Director, Innovation and New Products

Summit Search Group; Mississauga; On-site; CAD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading wholesale supplier of essential oils in Mississauga seeks a Director of Innovation and New Products. This role involves leading product roadmaps and managing innovation projects to meet market needs. Candidates should possess 5-10 years of product innovation experience, strong leadership skills, and a background in cosmetic ingredients. The position offers a collaborative environment focused on clean ingredient solutions.

Benefits

Fair and equitable recruitment process

Accommodations for candidates with disabilities

Qualifications

• 5-10 years of experience in product innovation at a leadership level.
• Experience in cosmetic ingredients and wellness markets is required.
• Strong leadership capabilities with proven track record of product commercialization.

Responsibilities

• Lead innovation projects from concept to commercialization.
• Implement and oversee a structured Stage-Gate process for projects.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to align on innovation.

Skills

Team building

Strong communication

Presentation skills

Cross-functional leadership

Education

Bachelor’s degree in a related field

MBA

Job description

Important Notice

Be aware of a scam where Summit employees are being impersonated via WhatsApp and text messages.

About our Client

Summit Search Group has partnered with New Directions Aromatics Inc. (NDA), a leading wholesale supplier of essential oils, natural raw materials, and specialty packaging. They source directly from ethical producers in all six continents, enabling them to offer the largest selection of pure essential oils at accessible prices. Established in 1998, NDA was created with the goal of making a significant contribution to the Essential Oils market. They have expanded their product line to include cosmetic bases developed in-house, as well as fragrances and botanical extracts. NDA is a leading supplier of defining ingredients to the North American health and beauty industries.

Position Scope

The Director of Innovation and New Products reports into the VP of Ecommerce and Marketing. This role will lead, evolve and implement a new product roadmap that is consistent with the brand promise of providing natural and clean ingredients to makers in the cosmetic and wellness arena, by expanding the company’s footprint and driving significant new revenue for the business.

This position is responsible for building, executing and sustaining a robust innovation pipeline that delivers ingredient solutions aligned with market trends, customer needs, Business Objectives, and Key Results (OKRs).

The Director will be positioned within the Marketing and eCommerce team to translate consumer insights, brand strategy, and trend data into breakthrough product concepts, collaborating across teams to ensure innovation efforts are commercially viable, technically sound, and flawlessly executed – using a structured Stage‑Gate process. This role will be responsible for delivering a new product revenue target to accelerate the company growth.

The person in this role will be the leader in the company for new product efforts, including the constant evolution of our new product roadmap and also evaluating and prioritizing customer and field requests for inclusion in the new product pipeline. We are looking for someone with excellent interpersonal skills to bring R&D, Purchasing, Operations, Finance, Sales and Marketing together to align on the new product plan and develop implementation plans with clear timelines and deliverables. This person will be a team builder, with strong communication skills and unafraid of creating team accountability.

Responsibilities

• New product innovation using go/no‑go gating processes, including evaluating and prioritizing customer and field requests for inclusion in the innovation pipeline.
• Lead the end‑to‑end project management of innovation projects from concept through commercialization, ensuring speed, technical excellence, and regulatory compliance.
• Implement and oversee a structured Stage‑Gate process to evaluate and advance innovation projects efficiently and strategically.
• Pre‑sales support with field sales team on large customer opportunities.
• Create conditions for success by participating in the sales pipeline, assisting in scoping incoming projects, and engaging prospective clients in technically driven discussions.
• Own product launch process from concept through commercialization.
• Direct, coach, and mentor functional experts, setting clear expectations, providing regular feedback, and ensuring timelines are delivered.
• Coordinate with Marketing and E‑commerce groups to activate product offerings through targeted marketing by segment and application, including content and social media dissemination.
• Direct annual goal setting for broad team objectives, creating measurable KPIs to ensure accountability within product innovation.
• Collaborate cross‑functionally with Sales, Marketing, Project Management, Operations, and Executive Leadership to ensure innovation alignment with business objectives and customer expectations.
• Standardize best practices, optimize R&D workflows, and lead process and operational initiatives to drive continuous improvement.
• New product innovation (ideation through go/no‑go gating process).
• Proven track record of commercializing innovation pipelines and leading cross‑functional teams.

Required Skills and Knowledge

• Team builder, able to foster accountability and strong communication across functions.
• Champion company core values of Collaboration, Accountability, Results‑Oriented mindset, and Entrepreneurial thinking across all team leadership and execution.
• Strong presentation skills, adept at communicating complex technical information to both internal and external stakeholders.
• Ability to lead and participate in cross‑functional groups to ensure alignment and execution of innovation strategies.

Education and Experience

• A bachelor’s degree in a related field; an MBA is a plus.
• Progressive experience in product innovation with a minimum of 5 to 10 years at a leadership level; Knowledge of product management and merchandising a plus.
• Several years of experience in product management or related functions with direct experience in the cosmetic ingredients and wellness markets is required.
• Demonstrated leadership experience in taking products from concept to market with an impact on incremental sales growth.
• Excellent communication and leadership capabilities.
• A deeper understanding of technology and trends in the industry.
• Emotional intelligence and adaptability.
• Ability to directly impact and own a product/category P&L.

Summit Search Group is a fair and equitable search firm. We welcome and encourage applications from people with disabilities. Accommodations are available on request for candidates taking part in all aspects of the recruitment and selection process.