Innovation Project Manager

Position Title: Innovation Project Manager 

Position Type: Temporary - Full-Time ​

Requisition ID: 42657 

In every role, McCainers are ambitious, curious, and passionate about creating exceptional work experiences - together. With a customer-first mindset, we make doing business with McCain easy.

About the role.

As an Innovation Project Manager, you will lead the delivery of new product and brand initiatives from concept through to launch. This role sits at the centre of cross-functional collaboration—turning ideas into commercially successful outcomes while ensuring speed, quality, and alignment to strategy.

This is an 18-month fixed term contract.

What you’ll be doing.

• Lead end-to-end delivery of innovation projects across the product development lifecycle


• Partner with Marketing, R&D, Supply Chain, and Commercial teams to bring new ideas to market


• Translate concepts into clear project plans, timelines, and deliverables


• Coordinate Stage & Gate processes, ensuring high-quality inputs and timely decisions


• Identify risks, dependencies, and opportunities to optimise delivery


• Facilitate workshops, align stakeholders, and drive accountability across teams


• Ensure projects meet quality, cost, and timeline expectations


• Provide clear project visibility through reporting, dashboards, and presentations


• Contribute to continuous improvement in innovation processes and ways of working

What you’ll need to be successful.

• 4–5+ years’ experience in project management, preferably in innovation, NPD, or FMCG


• Strong understanding of product development and commercialisation processes


• Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams and influence without authority


• Excellent communication and storytelling skills


• Strong organisational skills and ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously


• Commercial awareness and understanding of business drivers


• Proactive mindset with a passion for innovation and continuous improvement


• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, evolving environment

About the team.

You’ll be part of a dynamic Innovation & Growth team focused on pipeline development, brand growth, and delivering consumer-led innovation. This team works closely with multiple business units to bring ideas to life, making a tangible impact on McCain’s growth trajectory.

About McCain.

Click Here to learn more about McCain and how we provide you with opportunities to make an impact that matters.

Leadership principles.

At McCain, our leadership principles guide how we engage with customers, collaborate as a team, and achieve success. We focus on understanding customer needs, driving innovation, empowering people, and taking ownership to clear obstacles and deliver results.

The McCain experience.

We are McCain. This statement is a testament to our collective strength and our individual value. Your contributions play a vital role in our success. Our winning culture is rooted in authenticity and trust, empowering us to bring out the best in one another. Here, you’ll find opportunities to learn, grow, and thrive. Join us and experience why we’re better together.

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*We've got this covered! No external agency support is required at this time and unsolicited CV's will not be considered.

McCain Foods is an equal opportunity employer. As a global family-owned company, we strive to be the employer of choice in the diverse communities around the world in which we live and work. We recognize that inclusion drives our creativity, resilience, and success and makes our business stronger. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, sex, age, veteran status, disability, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law.

McCain is an accessible employer. If you require an accommodation throughout the recruitment process (including alternate formats of materials or accessible meeting rooms), please let us know  and we will work with you to find appropriate solutions. 

Your privacy is important to us. By submitting personal data or information to us, you agree this will be handled in accordance with McCain’s Global Privacy Policy and Global Employee Privacy Policy, as applicable. McCain leverages AI in the hiring process, though all final decisions are made by humans. You can understand our approach to AI and how your personal information is being handled here. 

Job Family: Marketing      
Division: ANZ 
Department: ​Innovation and Strategic Project ANZ ​
Location(s): AU - Australia : Victoria : Melbourne 

Company: McCain Foods (Aust) Pty.