The Role
Leads innovation marketing strategy, product roadmaps, stage-gate development, and cross-functional launches for food and packaging products. Oversees portfolio strategy, consumer and competitive insights, customer selling stories, go-to-market planning, performance analysis, and process improvements. Manages and mentors the Innovation Team while collaborating with Sales, Insights, supply chain, and external partners. Ensures adherence to food safety policies, FDA regulations, SQF Standards, and GMPs.
Summary Generated by Built In
Department: Marketing
Location: On-Site; Milwaukie, OR
Shift: Day, Monday - Friday; Full-Time
Wage: $185,000 - $200,000 annually based on experience
Company Overview: At Bob’s Red Mill, we inspire joy with wholesome foods. Since 1978, we have been leading the natural foods industry by providing our customers with good food that makes them feel great. Wholesome means ensuring our food is of the highest quality, empowering and supporting our diverse group of employee owners, respecting our planet, and bettering our communities. We believe that joy is for everyone.
Position Overview:
The Director of Innovation Marketing develops and leads innovation strategies to deliver the products, brand stories, and packaging solutions that customers desire.
The Director of Innovation Marketing develops and leads innovation strategies to deliver the products, brand stories, and packaging solutions that customers desire.
Key Responsibilities
Essential Job Functions:
- Creates and leads the innovation strategy and new product roadmap to deliver short and long-term goals.
- Partners with broader business teams to guide category portfolio management and strategic focus for current and future portfolio.
- Manages the innovation stage gate process to validate concept feasibility including opportunity assessment, idea validation, food and packaging solutions, financial business case, and launch plan.
- Leads internal and external cross-functional teams to deliver food, packaging, supply chain solutions, customer selling story, and commercial go-to-market plan.
- Analyzes innovation performance and competitive environment to identify trends, opportunities, and threats.
- Partners with Sales team for in-market customer meetings to bring the innovation story to life.
- Assesses available information on initiative performance and pivots as needed to alternative opportunities.
- Examines current processes and implements improved ways of working in conjunction with NPD cross functional team.
- Utilizes available data to understand consumer trends that fuel innovation opportunities and ideas.
- Leverages understanding of the drivers of consumer behavior and crafts a compelling consumer story.
- Collaborates with Sales and Insights to develop compelling customer selling stories.
- Mentors and leads team members to test ideas and take calculated risks to drive better company performance.
- Develops respectful relationships with team members to build an inclusive and collaborative team.
- Complies with all company policies and procedures and operates all equipment in a safe and food-safe manner.
- Complies with Bob’s Red Mill food safety policies and procedures including adherence to FDA regulations, Safe Quality Food (SQF) Standards, and Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs).
- Responsible for reporting food safety and quality concerns to Supervisors and/or Department Manager.
- Performs other duties and tasks as assigned.
Supervisory Responsibilities:
- This positions oversees the Innovation Team.
- This position reports to the VP of Marketing.
Skills, Knowledge and Expertise
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
- Knowledge of consumer trends in grocery and consumer packaged goods.
- Skilled in analyzing and interpreting data to provide actionable insights.
- Effective problem-solving skills.
- Ability to adapt to changes, problems, and shifting priorities.
- Possesses effective communication skills, both verbal and written.
- Ability to work effectively with a team using direct communication, respect, creativity, and emotional intelligence.
- Capable of tailoring communication style and content to reflect the audience and provide clear, concise information.
- Ability to make presentations to executive management, department managers, supervisors, and staff.
- Effective communication skills to collaborate with internal and external stakeholders.
- Skilled in creating informative and effective reports.
- Skilled in researching, using multiple verifiable sources.
- Ability to read, understand, and communicate information effectively in English with professional proficiency.
- Demonstrates Respect, Teamwork, Accountability, and Determination.
Education and Experience:
- 10 or more years of experience in marketing, innovation, or consumer research experience including experience launching products into new categories, AND
- Bachelor’s degree in marketing, Master of Business in marketing preferred; OR
- Any combination of education and additional years of experience that provides the necessary skills, knowledge, and ability to perform assigned tasks.
Physical Demands:
- Position requires the ability to sit for up to approximately two hours at a time.
- May be required to lift items weighing up to 25 pounds.
Work Environment:
- The primary work environment for this position is within an office setting.
- There are no adverse conditions associated with this position.
- This position will need to travel up to 25% of the time.
- Employees will be exposed to common food allergens.
Benefits
We believe taking care of our community starts with giving our employee owners the resources to take care of their physical, mental, financial, and future well-being by offering a leading benefits package.
Benefits:
Benefits:
- Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance
- 401k
- Profit Sharing Program
- Employee Stock Ownership Program (ESOP)
- Paid Holidays & Vacation
- Employee Assistance Program – counseling, legal issue support, financial guidance, and more.
- Tuition Reimbursement
- Childcare Discounts
- And MORE!
Purpose: To inspire joy with wholesome foods.
Values: Respect, Teamwork, Accountability, Determination
About
Bob's Red Mill Natural Foods produces more than 400 products, including a full line of certified gluten free products and an extensive line of certified organic products. With a wide variety of whole grain products, from flours and hot cereals to baking mixes and grains, employee-owned since 2010 Bob’s Red Mill has “whole grain foods for every meal of the day.”
Skills Required
- 10 or more years of experience in marketing, innovation, or consumer research, including launching products into new categories
- Bachelor's degree in marketing, or an equivalent combination of education and additional experience
- Professional proficiency in English
- Master of Business in marketing
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The Company
What We Do
Bob's Red Mill Natural Foods makes more than 400 food products, including certified gluten-free and certified organic offerings. Its range includes whole-grain flours, hot cereals, baking mixes, oats, grains and baking essentials. The company emphasizes simple, authentic ingredients and homemade food, using stone milling and serving everyday cooking and baking needs. It has been employee-owned since 2010 and is headquartered in Milwaukie, Oregon.
