Director, Consumer Insights - Taste Elevation

Kraft Heinz Company; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 190,000 - 238,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Healthcare coverage

Long-Term Incentive

Equity

401k plan

Job summary

Kraft Heinz Company in Chicago, IL is seeking a Director of Taste Elevation, the Insights leader for our growth brands. This senior role combines strategic leadership with deep consumer research to shape brand positioning, packaging and innovation.

You will lead a team of 11 insights strategists, partner with marketing and R&D, and influence at the enterprise level. The position reports to the VP of Marketing in Taste Elevation and requires a proven track record in turning data into impactful

Qualifications

• Advanced degree preferred; 10+ years in strategic insights/consumer research.
• Experience leading a high-performing insights team and driving impact at senior levels.
• Proven ability to distill insights and translate into business actions.

Responsibilities

• Lead strategic insights to shape growth across the Taste Elevation portfolio.
• Coach and develop a team of 11 insights strategists.
• Partner with Marketing, R&D, and other functions to drive brand actions.

Skills

Strategic partner

Analytical thinking

Influential leadership

Actionable insights

Cross-functional collaboration

Communication skills

People leadership

Ambiguity management

Storytelling

Drive for results

Curiosity & action

Education

Advanced degree preferred

Tools

POS Nielsen/Circana

Panel

Social listening

MTA

Conjoint

Job description

Job Description The Director of Taste Elevation is the Insights leader of the growth brands within Kraft Heinz, which includes iconic brands like Heinz, Kraft, Philadelphia, Miracle Whip, Classico and many more. This is not a solely market research role. The Director is a strategist with strong research expertise — this person must have a holistic understanding of how brands and businesses grow, alongside a keen command of the data and tools available to build a strong consumer foundation on which to build future strategy. As the consumer expert for iconic brands in the Taste Elevation portfolio, this leader will be a crucial partner to drive brand positioning, packaging, communication and innovation agendas. This is a senior leadership-facing role in which relationships and leadership presence will be key to influence, and the individual must operate with an enterprise business performance mindset. In addition to this, you will be leading a team of 11 strong insights strategists, coaching them to success and guiding their careers. While you will report directly into the VP of Marketing in the Taste Elevation BU, you will also be a key leader of the North America insights leadership team driving a vision for the function. This role is one where you need to thrive in ambiguous situations, have a strong voice and perspective and drives influence through relationships.

Key Skills

• Strategic: Be a key strategic business partner & thought leader to the BU Marketing team. Leverage your understanding of the consumer, research methodologies/techniques, best practices and experience to drive the business forward
• Analytical: Crucial analytic experience to understand both how to create appropriate analytic plans/models for the business and how to apply them strategically to different business scenarios. Ability to see through data and recognize patterns to inform brand actions better
• Influential: Influence at all levels of organization (above & below) and work seamlessly with cross-functional teams.
• Impactful: Drive the "so-what’s" by making actionable recommendations routed in deep understanding of marketing, business and consumer
• Flexible: Be adaptable and creative to adjust to changing priorities and business challenges. Tackle ambiguity, while showing strong drive for results and project leadership skills
• Strong Communicator: Showcase strong communication skills through distilled clean/concise insights that drive empathy and storytelling behaviors though the organization • Self-motivated: Juggle multiple workstreams & competing priorities, and distill a plan that can be implemented for the team
• Collaborator: Team player, works well in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment
• Coach & People Leader: Drive to share knowledge and develop a high-performing team
• Curiosity & Action: High degree of intellectual curiosity and creative insight, coupled with a drive for actionable, tangible results
• Influence: Ability to influence at senior levels of an organization and drive impact.

Key responsibilities

• Key Point of Contact for Business Unit – key lead to unlock strategic initiatives across platform
• Unearth genuine consumer insights / pain points across platform and help identify growth opportunities for brands that help improve our long-term equity & innovation efforts
• Leverage strategic work to identify dig sites for innovation, partner with marketing and R&D to identify, develop and size a multi-year pipeline of new products
• Develop and lead holistic, comprehensive research plans across key Ps of marketing (Communication test, Product/Claim tests, Packaging tests et al for both existing products and new products)
• Help shape the 3-year Growth Strategy and assist teams in pulling through to brand’s annual marketing plans, including strategy, creative development and optimization
• Evaluate sales impact of campaigns and help optimize media and channel mix to improve efficiency, effectiveness and ROI
• Drive Enterprise Transformation Agenda - Help develop consumer insights best practices and center of excellence initiatives
• Develop the 2 direct reports of this role and coach them to drive the junior talent with the right skills and behaviors throughout the BU

