Project Manager - Innovation and Commercialization

Cella by Randstad Digital; Toronto; On-site; CAD 90,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Cella by Randstad Digital is seeking a Project Manager - Innovation and Commercialization to support the core marketing team with a focus on Distributor Label and Private Label partnerships through commercial innovation. You will liaise across Sales, Go-to-Market, Finance, Operations, Supply Chain, and R&D to ensure initiatives are on time, on strategy, and within budget.

This high-impact role requires an energetic leader with a strong commercial mindset, hands-on stage-gate leadership, and the

Qualifications

• 5–10 years of CPG experience in marketing operations, commercialization, or project management within a matrixed organization.
• Experience guiding food/beverage or CPG products through stage-gate commercialization cycles from concept to market launch.
• Strong cross-functional leadership and ability to drive accountability across Ops, R&D, Supply Chain, Finance, and Sales.
• Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Business Administration, Operations, or related field.

Responsibilities

• End-to-End Project Management: Lead the project lifecycle of major RFP initiatives and product launches from initial brief and formula development through commercialization and final customer delivery.
• Stage-Gate Leadership: Own and run stage-gate documentation, milestone tracking, and formal approval workflows, ensuring operational completeness and timely sign-off at each phase.
• Portfolio Management: Oversee a portfolio of Private Label launches, line extensions, and ongoing catalog adjustments (tail analysis, SKU rationalization, and compliance updates).
• Cross-Functional Alignment: Coordinate and drive alignment across cross-functional partners—R&D, Packaging Engineering, Plant Scheduling, Operations, Supply Chain, Finance, Sales, and Go-to-Market teams.
• Tracking & Risk Mitigation: Build and maintain detailed project trackers and timelines, proactively identifying bottlenecks, capacity constraints, and risks to implement swift corrective actions.
• Commercial Support: Collaborate with brand and sales teams to prepare sales collateral, support customer bid submissions, and drive market share growth.

Skills

Cross-Functional Leadership

Project Management

Communication & Stakeholder Management

Business Acumen

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Business Administration, Operations, or a related field

Tools

Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, PowerPoint, Word)

Job description

As a Project Manager - Innovation and Commercialization, you will support the core marketing team with a direct focus on Distributor Label and Private Label partnerships through commercial innovation. Acting as a central liaison across cross-functional partners—including Sales, Go-to-Market, Finance, Operations, Supply Chain, and R&D—you will ensure all initiatives are executed on time, on strategy, and within budget.

This high-impact role requires an energetic leader with a strong commercial mindset, hands-on stage-gate leadership, and the ability to drive alignment across a matrixed consumer packaged goods (CPG) environment. You will oversee high-visibility initiatives, including a multi-SKU private label expansion bid, bringing structure, accountability, and clarity to complex launch workflows.

Responsibilities

• End-to-End Project Management: Lead the project lifecycle of major RFP initiatives and product launches from initial brief and formula development through commercialization and final customer delivery.
• Stage-Gate Leadership: Own and run stage-gate documentation, milestone tracking, and formal approval workflows, ensuring operational completeness and timely sign-off at each phase.
• Portfolio Management: Oversee a portfolio of Private Label launches, line extensions, and ongoing catalog adjustments (including tail analysis, SKU rationalization, and compliance updates).
• Cross-Functional Alignment: Coordinate and drive alignment across cross-functional partners—such as R&D, Packaging Engineering, Plant Scheduling, Operations, Supply Chain, Finance, Sales, and Go-to-Market teams.
• Tracking & Risk Mitigation: Build and maintain detailed project trackers and timelines, proactively identifying bottlenecks, capacity constraints, and risks to implement swift corrective actions.
• Commercial Support: Collaborate with brand and sales teams to prepare sales collateral, support customer bid submissions, and drive market share growth.

Requirements

Must-Have Qualifications:

• 5–10 years of CPG experience in marketing operations, commercialization, or project management within a Tier 1 or Tier 2 matrixed organization.
• Commercialization & Stage-Gate Expertise: Proven track record of guiding food/beverage or CPG products through stage-gate commercialization cycles from concept to market launch.
• Cross-Functional Leadership: Demonstrated success influencing and driving accountability across multi-disciplinary teams (Operations, R&D, Supply Chain, Finance, and Sales).
• Commercial & Financial Acumen: Solid understanding of P&L fundamentals, value chains, and portfolio tail analysis.
• Tools & Systems: High proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (advanced Excel, PowerPoint, Word) and experience utilizing project management/stage-gate workflow software.
• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Business Administration, Operations, or a related field.

Nice-to-Have Qualifications:

• Prior experience with Distributor Label / Private Label (PL) management or foodservice channel dynamics.
• Demonstrated ability to build structure and operational clarity in fast-paced, ambiguous environments.
• Master’s degree or MBA.

Key Attributes:

• Tenacious, proactive problem-solver with strong attention to detail and organizational rigor.
• Exceptional communication and stakeholder management skills, capable of influencing without direct authority.
• Ability to travel internationally (valid passport and eligibility for travel to the US).

Note: This posting is for existing and upcoming vacancies.