Sr. Manager, Innovation- Strategic Demand KIND

Mars Incorporated in; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 134,000 - 185,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Five Principles

Mars University

Company bonus

Learning & development

Job summary

Mars Incorporated is seeking a Senior Manager, Innovation-Strategic Demand Leadership (SDL) in the Finance function. This role drives the commercialization and launches of innovative products across channels, partnering with R&D, Marketing, and Sales to shape growth for iconic brands.

You will manage a portfolio up to $800M NSV, lead multi-disciplinary teams without direct authority, and leverage data-driven insights to optimize velocity, distribution, and ROI across go-to-market strategies.

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years of experience in CPG marketing, innovation, commercial strategy, category management, or demand planning.
• Experience leading commercialization and launches of new products in a fast-paced CPG environment.
• Strong go-to-market and omni-channel execution capabilities.

Responsibilities

• Define innovation strategy & development with cross-functional partners.
• Lead omni-channel launch strategies to maximize awareness and adoption.
• Drive annual sales strategy to meet net sales and profit goals.
• Own AMPS strategy (Availability, Merchandising, Pricing, Space) for channel solutions.
• Maintain intelligence on trends, shopper behaviors and competitor actions.
• Track innovation performance and translate learnings to future programs.
• Collaborate on demand forecasting and RGM to translate trends into launch forecasts.
• Manage budgets to ensure ROI and deliver business targets.

Skills

CPG marketing

Commercial strategy

Go-to-Market

Strategic problem solving

Customer & shopper strategy

Cross-functional leadership

Data-driven decision making

S&OP / SRM knowledge

Job description

Sr. Manager, Innovation- Strategic Demand KIND (Finance)

Job Description:

Are you ready to shape the future of our categories and drive high-impact growth for some of the world's most iconic brands? As the Senior Manager, Strategic Demand Leadership (SDL) - Innovation, you will sit at the dynamic intersection of commercial strategy, customer collaboration, and marketplace execution. Managing a portfolio scope of up to $800M NSV, you will serve as the strategic bridge between R&D, Innovation Marketing, Revenue Growth Management, and Sales-turning bold product concepts into commercially viable, market-leading launches.

What are we looking for?

• Experience: Minimum 5 years of experience in CPG marketing, innovation, commercial strategy, category management, or demand planning.
• Commercialization Leadership: Proven track record leading the commercialization and launch of new products within a fast-paced CPG environment.
• Go-to-Market Expertise: Deep understanding of innovation pipelines, customer activation, and omni-channel commercial execution.
• Strategic Problem Solving: Consultant-style analytical toolkit with strong structured problem-solving skills and agility across strategy and execution.
• Customer & Shopper Strategy: Demonstrated experience building customer-centric growth plans, AMPS strategies, and promotional plans.
• Cross-Functional Influence: Proven ability to influence, align, and lead multi-disciplinary teams without direct authority, backed by exceptional presentation and communication skills.
• Data-Driven Decision Making: Strong acumen in analyzing market performance metrics (velocity, distribution, trial/repeat) to extract actionable insights.
• Nice-to-Have: Working knowledge of Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) and Strategic Revenue Management (SRM) / Revenue Growth Management principles.

What will be your key responsibilities?

• Innovation Strategy & Development: Partner closely with Innovation Marketing, Consumer Insights, and R&D to identify consumer needs, whitespace opportunities, and category trends, shaping pipelines and commercialization strategies that deliver meaningful growth.
• Innovation Launch Excellence: Develop and execute omni-channel launch strategies that maximize awareness, trial, and sustainable adoption, ensuring selling stories and launch tactics are optimized across key customers.
• Sales Plan Execution: Drive the annual sales strategy to deliver net sales and operating profit goals, proactively identifying risks and opportunities across go-to-market channels to balance the business.
• Channel & Customer Leadership: Own the AMPS strategy (Availability, Merchandising, Pricing, Space), serving as the voice of the customer to co-create pack and channel solutions with cross-functional partners.
• Trend & Competitive Intelligence: Maintain continuous intelligence on industry trends, shopper behaviors, and competitor actions to ensure innovation pipelines remain differentiated and commercially relevant.
• Innovation Performance Management: Track and evaluate innovation health throughout the lifecycle (sales, velocity, distribution, repeat, financial ROI) and translate post-launch learnings into future programs.
• Demand Forecasting & RGM: Collaborate with Sales, Demand Planning, and Finance to translate market trends into reliable demand signals and accurate launch forecasts.
• Delivering Results: Drive volume, share, and profit results that contribute to divisional financial targets while managing marketing budgets to ensure expected return on investment.

What can you expect from Mars?

• Work with diverse and talented Associates, all guided by the Five Principles.
• Join a purpose-driven company, where we're striving to build the world we want tomorrow, today.
• Best-in-class learning and development support from day one, including access to our in-house Mars University.
• An industry-competitive salary and benefits package, including company bonus.

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Suggestions

The base pay range for this position at commencement of employment is between the range listed below, however, base pay offered may vary depending on multiple individualized factors, including but not limited to job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. The total compensation package for this position will include variable pay, medical and dental benefits, participation in 401k plan, and paid time off benefits. Details of participation in these benefit plans will be provided if an applicant receives an offer of employment.

The pay range shown is applicable to all US locations listed within the job posting: USD 134,400.00 - USD 184,800.00