Innovation Manager

AgHires; Springdale (AR); On-site; USD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation assistance

Job summary

Tyson Foods in Springdale, Arkansas seeks an Innovation Manager to drive a consumer-led pipeline and turn insights into commercially successful growth. You will partner across Insights, Marketing, R&D, Sales and other functions to deliver differentiated solutions and strengthen competitive advantage.

The role leads end-to-end execution from opportunity identification to launch, balancing strategic vision with disciplined execution while influencing stakeholders across multiple levels and teams.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required; MBA preferred.
• Minimum of 3 years in Innovation, Brand Marketing, Product Development, Consumer Insights, Strategy, or related field.
• Proven ability to lead complex cross-functional initiatives and influence without direct authority.
• Exceptional communication, relationship-building, and stakeholder management skills.
• Travel: 10-15%.

Responsibilities

• Develop and manage a robust innovation pipeline aligned to brand, category, and growth objectives.
• Identify opportunities through consumer insights, trends, competitive intelligence, and analytics.
• Build short- and long-term strategies delivering sustainable revenue, profit, and share growth.
• Champion the voice of the consumer and translate unmet needs into differentiated solutions.
• Lead concept development, validation, optimization, and commercialization.
• Lead initiatives from identification through launch and post-market evaluation.
• Align cross-functional teams around objectives, milestones, and outcomes; manage risks.

Skills

Strategic thinking

Analytical skills

Problem-solving

Financial acumen

P&L exposure

Cross-functional leadership

Influence without authority

Communication skills

Relationship-building

Stakeholder management

Education

Bachelor's degree

MBA preferred

Job description

Job Details:

The Innovation Manager drives sustainable business growth by developing and executing a consumer‑led innovation pipeline. The Innovation Manageridentifiesemerging opportunities, translates consumer and marketplace insights into actionable growth strategies, and leads cross-functional teams to bring differentiated products and experiences to market.

Successrequiresa balance of strategic thinking andexecutionexcellence. The ideal candidate thrives ina fast-paced corporate environment,builds trusted relationships,can influence despite not owning final decision,and turns insights into commercially successful innovation.

This position sits full time onsite in Springdale, Arkansas.

Key Responsibilities:

Growth Strategy & Pipeline Development

• Develop and manage a robust innovation pipeline alignedtobrand, category, and business growthobjectives.
• Identifyopportunities through consumer insights, trends, competitive intelligence, and analytics.
• Build short- and long-term strategies that deliver sustainable revenue, profit, and share growth.
• Prioritize opportunities based on consumer relevance, business impact, and feasibility.

Consumer-Led Innovation

• Champion the voice of the consumer throughout the innovation process.
• Partner across Insights, Marketing, R&D, Sales, and various cross‑functional teams to translate unmet needs into differentiated solutions.
• Develop compelling value propositions and positioning that create a meaningful competitiveadvantage.
• Lead concept development, validation, optimization, and commercialization.

End-to-End Innovation Execution

• Lead innovation initiatives from opportunity identification through launch and post‑market evaluation.
• Align cross-functional teams around clearobjectives, milestones, and business outcomes.
• Proactively manage risks, remove barriers, and drive decisions tomaintainmomentum.
• Deliver initiatives on time, on budget, and with strong marketplace results.

Leadership & Influence

• Build trusted relationships across functions and organizational levels to accelerate alignment and decisions.
• Influence stakeholders through insight-driven storytelling, business acumen, and collaboration.
• Navigate competing priorities and complex business dynamics with confidence and balanced persistence.

What Success Looks Like

• Builds a pipeline that fuels future Enterprise growth.
• Identifiesopportunities before competitors.
• Turns consumer insights intoaction withwinning innovation.
• Creates alignment across diverse stakeholders.
• Delivers measurable business impact through strategy and execution.

Requirements:

Education: Bachelor's degreerequired; MBA preferred.

Experience: Minimum of 3 yearsof experience in Innovation, Brand Marketing, Product Development, Consumer Insights, Strategy, or a related field.

• Demonstrated success developing and commercializing innovation pipelines that drive growth.
• Strong strategic thinking, analytical, problem-solving, and financial acumen, P&L exposure.
• Proven ability to lead complex cross-functional initiatives and influence without direct authority.
• Exceptional communication, relationship-building, and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to balance long-term strategic vision withnear-termdisciplined execution.

Travel: 10-15%

Position Specific Requirements:

• Must reside in the United States to be considered.
• Sponsorship is not available for this position.

Relocation Assistance Eligible: Yes

Work Shift: 1ST SHIFT (United States of America)

Certain roles at Tyson require background checks. If you are offered a position that requires a background check you will be provided additional documentation to complete once an offer has been extended.

The successful candidate(s) must be willing and able to perform the physical requirements of the job with or without a reasonable accommodation.

Tyson is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will be considered without regard to race, national origin, color, religion, age, genetics, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or veteran status.

We provide our team members and their families with paid time off; 401(k) plans; affordable health, life, dental, vision and prescription drug benefits; and more.