Innovation Manager

About the Position

This role is in the Early-Stage Innovation (ESI) & Culinary Team within the Global Beverage Breakthrough team based in Valhalla, NY. A key focus area for this team is to drive and deliver the Early-Stage Innovation agenda. The incumbent will lead the scoping and development of specific breakthrough platforms to translate consumer tensions into differentiated innovation solutions. The successful candidate will embrace and champion an Innovator Mindset to contribute to building internal R&D capability.

Responsibilities

• Lead socialization and utilization of The Hub-Consumer Centricity Center, delivering rapid prototyping which is fit for purpose (Faster).
• Collaborate to identify and explore relevant key strategic areas-leading product opportunity identification within horizon 2-3 timescale-across all beverage opportunity areas (Better).
• Build capability within Beverage PD in the space of ESI/FEI (Stronger).
• Formalize approach to ESI within beverage R&D, and lead key workstreams requiring a high degree of creative technical thinking to deliver business-relevant market-differentiated solutions.

Job Duties

The HUB

• Be a key influencer and voice in agenda setting regarding customer, objectives, and overall approach for sprint activities-demonstrating expertise in design thinking, cJTBD, and best-in-class collaboration.
• Lead the PD aspect of collaboration on THE HUB-successful delivery of relevant and creatively delivered protocepts. Hypothesizing potential routes and required inventory and equipment ahead of time.
• Ensure best practice sprint methodology can be followed for product protocepting within sprint week activities. Samples shown meet food safety requirements, etc.
• Deliver technical expertise on trending ingredients and flavors to ensure appropriate samples and suggestions can be made.
• Inspire within PepsiCo on what is happening in The Hub-sharing relevant engaging use cases as relevant.

Innovation and Capability

• Influence prioritization and then execute the ESI program within Beverage Functional Capabilities.
• Manage product developers within the space of ESI-providing prototypes and breakthrough options which deliver to consumer tensions.
• Lead early-stage innovation approach for key projects at Global and/or Regional level.
• Lead key project activities within the Early-Stage innovation program.
• Lead R&D input into constructive discussions for 3 lens assessments, solution finding, and trade-off analysis, building on commercialization process and business understanding.
• Provide creative innovation solutions to technically complex issues to meet project objectives.
• Lead generation of compelling & creative product prototypes to illustrate technical possibilities to build business and stakeholder interest/alignment and steer development direction.
• Design, lead, and execute product-led trials at kitchen, pilot, and factory scale, to validate new products, ingredients, and process equipment, defining optimum operating windows and scale parameters.
• Understand, design, and apply insights from consumer research, concept, and product testing to deliver agenda.
• Comply with all regulatory & food safety requirements in product development & consumer testing.
• Build external interfaces with Open Innovation Intermediaries, Consultants, Co-manufacturers, Ingredient Suppliers, Flavor Houses, Flavor Experts, and Universities.
• Identify suitable ingredient vendors and establish collaborative working relationships, ensuring that PepsiCo IP is appropriately protected.

Capability

• Further the use of new FEI/ESI tools/methodologies in beverage R&D-including being part of the training/key expert team within PepsiCo.
• Partner with SCPI to adapt tools for beverage where required.
• Share best practices and successful case studies.
• Build a reputation of knowledge on trending ingredients, flavors, product categories-and share as required to leverage this strength for PepsiCo.
• Partner with Strategy lead to prepare for quarterly governance connects-to build a strong aligned agenda and share updates with key stakeholders.

Requirements

• Core Skills:

  • Innovation
  • Design Thinking
  • Beverage Product Development

• Secondary Skills:

  • Collaboration
  • Project Management
  • Strategic Thinking

• Experience:

  • 10+ years of relevant professional working experience
  • Basic knowledge of beverage product development desired, as a minimum able to collaborate with technical counterparts in product, pack, and engineering teams.
  • Strong self-organization and project management skills.
  • Conducts and Participates in Ideation Sessions.
  • Understands design methodologies (tools, techniques) and can provide input into design proposals (visions, scenarios) in order to execute against creative engagements and visualize the desired output.
  • Understand and are expert at FEI and design thinking, which underpins all our engagements.
  • Must understand and demonstrate thought leadership in trends-ensuring thought given to impact on further out proposals (e.g., Horizon 2 onwards).

We Offer

• Competitive salary
• Relocation Eligible: Eligible for Standard Relocation
• Job Type: Regular

About the Company

PepsiCo is an Equal Opportunity Employer: Female / Minority / Disability / Protected Veteran / Sexual Orientation / Gender Identity. Our Company will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of the Fair Credit Reporting Act, and all other applicable laws, including but not limited to, San Francisco Police Code Sections 4901 - 4919, commonly referred to as the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance; and Chapter XVII, Article 9 of the Los Angeles Municipal Code, commonly referred to as the Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance.

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