Associate Director, Innovation - Desserts

Job Description

About Us

The Kraft Heinz Company is one of the largest food and beverage companies in the world, with eight $1 billion+ brands and global sales of approximately $25 billion. We’re a globally trusted producer of high-quality, great-tasting, and nutritious foods for over 150 years. Our brands are truly global, with products produced and marketed in over 40 countries. These beloved products include condiments and sauces, cheese and dairy, meals, meats, refreshment beverages, coffee, infant and nutrition products, and numerous other grocery products in a portfolio of more than 200 legacy and emerging brands.

No matter the brand, we’re united under one vision: To sustainably grow by delighting more consumers globally . Bringing this vision to life is our team of 39,000+ food lovers, creative thinkers, and high performers worldwide. Together, we help provide meals to those in need through our global partnership with Rise Against Hunger. We also stand committed to responsible, sustainable practices that extend to every facet of our business, our consumers, and our communities. Every day, we’re transforming the food industry with bold thinking and unprecedented results. If you share our passion – and are ready to create the future, build a legacy, and lead as a global citizen – there’s only one thing to do: join our table and let’s make life delicious!

Our Culture of Ownership, Meritocracy & Collaboration

We're not afraid to think differently. Embrace new ideas. Dream big. We empower our people at every level – from entry-level intern to senior leader – to own their work. We share a responsibility to think like Owners – to be mindful of the collective and sustained success of Kraft Heinz – which we apply to every situation, every day. As part of Kraft Heinz, you're supported to grow and achieve. You’re expected to bring your authentic self to work every day, to lead with humility, and drive outstanding performance at every level – and you’ll be rewarded. You’re given opportunities to leave a mark and build a legacy. But you won’t do it alone. You’re supported by passionate teammates along the way, and our collective, collaborative spirit fuels our incredible progress.

Job Description

• Manage the creation and validation of a multi-year innovation strategy that is rooted in meaningful consumer pain points

• Lead execution of innovation strategy by collaborating with cross functional team to take ideas from concepts to reality (R&D, consumer insights, quality, legal, engineering, operations, sales and finance)

• Manage agency relationships for packaging design of new products, and lead validation with consumers in partnership with the consumer insights team

• Own innovation through the stage gate process, providing visibility to senior leaderships on opportunities, and aligning them to next steps/tradeoffs

• Leverage syndicated data sources to understand own and competitor innovation performance, and bring forth insights and recommendations that drive business impact

• Bring forth a consumer-first mindset to day-to-day decisions, and ensure the integrity of the brand remains protected while balancing financial and operational considerations

• Lead through critical brand decisions on where we lead with hero brand, subline strategy, endorser brand or new brand based on portfolio architecture

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree required, MBA with Marketing emphasis a plus

• 9+ years of experience (5 years in marketing, product management, or brand management preferred)

• Experience setting a strategic direction, and inspiring and mobilizing a cross-functional team towards common goals

• Advanced experience in product management, brand management and managing a P&L

• Enthusiasm for consumer marketing, culture, new product ideas and trends

• Ability to handle simultaneous projects and deliver within agreed upon time frames

• Ability to synthesize data into insights and tell a compelling story

• Ability to effectively lead discussions and share vision with Executive level of KHC

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:

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

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)

Kraft Heinz is an Equal Opportunity Employer – Underrepresented Ethnic Minority Groups/Women/Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity and other protected classes. In order to ensure reasonable accommodation for protected individuals, applicants that require accommodation in the job application process may contact [email protected] for assistance.