Senior Technical Innovation Manager

Job Description

Purpose of the Role

To provide strategic leadership & direction in delivery of the commercialisation of Innovation pipeline, Brand Change or Cost Optimisation programme.  The role will be responsible for providing Technical Supply expertise leadership to ensure consistent approach to deliver outstanding products & packs, which delight consumers at the right margins needed to beat competition. 

 

Summary of Role

  • Responsible of the C2C (Concept to Commercialization) at Supply level
    ·       Responsible of the D4Q (Design 4 Quality) to maximize the success of any change project the design must allow the quality expectations of customers to be met.
    ·       Describe & Own the delivery of the key steps required to get a winning concept pack & liquid and give confidence that those can be commercialized technically and within the required financial scope
    ·       Understand SPIRITS & Flavor and character development using Congeners.
    ·       Understand packaging Technical Specifications: implications and how to achieve. (primary & secondary pack, labelling, closure)

 

Key responsibilities and accountabilities

The Head of Technical Supply Innovation is responsible for:

  • the end-to-end cross functional oversight and delivery of Innovation, Brand Change and Supply Optimization programs. 
  • Supply Optimisation programmes from Concept to Launch including post launch review.
  • Ensuring the team has the maximum support and guidance in the Design 4 Quality process to design suitable as well as component, pack, and line testing requirements.
  • Idenfication of significant risks and their mitigations at the early-stage process therefore providing due diligence to ensure consumer safety and protection as well as quality.
  • Delivering a variety of programs at any one time with varying degrees of complexity, on time, in full, on budget and achieving the KPI’s which connect directly to COGS.
  • Understanding of Spirits, flavor, various raw materials, and mode of improvement
  • Understanding spirits quality assurance & quality control as well as flavor assessment
  • Providing Supply input & commercial grounding during project development phases, driving resolution of commercialization hurdles that may arise and managing regular project communications key stakeholders.
  • Utilization advanced Project Management skills to ensure best technical practices are used. 

Job Dimension

Reporting Lines:

Imperial Distillery Director

Direct Reports: 

  • Materials Planner

Main Functional Relationships

Key Contacts

(internal):

  • Company Management Team
  • Innovation team Imperial Distillery Ldt (Marketing Manager Innovations & Innovations Project Manager)
  • Consumer Planner & Research
  • Supply Chains team
  • Production team
  • Finance team

(external):

  • Liquid & Packaging technologist specialists
  • ​Design Agencies

Personal Specification

Experience and Functional Capabilities

  • 10+ years of Technical and Professional development experience in CPG commercialization
  • Requires a BS in a technical field (e.g., engineering, packaging, food science) undergraduate degree, MBA preferred, with demonstrated success in the commercialization process in a CPG company.
  • Experienced in effectively leading a multi-disciplined team in an extremely fast-moving CPG environment.
  • Exceptional business acumen, communication, interpersonal, influencing and relationship-building skills.
  • The ability to lead, thrive, provide guidance, and cut through in the face of great ambiguity.
  • Proven ability to drive step change and lead teams who are delivering large scale/complex projects.
  • Tactical and Strategic proactive thinker with results orientation
  • Ability to develop innovative solutions to business challenges that maximize financial impact, while mitigating potential risk
  • Experienced in the knowledge of African botanicals, fruits and manufacturing of products using African sourcing raw materials is a PLUS.

Behavioral Competence

  • Act with pace and be resilient in achieving great results.
  • Extrovert
  • Conscientious
  • Innovative & Creative but also intellectually rigorous in the thinking
  • Deeply curious 
  • Immersed in a culture and obsessive about harnessing it.
  • Bold, Influential leadership
  • Emotional Intelligence – Empathy
  • Truly collaborative, key team player but an objective voice of reason

Employer

Sector

FMCG & Retail

Function

Engineering

Country

Job Level

Mid-Senior Level

Salary

Competitive