What are the responsibilities and job description for the Innovation Manager position at St. Dalfour?
Company Overview: St. Dalfour is a renowned producer of premium fruit spreads and dried fruit offerings, committed to healthy, all-natural ingredients. Crafted in France's "Garden of France," our products are ethically sourced and Non-GMO verified.
Position Overview: We are seeking a creative and strategic Innovation Manager to join our team. This role is integral to driving our company’s growth by leading the development of the innovation pipeline, creating both new product concepts and building on our current platforms, while collaborating closely with marketing, sales, and R&D teams. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in consumer packaged goods (CPG) and/or the food industry, with a passion for innovation.
Key Responsibilities:
- Innovation Strategy Development: Manage the development and implementation of innovation strategies that feed into long-range and annual plans for assigned categories, aligning with overall enterprise goals.
- Product and Packaging Initiatives: Lead the development and execution of product and packaging innovation initiatives, including concept development, category and competitive assessments, feasibility studies, product and packaging exploration, consumer and sensory validation, size of prize assessment, customer sell-in, and tracking of in-market performance.
- Market Analysis: Identify growth opportunities by leveraging syndicated research, trend data, primary market research, and competitive intelligence.
- Consumer-Centric Development: Develop meaningful consumer concepts and positioning for innovation ideas that add value in the category and effectively communicate product benefits to consumers.
- Financial Planning: Collaborate with finance partners to develop innovation product P&Ls and pricing strategies that meet brand objectives.
- Cross-Functional Collaboration: Act as the project lead and a liaison with other cross-functional partners to ensure that innovation initiatives progress toward launch and receive the necessary resources and support.
- Research and Development Partnership: Work collaboratively with consumer insights, R&D, and culinary teams to identify and build exploration areas, develop research and development plans, and solve business challenges.
- Sales and Marketing Integration: Partner closely with sales and marketing teams to understand and integrate customer strategies into the innovation pipeline.
Qualifications:
- Educational Background: Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Business Administration, or a related field; MBA preferred.
- Professional Experience: 5 years of product innovation or marketing experience, preferably in the CPG and/or food industry.
- Analytical Skills: Strong analytical and research skills with the ability to interpret data to make recommendations and informed decisions.
- Strategic Thinking: Ability to translate consumer and market insights into brand and innovation strategies.
- Communication Skills: Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to influence and collaborate across teams.
- Curiosity and Passion: Naturally curious about new products and consumer behaviors, with a passion for health and wellness and a deep understanding of consumer behavior in this space.