ICE CREAM IS LOOKING FOR CMI Ice Cream Category Development and Innovation Lead
Location: Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Local conditions apply
Full time, Travel Moderate
The Ice Cream division at Unilever is preparing to stand on its own, aiming to become an independent, EUR 8.3 billion publicly listed company by the end of 2025. We’re on a mission to create the ultimate snacking company. A place where growth, innovation, founder and ownership mentality, and performance are cultivated and rewarded. And where we craft extraordinary ice cream experiences - transforming ordinary moments into lasting memories. Because we know, life tastes better with ice cream.
ABOUT THE MAGNUM ICE CREAM COMPANY:
The Magnum Ice Cream Company is all about growth. Growing our business. Growing our customers’ businesses. Growing our people’s careers. Growth begins with empowerment. So we free our people to be innovative, responsible entrepreneurs, driven and equipped to give our consumers more amazing products and unforgettable moments – and having fun doing it.
With 19.000 expert ice cream colleagues and iconic brands like Wall’s, Cornetto and Ben & Jerry’s, loved in 76 countries, we are the world’s largest Ice Cream company leading the industry. We have been taking pleasure seriously for more than 100 years, serving happiness with every lick or scoop of ice cream for generations.
We are investing to unlock the full growth potential of The Magnum Ice Cream Company as a standalone entity, once we separate from Unilever, which is planned to happen before the end of 2025.
We dream big but keep things simple to act fast.
If you want to grow with us, make an impact, and shape the future of Ice Cream, this is the place for you!
JOB PURPOSE
Ice Cream Company is the Human Happiness company, as our vision is to create 1B more smiles every year through purposeful growth. Our mission is to make that magic happen through IC that is created in a fair, fun and planet positive way. We create infinite sparks of happiness, not just for our consumers but for everyone who touches our business.
The world around us has changed and the pace of change is accelerating. We are facing a lot of disruptors, from local players who are agile in responding to local consumer & market trends to start-ups who are utilising latest breakthrough technology. Having future fit insights team to partner marketing is now even more critical than before, to accelerate competitive, profitable, consistent and responsible growth.
Consumer & Markets Insight (CMI) mission is to provide inspiration and provocation to drive transformational business growth. This means delivering insights, ideas and impact– and in a world that is changing at an accelerating pace of change. In this role you will contribute to the CMI mission by being the lead CMI business partner to Ice Cream portfolio Transformation and Innovation team
Under this role, you will lead the understanding of market trends, growth opportunities, category dynamics, future innovation platforms, craft a winning portfolio, that will make our business win and grow. You will learn from brilliant business leaders and colleagues in a truly global and diverse culture to ultimately become a better you. If you are passionate about category strategy, innovations and strategy, curious for market making opportunities for ice cream but also for snacking industry including kids, teenagers, adults and seniors then this role is just for you.
WHAT WILL YOUR MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES BE?
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Craft a winning innovation ecosystem: Understand the IC business, brands, customers, key objectives, and challenges, and set relevant CMI programs to deliver against them. Lead and motivate a team of like-minded innovation insight experts within the division– either direct reports, internal & external partners, creating an internal innovation community & leading training programme to ensure that ice cream insight team have future fit skills & digital competencies and leading-edge innovation skills such as growth hacking.
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Understand Category Dynamics: Deeply understand the ice cream business, brands, customers, key objectives, and challenges. Set relevant CMI programs to deliver against them.
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Trend Analysis and Growth Opportunities:Utilize macro trends and sources to identify growth opportunities. Provide insights that inform innovation platforms and portfolio strategy.
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Business Partnering: Build and develop relationships with business partners at director and VP levels across functions such as Marketing, CMI, R&D, Finance, InnoFlex, and external partners.
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Building Innovation Strategy:Advise and challenge the business on innovation strategy creation, landing, and choices, including M&A and investment decisions.
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Business Acumen:Deliver insights that improve business performance, both on top line and profit/margin.
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Cost-Effective Research:Design and execute cost-effective research programs, maximizing efficiency and effectiveness, and scaling up agile research methods and tools.
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Performance Tracking: Constantly track innovation performance and advise on what to amplify, pivot, or discontinue.
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High-Growth Innovations:Help generate and implement high-growth, trend-responsive innovations for both short-term and long-term success.
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Bringing Outside in: Continiously gather and integrate the voice of the consumer along with the news from the market and competitors to ensure competitive intelligence is also core part of our strategy.
SKILLS/EXPERIENCE & MINDSET:
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Market Research Expertise: Minimum of 7 years’ experience in Marketing and/or Market Research, proficient in quantitative and qualitative methods and analytics.
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Founder Mentality & Bias for Action:Embrace disruptive innovation ideas that transform the business and unlock growth opportunities.
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Digital & Tech Savvy: Proven experience with digital analytical tools (e.g., Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics, FB Audience Insights, Google Trends) and GEN AI knowledge is a plus.
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Lean Start-Up Mindset: Experience with start-ups or a start-up mentality is highly desirable.
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Growth Hacking Skills:Skilled in technical and data-driven experimentation for scaling a business.
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Category Passion: Personal passion for category strategy, trends, and market opportunities.
