Job Description

Sr. Manager, Innovation Marketing

COMPANY DESCRIPTION

Simple Mills is a rapidly-growing Chicago-based company on the forefront of the clean food movement, transforming center store grocery aisles with products made from simple, whole food, nutrient dense ingredients. In the company’s short history, Simple Mills has BECOME THE #1 BESTSELLING NATURAL BAKING MIX, THE #1 BESTSELLING NATURAL CRACKER, AND THE #2 BESTSELLING NATURAL COOKIE.

Distributed in 20,000+ grocery stores nationally from Whole Foods to Target, Walmart and Kroger, the brand’s newest products include: Almond Flour Brownie Mix, Soft-Baked Almond Flour Bars, and Veggie Pita Crackers. Simple Mills has earned broad recognition from top magazines, bloggers, and industry associations- including a segment on our Founder & CEO Katlin Smith on the TODAY Show in April 2020. Our products have been featured in a wide array of top publications including Vogue, Women's Health, Forbes, Business Insider, mindbodygreen, NOSH and many more. Simple Mills was also a 2019 Clean Eating Clean Choice Award Winner!

The company’s mission is to enrich lives and bodies through simple, delicious, real foods. We strive to make healthful choices easy by offering food that tastes great in the moment and nourishes your body for the long-term. We’re here to positively impact the way food is made because we believe in clean, nutritious foods for a greater life. It’s that simple.

Role Description

The SR. MANAGER, INNOVATION MARKETING will be a critical member of our Innovation team responsible for developing and driving innovation from strategy to shelf. The ideal candidate must have demonstrated proficiency with project leadership for multiple simultaneous innovation projects, as well as demonstrated capabilities in leading strategically complex and large scope projects. Reporting to the VP of Innovation, the key responsibilities will include:

• Develop multi-year innovation roadmaps and strategies in existing and new categories
  • Leverage consumer, cultural, marketplace and technical information to uncover white space territories for exploration
  • Complete in-depth category, consumer and competitive analyses
  • Map opportunities and prioritize strategic areas for innovation
  • Guide rapid concept, product, and packaging prototyping and development
  • Validate concepts through market research and develop business cases/pitches to continuously develop the pipeline
• Lead discovery, design, and commercialization of product innovations
  • Manage product development from concept to shelf, including launch readiness assessment
  • Lead cross-functional to create consumer-centric concepts that are grounded in insights, which must be differentiated, compelling, actionable and financially viable
  • Plan and facilitate dynamic work sessions to inspire innovative ideas, differential designs, and agile product iterations
  • Validate consumer acceptability through sensory evaluation and product research
  • Translate business strategy, consumer needs, and product readiness to manage project delivery or delays
• Partner with our internal Brand and Sales teams to connect with customers on innovation topics
  • Share consumer insights and emerging trends for communications development to drive trial and build awareness
  • Craft compelling selling story and collaborate with brand and sales team to develop go-to-market plans for building awareness, trial, and repeat
  • Lead conversations, host innovation sessions, and bring innovation subject matter expertise to our customers through emerging trends and other impactful presentations
• Inspire an innovation mind-set across the organization
• Monitor and track in-market performance and incorporate learnings to optimize product and communications execution
• Champion the voice of the consumer in all innovation and renovation projects by translating consumer needs and desires into design specifications for cross-functional partners
• Identify and pilot new approaches for consumer research, product design, and product testing to build internal innovation toolkit
• Performs other projects as assigned

Position Requirements

• MINIMUM OF 8 YEARS of experience in new product development, innovation marketing, strategy, or a related field, within the CPG industry
• BACHELOR’S DEGREE required; MBA preferred
• Prior experience leading end-to-end product innovation is required - from identifying the consumer problem to developing and commercializing solutions to solve that problem
• A foundational understanding of consumer research methods (qualitative and quantitative) required; experience leading / facilitating consumer research is preferred
• An essential function of this role includes tasting and working in the vicinity of various food allergens
• Previous experience with ReGen Agriculture a plus
• A passion for natural food and healthy eating as well as a desire to change the way we think about ingredient labels

BENEFITS OF WORKING AT SIMPLE MILLS

• You will make a huge impact as a key member of an emerging brand that’s changing the way we eat and facing explosive growth
• Working with a unified group of passionate team members that are driven by healthy food that tastes good and fuels your body
• Integrating into a company that is passionate about its people and their development, with consistent in-office classes and trainings
• Employee benefits including health, dental, vision, life, disability, FSA/DCA account options, Commuter Reimbursement Plan, and a 401(k) plan

Compensation will be competitive for the ideal candidate. Due to current COVID restrictions, you must be able to work remotely at your own designated location with sufficient internet access to support video conferencing. You must also be willing and able to work at our California office in the future. As of present, the majority of our workforce is working remotely.

At Simple Mills, we are committed to providing an environment of mutual respect and inclusion. Equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants and teammates without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, past or present military service, physical or mental disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics. All aspects of employment are decided on the basis of business need, job requirements, and individual qualifications. #LI-DNI

Simple Mills is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, Simple Mills will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and/or to receive other benefits and privileges of employment, please contact careers@simplemills.com.

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