Innovation Manager (Experience in Confectionery Industry, CPG or FMCG) Mexico Scope

The Hershey Company; Región Ciénega; Híbrido; MXN 200,000 - 400,000; Jornada completa

Descripción de la vacante

A leading global confectionery company seeks a Mexico Innovation Manager in Guadalajara to drive innovation strategies for future growth. The role requires advanced English, strong leadership skills, and a minimum of 7-10 years in innovation or related experience. Responsibilities include leveraging consumer insights, leading cross-functional teams, and ensuring successful product launches. This hybrid position offers an opportunity to shape the company's innovation agenda and expand its market reach.

Formación

• 7-10 years of experience in a related field.
• Ability to translate consumer insights into innovative products.
• Experience in cross-functional leadership and collaboration.

Responsabilidades

• Identify and leverage innovation strategies to boost growth.
• Lead cross-functional teams to bring innovations to market.
• Build business cases for innovations and drive post-launch evaluations.

Conocimientos

Strategic vision

Consumer-centric mindset

Creativity & curiosity

Commercial acumen

Influence & leadership

Agility & execution

Educación

Bachelor's degree

Descripción del empleo

Position Title

Mexico Innovation Manager

Department / Function

Marketing

Location

Guadalajara, Jalisco (Hybrid)

English Requirement

Advanced English required

Summary

To identify, design, and deliver innovation strategies that unlock future growth for the business. The Senior Innovation Manager leverages consumer, shopper, and market insights to shape the innovation pipeline, working cross-functionally to translate unmet needs and category opportunities into breakthrough products, services, and business models that strengthen brand relevance and drive long-term competitiveness.

Responsibilities

• 25% Innovation Strategy & Pipeline Building
• 20% Consumer & Market Insight Translation
• 30% Cross-Functional Leadership & Execution
• 15% Commercialization & Launch Impact
• 10% External & Future Focus

Qualifications

• 1. Innovation Strategy & Pipeline
  • Define and manage the long-term innovation strategy in line with brand, category, and business priorities.
  • Build a robust pipeline of short-, mid-, and long-term innovation projects to fuel sustainable growth.
  • Identify white spaces, future growth platforms, and disruption opportunities beyond current product lines.
• 2. Consumer-Centric Growth
  • Translate consumer, shopper, and cultural insights into innovation opportunities.
  • Ensure all innovation is rooted in real human needs and market trends.
  • Anticipate future behaviors, lifestyles, and sustainability demands to future-proof the portfolio.
• 3. Portfolio & Category Development
  • Shape innovation platforms that expand the brand’s reach into new segments, channels, or categories.
  • Balance incremental innovation (line extensions, reformulations) with breakthrough, transformational ideas.
  • Partner with category and commercial teams to ensure innovations contribute to long-term category leadership.
• 4. Cross-Functional Leadership
  • Lead collaboration with R&D, Supply Chain, Finance, Sales, and Marketing to bring innovations from concept to market.
  • Own the stage-gate / innovation funnel process, ensuring rigor, speed, and scalability.
  • Act as the connector between creativity (ideas) and execution (feasibility, profitability, and speed-to-market).
• 5. Commercial Impact
  • Build business cases for innovations, aligning with P&L, pricing, and channel strategies.
  • Partner with Finance and Sales to size opportunities and ensure strong launch ROI.
  • Drive post-launch evaluation and learning to continuously improve the innovation process.
• 6. External & Future Focus
  • Monitor competitor and category innovation activity, technology trends, and startup ecosystems.
  • Build partnerships with external agencies, startups, suppliers, and research partners to access new ideas and capabilities.
  • Champion sustainability, digital, and future-forward consumer trends within the innovation agenda.
• Key Skills & Competencies
  • Strategic vision: ability to link long-term brand and business growth to innovation platforms.
  • Consumer-centric mindset: passion for uncovering insights and translating them into opportunities.
  • Creativity & curiosity: ability to challenge norms, think disruptively, and explore new business models.
  • Commercial acumen: strong P&L, financial, and business case development skills.
  • Influence & leadership: skilled at leading cross-functional and global/local teams in a matrix organization.
  • Agility & execution: able to balance big-picture thinking with hands-on project deliver.

Education

• Bachelor

Experience

• +7-10 years