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Leadership: Strong team leadership with a track record of being a talent catalyst, comfortable leading a virtual and global team.
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Consumer Centric:Acute ability to put the consumer first, understanding and responding to true human needs.
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Facilitation Skills:Ability to co-create ideas using creativity and outside-in techniques.
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Experimental Approach: Shift from testing/validating to experimenting, iterative learning, and evidence-based decision-making.
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Business Model Exploration: Experiment with new business models and channels, testing solutions with retail partners.
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People Leadership:Experience in leading teams, both direct and indirect reporting lines.
BEHAVIOURS:
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Positive Attitude: Maintain a positive and proactive attitude amidst changing demands.
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Strong Communication Skills:Excellent written and verbal communication skills to work with different functions and effectively deliver insights.
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Collaboration: Ability to collaborate seamlessly across agency partners and internal teams.
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Resilience: Demonstrate tenacity and resilience.
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Curiosity: Essential for exploration and understanding new trends.
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Attention to Detail:Strong attention to detail and great observation skills.
LEADERSHIP:
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Inclusive Motivator:Inspire your team to deliver with passion, fostering a climate of growth and learning.
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Results-Oriented:Balance personal responsibility with motivating others to deliver required outcomes.
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Emotional Intelligence:Understand and manage emotions to motivate and support your team effectively.
WHAT DOES UNILEVER OFFER/WHAT IS IN IT FOR YOU?
Unilever is the place where you can be yourself and bring your purpose to life with the work that you do – creating a better business and a better world. We offer an exciting & dynamic work environment where you can make things happen. Furthermore, we offer some great reward and benefits!
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Attractive total remuneration package; excellent company pension, bonus, share scheme.
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Flexible cross-disciplinary career opportunities and a wealth of training opportunities & wellbeing resources whenever and wherever.
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Plenty of company-paid holidays to further ensure your work-life balance is maintained.
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We encourage an inclusive culture, which comes to life with interchangeable public holidays, paid paternity leave of 6 weeks and our transgender policy.
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Under the Hybrid Working principles, you will be expected to spend a minimum of 40%-60% in the office or at customers, suppliers or partners to connect and collaborate. For the time you work from home, we will ensure you are well equipped. When you are at the office , you can enjoy our tasty canteen with prepped food and own products.
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Informal culture and being the first one trying our new products.
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My Fitness Plan (reduction on your Fitness Subscription).
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Home work allowance
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Company laptop and mobile phone
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Green Mobility Policy.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
As publicly announced, Unilever will separate its Ice Cream business which is expected by the end of 2025. This role will transfer to the new Ice Cream company.
Unilever embraces diversity and encourages applicants from all walks of life. This means giving full and fair consideration to all applicants and continuing development of all employees regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marriage and civil partnership, and pregnancy and maternity.
For the recruitment of this position, we would like to emphasize that local conditions apply to the position
ARE YOU EXCITED TO CRAFT THE ICE CREAM FUTURE?
To apply, you must do so online. Please do not forget to upload your CV and a motivation letter.
Your application will be reviewed against our requirements, and we will be in touch shortly after the closing date to provide you with an update on the status of your application.
Disclaimer
Equal Opportunity Employer: Unilever is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, or any other basis protected by applicable law, and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability.
We take pleasure seriously. Join the Ice Cream team now!
Unilever Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Unilever and has not been reviewed or approved by Unilever.
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Healthcare Strength — Healthcare coverage is described as comprehensive, spanning medical, dental, vision, life insurance, and occupational health support alongside a 24/7 employee assistance program. Wellbeing offerings such as health checks, resilience tools, and counseling support the perceived depth of health-related benefits.
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Retirement Support — Retirement support includes a 401(k) match that reaches up to 5% of base salary, strengthening the overall value of the package. Share and savings options are also referenced as part of longer-term financial support beyond salary.
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Flexible Benefits — Benefits customization is enabled through tools such as a “My Reward” system and a “Benefits Envelope” that allows employees to personalize selections. Flexible working approaches are also associated with improved overall satisfaction, reinforcing perceived choice and adaptability in the total rewards offering.
Unilever Insights
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What We Do
Be part of the world’s most successful, purpose-led business. Work with brands that are well-loved around the world, that improve the lives of our consumers and the communities around us. We promote innovation, big and small, to make our business win and grow; and we believe in business as a force for good. Unleash your curiosity, challenge ideas and disrupt processes; use your energy to make this happen. Our brilliant business leaders and colleagues provide mentorship and inspiration, so you can be at your best. Our portfolio ranges from nutritionally balanced foods to indulgent ice creams, affordable soaps, luxurious shampoos and everyday household care products. We produce world-leading brands including Lipton, Knorr, Dove, Axe, Hellmann’s and Omo, alongside trusted local names and innovative-forward thinking brands like Ben & Jerry’s, The Dollar Shave Club and Dermalogica. Every individual here can bring their purpose to life through their work. Join us and you’ll be surrounded by inspiring leaders and supportive peers. Among them, you’ll channel your purpose, bring fresh ideas to the table, and simply be you. As you work to make a real impact on the business and the world, we’ll work to help you become a better you.
