychology disciplines with 15+ years of progressive experience in consumer research, UX design, product innovation or related disciplines, including direct exposure to product development and commercialization

• At least 3 to 5 years of experience managing and developing teams, including setting performance expectations, coaching for insight quality and business impact, and building capability.
• Demonstrated ability to implement consumer insights into a 3-to-5-year product pipeline.
• Proven track record of leading Consumer Experience, Consumer Insights, or Product Experience teams within Food, Beverage, or broader CPG, delivering consumer-led product, renovation, and innovation outcomes.
• Strong ability to partner effectively with R&D, Marketing, Sensory, and Brand teams to translate consumer needs into actionable product and experience requirements.
• Experience leading front-end innovation and experience-driven concept development.
• Strong cross-functional leadership skills, with the ability to influence technical and commercial stakeholders without direct authority.
• Strong project and portfolio management capabilities, including planning, prioritization, execution, and balancing speed, quality, and resource constraints.
• Strong business acumen, with the ability to connect consumer experience learning to business objectives, product strategy, and value creation.
• Excellent communication and storytelling skills, with experience presenting consumer insights and recommendations to senior and executive leadership.
• Travel required based on project and business needs, typically up to 10 to 15%.

Work Environment & Schedule

This position operates primarily in a hybrid work environment and is based at the Kraft Heinz R&D Innovation Center in Glenview, IL. Our hybrid model provides flexibility based on business needs, allowing employees to work virtually up to two days per week, with an expectation to work on-site at least three days per week at the Glenview Innovation Center. In addition, this role may periodically be required to work from or visit the Kraft Heinz North American Headquarters at the Aon Center in downtown Chicago to support meetings with senior leadership, cross-functional partners, and key stakeholders.

Our Total Rewards philosophy is to provide a meaningful and flexible spectrum of programs that equitably support our diverse workforce and their families and complement Kraft Heinz’ strategy and values.

New Hire Base Salary Range:

$190,300.00 – $237,900.00

Bonus: This position is eligible for a performance-based bonus as provided by the plan terms and governing documents.

The compensation offered will take into account internal equity and may vary depending on the candidate's geographic region, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience among other factors

Long-Term Incentive (LTI): In addition to base salary and bonus, this role is eligible for additional compensation in the form of equity.

Benefits: Coverage for employees (and their eligible dependents) through affordable access to healthcare, protection, and saving for the future, we offer plans tailored to meet you and your family’s needs. Coverage for benefits will be in accordance with the terms and conditions of the applicable plans and associated governing plan documents.

Wellbeing: We offer events, resources, and learning opportunities that inspire a physical, social, emotional, and financial well-being lifestyle for our employees and their families.

You’ll be able to participate in a variety of benefits and wellbeing programs that may vary by role, country, region, union status, and other employment status factors, for example:

• Physical – Medical, Prescription Drug, Dental, Vision, Screenings/Assessments

• Social – Paid Time Off, Company Holidays, Leave of Absence, Flexible Work Arrangements, Recognition, Training

• Emotional – Employee Assistance Program , Wellbeing Programs, Family Support Programs

• Financial – 401k, Life, Accidental Death & Dismemberment, Disability

Location(s)

Glenview R&D Center

Kraft Heinz is an Equal Opportunity Employer that prohibits discrimination or harassment of any type. All qualified applicants are considered for employment without regard to race, color, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. Applicants who require an accommodation to participate in the job application or hiring process should contact [email protected] .

R&D AT KRAFT HEINZ

THE
CREATORS

Our Research and Development team creates high-quality products that push the boundaries of what’s possible. Innovation is what gets us up in the morning!

Whether you want to develop your technical skills or grow as a people manager, there’s a place for you here to advance your career.