Senior Innovation & Strategy Specialist

Nestle SA; Arlington (VA); On-site; USD 105,000 - 157,000; Full time

Job summary

Nestlé USA's R&D Center seeks an Innovation Project Manager to drive end-to-end project management for Front End Innovation initiatives across the regional center. You will guide teams from consumer insights through ideation, prototyping, manufacturing, and testing, delivering data- and insight-driven decisions with agility.

You will coordinate cross-functional partners, establish governance, and coach teams in design-thinking and agile practices to advance new technologies and concepts with

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in science, engineering or related field is required.
• 7+ years of consumer product goods experience developing and commercializing concepts.
• 2+ years of experience leading a project team.
• Strong understanding of food industry, consumer research, manufacturing and packaging.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end project management for innovation initiatives.
• Synthesize consumer, business, technical and market inputs into clear recommendations.
• Manage scope, timing, budget, resources, risks, and ownership.
• Drive cross-functional teams through ideation, prototyping, manufacturing and testing.
• Coach teams in agile innovation practices.
• Monitor trends and enable R&D support across functions.
• Travel up to 10%, primarily within the US.

Skills

Project Management

Agile Coaching

Cross-functional leadership

Stakeholder management

Design thinking

Build-Measure-Learn

Communication skills

Problem solving

Leadership

Consumer insights

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in Science, Engineering, or related field

Job description

Nestlé's Research & Development Center is our regional powerhouse driving innovation in food, beverage, and pharmaceutical science. Backed by our global Nestlé R&D organization, we lead breakthrough discoveries that are both good for consumers and the planet. Our team of experts range from product developers to engineers, working across our portfolio of food, beverage, infant nutrition, and health science to create leading-edge products and services. As part of our organization, you will use your entrepreneurial spirit and commitment to excellence to unlock the power of food and provide premium value.

This position is not eligible for Visa Sponsorship.

JOB SUMMARY

This role drives the end-to-end project management process for R&D Front End Innovation initiatives for our Regional R&D center for N. America. From market and consumer insights through ideation, product and packaging development, prototyping, manufacturing, and rapid experimentation of physical products, they lead cross-functional teams, establish strategic alignment, and implement effective project governance to enable rapid, data- and insights-driven decisions on overall viability. The role ensures technical work progresses with appropriate discipline across food safety, regulatory compliance, supplier and ingredient onboarding, and the manufacture, handling, and testing of food prototypes. This role works across all Nestlé USA businesses and categories and is colloquially referred to as an Innovation Project Manager. This person owns the integrated project point of view, sets a credible and ambitious pace, and ensures priorities, trade-offs, technical and business risks, decisions, and accountability are clear to both the team and leadership, while upholding agility, a "what if?" mindset, and an eye on creative solutions. Through disciplined and agile execution, they advance the validation of new technologies and novel business ideas of strategic interest to Nestlé.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Leads, builds, and executes planning across scope, timing, budget, resources, risks, and ownership, using traditional project management practices, as well as the smart application of design-thinking and agile approaches for innovation.

• Sets a credible but ambitious project pace, resolves ambiguity, and ensures accountabilities and handoffs are explicit.

• Leads the project team to create a red thread and integrated point of view - synthesizing consumer, business, technical, and market inputs into clear recommendations and tradeoffs.

• Keeps the team aligned on why the project exists, what we’ve learned and what it must prove next, and how success will be measured, and communicates this effectively at an Executive Leadership level.

• Leads the cross-functional project teams through end-to-end phases of innovation testing - from consumer problem definition through solution design, prototyping, manufacturing, and testing plan, generally in 8 months or less.

• Creates and facilitates meaningful ideation sessions on assigned projects that generate relevant, innovative ideas linked with business priorities and consumer needs.

• Partner with Innovation insights to execute learning plans that test critical assumptions and push the project forward. Do this while maintaining decision and research discipline by using existing evidence where available.

• Mobilize and enable R&D support across Innovation Insights, Design, Concept and Prototyping, global R&D, business partners, external agencies, and strategic networks.

• Coaches teams in agile innovation practices.

• Prioritize deliverables across multiple projects, establish clear post-closure transfer plans, and contribute project learning to shared playbooks and ways of working.

• Monitor innovation trends and external capabilities

• Travel up to 10%, primarily within the US.

JOB QUALIFICATIONS (Education, Experience and Knowledge)

• Bachelor’s Degree in Science, Engineering, or related field.

• Preferred minimum of 7 years of consumer product goods experience, specifically, developing and commercializing new product concepts.

• Preferred minimum of 2 years of experience leading a project team.

• Working knowledge of the food industry with a broad understanding of consumer research methodologies, manufacturing, product development, packaging, and commercial functions.

• Food and product production: Working knowledge of food safety, good manufacturing practices (GMPs), regulatory compliance and quality requirements (including supplier and ingredient onboarding) relevant to the development, manufacture, handling and testing of food prototypes.

• Ability to lead and guide product development and prototyping on food and beverage products.

• Required Project Management and Coaching skills in Innovation, with end-to-end experience. Project Management certification a plus.

• Strong business acumen.

• Proven ability to turn big picture questions and insights into clear actions and output.

• Understanding in “Build-Measure-Learn” start-up methodology. Able to apply to projects independently, and coach and train project team members on this methodology.

• Consumer-obsessed and passion for Innovation

• Strong stakeholder management skills at all levels and across functional roles, setting up new ways of working, challenging the status-quo. This role is highly visible to Executive Leadership.

• Strong presentation skills (storyline, design and communication)

• Strong organizational skills

Salary: $105,132.20 to $157,070.45 per year

Bonus Eligibility: Yes

The pay range provided is a good faith estimate for the position at the time of posting. Final compensation may vary based on factors including but not limited to knowledge, skills and abilities as well as geographic location. It is not typical for an individual to be hired at top of range.

Nestlé offers performance-based incentives and a competitive total rewards package, which includes a 401k with company match, healthcare coverage and a broad range of other benefits. Incentives and/or benefit packages may vary depending on the position. Learn more at https://www.nestlejobs.com/nestle-in-the-us-benefits

It is our business imperative to remain a very inclusive workplace.

To our veterans and separated service members, you're at the forefront of our minds as we recruit top talent to join Nestlé. The skills you've gained while serving our country, such as flexibility, agility, and leadership, are much like the skills that will make you successful in this role. In addition, with our commitment to an inclusive work environment, we recognize the exceptional engagement and innovation displayed by individuals with disabilities. Nestlé seeks such skilled and qualified individuals to share our mission where you’ll join a cohort of others who have chosen to call Nestlé home.

The Nestlé Companies are equal employment opportunity employers. All applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. Prior to the next step in the recruiting process, we welcome you to inform us confidentially if you may require any special accommodations in order to participate fully in our recruitment experience. Contact us at [e-mail] or please dial 711 and provide this number to the operator: 1-800-321-6467.

This position is not eligible for Visa Sponsorship.

Job Requisition: 425517