Strategic Innovation & Launch Leader

Mars; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 154,000 - 211,000; Full time

Job summary

Mars seeks a Senior Manager, Strategic Demand Leadership (SDL) – Innovation. You will sit at the intersection of strategy, commercialization, and execution, championing multi-channel launch strategies for brand portfolios with up to $800M NSV and coordinating cross-functional teams across Sales, Innovation Marketing, R&D, Insights, and Revenue Growth Management.

The role requires a minimum of 5 years in CPG marketing or related fields, a proven track record launching new products, and strong

Qualifications

• Minimum of 5 years of commercial experience in CPG marketing, innovation commercialization, commercial strategy, category management, or demand planning.
• Launch track record in go-to-market planning and customer activation for new product launches in a CPG environment.
• Analytical toolkit with structured problem-solving and ability to navigate strategy and execution.
• Experience developing consumer, shopper, and customer strategies, activations, and promotional plans.
• Fluency in category trends, competitive dynamics, shopper behaviors, turning insights into commercial advantages.

Responsibilities

• Develop innovation strategies and pipeline with marketing, insights, and R&D to identify whitespace and trends.
• Plan and execute omni-channel launch strategies, optimizing customer activation and selling stories across channels.
• Drive annual sales strategy to achieve net sales and profit goals; assess plans and balance channel trade-offs.
• Own channel strategy and voice of the customer; co-create pack and channel solutions.
• Monitor industry trends and competitive activity to keep pipelines differentiated.

Skills

Strategic thinking

Cross-functional leadership

CPG/Consumer goods experience

Launch planning

Analytical skills

Communication

Stakeholder management

S&OP knowledge

Job description

Mars seeks a Senior Manager, Strategic Demand Leadership (SDL) – Innovation. You will sit at the intersection of strategy, commercialization, and execution, championing multi-channel launch strategies for brand portfolios with up to $800M NSV and coordinating cross-functional teams across Sales, Innovation Marketing, R&D, Insights, and Revenue Growth Management.

The role requires a minimum of 5 years in CPG marketing or related fields, a proven track record launching new products, and strong