Product Manager, Innovation

Company Description

JDE USA, headquartered in Maynard, MA, is a fast-growing premium consumer packaged goods company that is a standalone subsidiary of JDE Peet’s, the largest pure-play coffee and tea company globally. JDE Peet’s business is fueled by a supply chain reaching more than 100 countries, unleashing the possibilities of coffee & tea through their strong portfolio of global, regional and local brands. These brands are built upon a rich history and heritage deeply rooted in the diverse coffee & tea cultures in which we work. The JDE Peet’s portfolio supplies coffee and tea to everyone, no matter who they are, where they are, or what their preferences are. JDE USA offers Tea Forté globally and L’OR Coffee in the U.S.

Job Description

The Product Manager, Innovation will be responsible for supporting the short- and long-term brewer innovation pipeline for JDE USA. This role is perfect for a product marketer with innovation experience in consumer goods companies who wants to help build a brand and deliver new products in a high-growth segment. Ideal candidates have experience leading end-to-end new product initiatives, including developing strategy; managing long- and short-term product portfolios; leading cross-functional teams with commercial and technical partners; creating business cases and go-to-market activations; and operating across global and locally based teams.

The Product Manager, Innovation must excel at and enjoy working in a fast-paced, high-growth environment. Ideal candidates will be energized by growth and by creating new to the world products. They must have the ability to manage across functions and regions as our innovation efforts are supported by JDE Peet’s global teams. The role requires that you can easily flex between high-level strategic thinking and detailed-oriented executional tasks and aren't afraid to roll up your sleeves to get the job done. This role is a marketing function, where the Innovation team sits alongside the L’Or Coffee and Tea Forte brand teams, Consumer Insights, and Creative Services – all reporting directly into the Sr. Vice President of Marketing for JDE USA.

Key Responsibilities

• Product Innovation: Act as the business/marketing lead for the cross-functional commercial and technical teams, defining product requirements for the next generation of innovations that will delight consumers.
• Product Commercialization: Partner with Operations, Project Management and Engineering leads to manage many aspects of the commercialization process, including briefing and creating key product assets; managing stage gate reviews and approvals; and ensuring assets meet all channel requirements and consumer objectives.
• Portfolio Development and Management: In collaboration with Brand, Sales, and Product functional leadership, develop and manage short and long-term new product roadmaps, incorporating competitive pressures, new technologies, market and consumer trends, and overall brand and business goals.
• Business Analytics and Insights Mining: Assess relevant marketplace, competitor and trend insights and data to identify new product opportunity areas. Partner with brand, insights, and global innovation teams to ensure insights appropriately support new product initiatives.
• Financial Acumen: Lead budget analysis and management to both build business cases for new initiatives and track the performance of recently launched products.
• Sales Channel Support: Partner with sales and brand marketing teams to develop sales materials for various customer meetings and communications across channels.
• Cross-Functional Team and Agency Management: This role works closely with a broad cross-section of the organization and some outside vendors. It is important to be adept at managing those who don’t report to you.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 5 years of marketing and/ or product experience, preferably in consumer goods and/or ecommerce driven business.
• Bachelors required, Business or Marketing degree a plus, MBA a plus.
• Experience managing cross functional teams and driving business decisions based on data.
• Exceptional organizational skills and attention to detail, with the ability to juggle multiple projects, understand project management and meet deadlines.
• Desire to work in a small, entrepreneurial company. This is a roll-up your sleeves environment and works well for people who embrace ambiguity.
• A passion for marketing innovation – this is good, rewarding, fun work.