Senior Innovation Manager - Packaged Foods (Cape Town)

Placements24; Cape Town; Hybrid; ZAR 1,200,000 - 1,800,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Retirement plan

Performance bonuses

Generous annual leave

Professional development

Job summary

Placements24 seeks a Senior Innovation Manager for a leading FMCG packaged foods business in Cape Town. You will drive new product development, identify unmet consumer needs, and translate them into commercially viable products, overseeing ideation through to launch and post-launch analysis.

The role requires a strong food science background, 7+ years in product innovation or R&D, and a proven track record of launching products.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant field.
• Master's degree is advantageous.
• Minimum 7 years of experience in product innovation, R&D, or brand management within FMCG packaged foods.
• Proven track record of launching new food products from concept to commercialization.
• Strong understanding of food science, formulation development, and manufacturing processes.
• Excellent analytical, strategic thinking, and problem-solving skills.
• Deep knowledge of consumer behaviour, market trends, and competitive landscape in the food industry.
• Exceptional project management abilities with experience in managing complex cross-functional projects.
• Outstanding communication, presentation, and stakeholder management skills.
• Experience working with external research partners and ingredient suppliers.
• Must be legally authorized to work in South Africa.

Responsibilities

• Identify and evaluate new product opportunities based on market trends and consumer insights.
• Lead ideation, brainstorming sessions, and development of innovative product concepts.
• Oversee development and execution of new product prototypes with R&D.
• Conduct consumer testing and validation studies for product-market fit.
• Develop business cases with market sizing, financial projections, and risk assessments.
• Collaborate with Marketing, Sales, Supply Chain, and QA throughout the lifecycle.
• Manage project timelines, budgets, and resources for timely launches.
• Stay abreast of emerging food technologies and processes.
• Contribute to the innovation strategy and roadmap for packaged foods.
• Present new product proposals to senior management.

Skills

Product innovation

R&D

Brand management

Project management

Stakeholder management

Analytical thinking

Education

Bachelor's degree in Food Science / Food Technology / Marketing / Business

Master's degree advantageous

Job description

Placements24 seeks a Senior Innovation Manager for a leading FMCG packaged foods business in Cape Town. You will drive new product development, identify unmet consumer needs, and translate them into commercially viable products, overseeing ideation through to launch and post-launch analysis.

The role requires a strong food science background, 7+ years in product innovation or R&D, and a proven track record of launching products.