Qualifications

• Experience Advanced Degree preferred; 10-15 years in strategic insights/consumer research role A minimum ten (10+) years of solid Market Research / Insights experience is required - experience working across a portfolio of products highly preferred Leadership credentials in driving vision - prior people management experience required Proficiency with different qualitative & quantitative research tools across advertising, innovation, & syndicated services
• Proven ability to distill insights and drive impact into an organization – bringing the consumer to forefront High level of tolerance for working in ambiguity, managing change and driving change management/transformation Experience and comfort in POS (Nielsen/Circana), Panel, and social listening is required High level of experience and comfort in analytical tools (e.g. MTA, Mix, Conjoint, etc) is required Proficient at storytelling in creative, influential & impactful ways - excellent communication, organization and presentation skills (written, oral, and across Microsoft Office Suite

Our Total Rewards philosophy

Our Total Rewards philosophy is to provide a meaningful and flexible spectrum of programs that equitably support our diverse workforce and their families and complement Kraft Heinz’ strategy and values.

New Hire Base Salary Range: $190,300.00 - $237,900.00

Bonus: This position is eligible for a performance-based bonus as provided by the plan terms and governing documents. The compensation offered will take into account internal equity and may vary depending on the candidate's geographic region, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience among other factors

Long-Term Incentive (LTI): In addition to base salary and bonus, this role is eligible for additional compensation in the form of equity.

Benefits

• Coverage for employees (and their eligible dependents) through affordable access to healthcare, protection, and saving for the future, we offer plans tailored to meet you and your family’s needs.
• Coverage for benefits will be in accordance with the terms and conditions of the applicable plans and associated governing plan documents.
• Wellbeing: We offer events, resources, and learning opportunities that inspire a physical, social, emotional, and financial well-being lifestyle for our employees and their families. You’ll be able to participate in a variety of benefits and wellbeing programs that may vary by role, country, region, union status, and other employment status factors, for example: Physical - Medical, Prescription Drug, Dental, Vision, Screenings/Assessments Social - Paid Time Off, Company Holidays, Leave of Absence, Flexible Work Arrangements, Recognition, Training Emotional – Employee Assistance Program , Wellbeing Programs, Family Support Programs Financial – 401k, Life, Accidental Death & Dismemberment, Disability

Location(s)

Chicago/Aon Center

Kraft Heinz is an Equal Opportunity Employer that prohibits discrimination or harassment of any type. All qualified applicants are considered for employment without regard to race, color, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Applicants who require an accommodation to participate in the job application or hiring process should contact [e-mail].

ABOUT US

Kraft Heinz is a global food company with a delicious heritage. With iconic and emerging food and beverage brands around the world, we deliver the best taste, fun and quality to every meal table we touch. We’re on a mission to disrupt not only our own business, but the global food industry. A consumer obsession and unexpected partnerships fuel our progress as we drive innovation across every part of our company. Around the world, our people are connected by a culture of ownership, agility and endless curiosity. We also believe in being good humans, who are working to improve our company, communities, and planet. We’re proud of where we’ve been – and even more thrilled about where we’re headed – as we nourish the world and lead the future of food.

WHY US

We grow our people to grow our business. We champion great people who bring ambition, curiosity, and high performance to the table as the guardians of our beloved and nostalgic brands. Good isn't good enough. We choose greatness every day by challenging the ordinary and making bold decisions. All while celebrating our wins - and our failures – as we work together to lead the future of food. Challenging the status quo takes talent. We invest in your purpose and potential by developing skills and nurturing strengths that leave a legacy on our business and a lasting impact on your career. Because great people make great companies, and we’re growing something great here at Kraft Heinz.

INCLUSION MATTERS TO US

Everyone is welcome at our table. In fact, we thrive on learning and growing from our diverse backgrounds and perspectives. Doesn’t matter who you are, where you’re from, or who makes your heart sing. We want you to show up as your authentic self, excited to work with amazing colleagues to solve complex challenges and innovate in an ever-changing industry. We’re committed to: Hiring and growing talent from diverse backgrounds and perspectives. Growing our Business Resource Groups — vibrant, celebrated communities that enhance our business through thought leadership employee engagement and professional development opportunities. Providing our managers and leaders high quality learning experiences to explore how to foster inclusion and belonging.