Innovation Manager - Brands

Premier Foods; St Albans; Hybrid; GBP 45,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

Premier Foods is seeking an Innovation Manager to lead projects across various product lines, driving innovation and strategic initiatives. The role requires a strong background in marketing and project management, with a focus on developing consumer-centric products. Join a leading company with a rich heritage in the food industry and help shape its future growth through innovation.

Benefits

Competitive salary

Bonus

Up to 7.5% pension

Life assurance

Wide range of online and in-house training

Employee discount scheme

Qualifications

• 3+ years successful experience within a leading FMCG or brand-led organization.
• Strong track record of results in innovation development.
• Experience leading cross-functional projects.

Responsibilities

• Develop consumer-centric initiatives to drive innovation.
• Lead innovation projects and manage P&L.
• Support the creation and delivery of the innovation pipeline.

Skills

Marketing

Innovation

Strategic Thinking

Analytical Skills

Project Management

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience

Job description

Join to apply for the Innovation Manager - Brands role at Premier Foods

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Join to apply for the Innovation Manager - Brands role at Premier Foods

Multiple Innovation opportunities across Desserts, Flavourings & Seasonings and Quick Meals, Snacks & Soups

Permanent

Based in St Albans/50% WFH

Premier Foods is a business with great momentum, with a purpose to enrich people’s lives through food. We’ve been doing it a long time - many of our much-loved brands have been part of UK life for more than a century. We have an ambitious vision for growth driven by Innovation, targeting 10% of the Company’s turnover to be driven by Innovation each year.

• We are looking for talented individuals to help drive our ambitious pipelines.
• You will be responsible for supporting the Innovation Leads in the creation, development, and delivery to market of the innovation pipeline. This includes a range of essential EPD projects, as well as challenging NPD Big Bets.
• The roles offer a chance to be at the centre of our company’s growth journey, with a hands-on opportunity to make a meaningful, visible impact on our success.
• We have Innovation Manager opportunities in Desserts, Flavourings and Seasonings, and Quick Meals, Snacks and Soups. Iconic and well-loved brands in these teams include Ambrosia, Mr Kipling, FUEL 10K, Batchelors, Sharwoods, Bisto, OXO, Paxo, and SAXA.
  
  
  

You will…

• Develop consumer-centric initiatives that enable Premier Foods to win in those focus areas
• Lead innovation projects through the Gate process, aligning business leaders and securing the required resource
• Take accountability for the P&L on those innovation projects, ensuring they are scalable and profitable for the business
• Lead the wider cross-functional team to deliver success including R&D, Factory, 3rd Party & Commercial stakeholders
• Stay connected to the external landscape & available technologies and apply this knowledge to our pipeline.
• We have exciting momentum and big ambitions, therefore need a strong leader who is energized by the challenge to operate at pace, aim high, and make our vision a reality.
  
  
  

What we need from you...

• We are looking for individuals with proven marketing, innovation, and commercial skills and a strong track record of results. You will need to be a capable strategic thinker, comfortable analyzing and deriving insights from different sources of consumer and retail data. You will have a passion for creating new ideas and bringing them to life. You will be a strong team player with the ability to engage with a diverse set of stakeholders to achieve success.
• 3+ years successful experience within a leading FMCG or other brand-led organization.
• A mix of innovation experiences including innovation development and project ownership.
• Strong bias for action, a high degree of personal accountability, and an entrepreneurial spirit.
• Track record of working cross-functionally and leading projects to successful results in market.
• Strong analytical skills; comfortable digging under the surface to uncover insights, reach logical conclusions, and recommend actions back to the business in a compelling way.
• An individual who has a track record of getting the best out of others with a collaborative and inclusive style
  
  
  

What you'll be doing...

• Contribute ideas to medium and long-term pipelines. Help create a funnel of winning concepts backed by strong rationale.
• Play a key role in the development of the pipeline through the exploration of consumer insight and market trends.
• Help shape the commercial strategy to form winning ideas, by identifying opportunities from category and trade lenses, and applying this understanding to a P&L.
• Take accountability for the successful launch of EPD/NPD projects, working to deliver on time and in full against the business targets:
• Own the business case through the gate stage process
• Influence timeline targets
• Lead project meetings from an innovation/brand lens
• Product: brief and review of recipes with R&D; support validation with Insight & Sensory teams
• Design: brief origination through to repro sign-off
• Budget: Process POs
• Supporting external sell-ins: creating sell stories; organizing samples
• Supporting internal communication of projects: support/build content for Sales Conference
• Support Innovation Leads to drive a strong business case for the strategy within our cycles i.e., strategy reviews
  
  
  

What we offer you in return...

• Competitive salary
• Bonus
• Up to 7.5% pension
• Life assurance
• Wide range of online and in-house training
• Access to an employee discount scheme, with access to hundreds of nationwide retailers
  
  
  

Ready to apply...

Click apply, submitting an up-to-date CV tailored to this opportunity. We look forward to hearing from you.

A Great British Food Company

Premier Foods is one of Britain’s biggest listed food companies, employing over 4,000 colleagues at 13 manufacturing sites and offices across the country.

Many of our brands have been part of UK life for more than a century and are found in 90% of British households.

At Premier Foods, we believe in inclusion, authenticity, and individuality. We aim to ensure all colleagues are given equitable opportunities and are respected, valued, and encouraged to bring their true selves to work, regardless of who they are, what they look like, who they love, or what they believe in. Our culture is one where everyone is welcome.

Seniority level

• Mid-Senior level

Employment type

• Full-time

Job function

• Marketing and Sales

Industries

• Food and Beverage Manufacturing

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