Innovation Manager

Innovation Strategy and Pipeline Ownership: Own and manage the AFH innovation pipeline across channels and customers, ensuring innovation priorities are aligned to strategic growth opportunities. End-to-End Innovation Lifecycle Management: Drive ownership across the full innovation lifecycle - from insight generation and opportunity identification, to translating customer needs into commercial concepts and business cases, through concept refinement, development, and launch. Customer Opportunity Development: Support joint business planning by shaping product offerings and translating customer priorities and commercial opportunities into actionable innovation concepts and delivery timelines. Trend Spotting and Market Research: Lead forward-looking trend spotting and market research to anticipate customer needs and inform joint business planning, customer plans and innovation pipeline. Cross-Functional Collaboration: Act as the central coordinator across Sales, bakeries, R\u0026D, and Quality to prioritize opportunities, assess feasibility, and support the commercialization and delivery of innovations to customers. Adapts approach and attitude in real time, according to the changing demands of different situations. Creates a climate where people are motivated to do their best to help the organization achieve its objectives. Holds self and others accountable to meet commitments. Makes sense of complex, high quantity, and sometimes contradictory information to effectively solve problems. Bachelor\u0027s degree required (Business, Marketing, Engineering, Food Science, or related field). Minimum 5-7 years of experience in marketing, innovation, R\u0026D or product management. Prior experience in Foodservice or Away-From-Home is preferred but not required. Experience working and influencing cross-functional teams. Strong understanding of customer-led innovation, commercialization, innovation / R\u0026D stage-gate processes, and consumer goods product development. Proven ability to manage multiple initiatives simultaneously and drive execution. Strong analytical, communication, and project management skills. Ability to operate effectively in a complex, fast-moving organization.