What are the responsibilities and job description for the Director of Innovation position at Palm Bay International?
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Palm Bay International, a dynamic family-owned company, offers one of the nation’s most comprehensive portfolios of imported wines and spirits, including over 50 suppliers from around the globe. Among Palm Bay’s most valued assets is its remarkable network of long-term partnerships with the foremost wholesale companies in all 50 states, as well as the Caribbean, Mexico, and Central America. With the crucial collaboration of these partners, Palm Bay’s portfolio meets the needs of every level of the industry, from independent restaurants and retail stores, to chain accounts, supermarkets, hotels, airlines, cruise ships, duty-free accounts and U.S. military bases. This impressive roster of brands, accounts, and relationships positions Palm Bay as a major source of fine wines and spirits and an industry leader in the U.S. marketplace. For more visit: www.palmbay.com.
Location: New York, NY (3-day Hybrid, T-Th)
Position Overview: Palm Bay International is seeking a Director of Innovation to lead our innovation pipeline across beverage alcohol and non-alcoholic solutions. This role is crucial for driving organic innovation for our top wine brands and identifying strategic expansion opportunities through joint ventures (JV), mergers & acquisitions (M&A), and white space exploration. The Director will leverage data-driven insights, consumer trends, and cross-functional collaboration to bring market-leading concepts to life, ensuring timely and successful market entry.
Key Responsibilities:
- Develop and manage an innovative roadmap for wine, spirits, RTDs (and non-alc categories).
- Translate consumer and category insights into scalable product concepts.
- Collaborate with Marketing to align innovation with brand identity and go-to-market strategies.
- Partner with Sales and Finance to forecast volume, pricing, and margin implications for new product launches.
- Ensure feasibility, sourcing, and operational readiness with Production.
- Identify and evaluate potential JVs, acquisitions, and brand partnerships.
- Conduct diligence and develop business cases for strategic opportunities.
- Leverage data to identify whitespace and category shifts.
- Establish KPI tracking for innovation performance.
- Lead cross-functional innovation taskforces from ideation to commercialization.
- Build and lead a nimble innovation team, defining workflows and tools for scalability.
Qualifications:
- 8 years of experience in innovation, brand management, strategy, or product development, ideally within beverage alcohol or CPG.
- Proven track record of launching successful products.
- Deep understanding of consumer behavior, category dynamics, and commercialization strategy.
- Strong business acumen and ability to develop financial models and strategic business cases.
- Highly collaborative and able to lead in a matrixed environment.
- Entrepreneurial, creative thinker with a bias toward action and results.
- Experienced in building and scaling teams and workflows from scratch.
- Passionate about beverages, culture, and innovation.
Benefits Overview:
Palm Bay offers a competitive compensation package including medical, dental, vision, life insurance, 401(K), paid vacation, personal time off and 11 paid company holidays.
Palm Bay International is an equal opportunity employer.
