Innovation Manager Jobs

Part of kdc/one, Zobele is a multinational, global leader in product development and manufacturing, key partner of the top Home & Personal Care FMCG´s companies.

To meet our growth challenges we’re looking for proactive, enthusiastic and talented professionals willing to join our team. Our Business & Technical Development Center in Somerville (New Jersey) is currently looking for a:

INNOVATION MANAGER

Our Innovation Manager, key member of the Innovation Department, is responsible for:

• Coordination, execution, and control of product Innovation projects with a technical scope.
• Support Sales department in project and new business development meetings with clients
• Translation of needs into potential concept directions with a clear value proposition
• Identification of business, market, and users’ needs that lead to new project opportunities

The successful candidate is a creative self-motivated team player with business-oriented mindset, strong communication skills and a technical background.

Responsibilities:

• Manage external innovation providers (innovation consultancies).
• Support Sales department in new business development activities in North America.
• Identify strategic new product opportunities in FMCG industry for the North America market.
• Nurture the innovation network in North America through partnerships and collaboration opportunities.
• Facilitate the definition of new projects’ scope, goals, and deliverables.
• Engage with clients and internal stakeholders to ensure projects’ sponsorship.
• Team up with technical managers to monitor project progress and guarantee the alignment with the business goals.
• Translate business, market, and user needs, into new product proposals.
• Prepare client presentations, able to communicate the key benefits and features of the proposals.

Requirements:

• Degree in Design or Business-related fields.
• Strong skills as a workshop / co-creation facilitator and planner
• Strong hands-on approach
• Willing to travel
• +8 years of experience working within service innovation, product design innovation, or marketing areas in FMCG or related field, ideally with international background
• Awareness of current trends
• Strong skills in influence management
• Strong skills in client relationship development
• Proven experience in strategic planning and innovation projects management
• Excellent communication and presentation skills.
• Proactive creativity and problem-solving
• Team player
• Work under tight deadline pressure and adapt quickly and amicably to changes in project, scope, and schedule
• Business-oriented mindset
• Self-motivated: pursues knowledge acquisition and skill enhancement opportunities
• Understanding of user-centered design process and lean methodologies

Join US! Apply now and join the by kdc/one home care team!

Zobele by kdc/one is an Equal Opportunity Employer and as such, treats all applications equally and recruits purely on the basis of skills and qualifications.