Overview
This role is known for the successful creation & delivery of a pipeline of consumer-led innovation Futures Core activities to deliver the financial targets of their innovation, GP, Future Core and in some cases Core Innovation. They ensure that both creating new opportunities for new spaces guided by Foresight future trends to continue to delight consumers to remain relevant & competitive. In addition, packaging innovation is a vital element for creating differentiation, and consumer driven functionality.
Business partner is mainly Future Core portfolio marketing, and in extension 1 or more Category or MU Marketing managers, Supply Chain. The key purpose of this role is to drive and deliver defined R&D Futures projects and programme in Next Generation Packaging, Transformational projects and sustainable material. Connecting seamlessly with the rest of the packaging/manufacturing community to bridge the current and future packaging/product/processing solution.
We need someone who is a technology leader with a passion for innovation, out-of-the-box thinking, and who is curious about the role our products and packaging play in our consumers' lives, and different routes to do this. They should have an appreciation of how our consumers' behaviours differ across our markets and ways to reach consumers.
This role will focus on packaging innovation, requiring a good connection with Supply Chain (Central and SU) and marketing.
This person should demonstrate the following behaviours: empathy, creativity, experimentation, collaboration with internal and external partners, and a solid understanding of the packaging/product solution design process.
Guided by Future Foresight and insights, they have the ability to couple it with the packaging with a good understanding of product concepts to deliver the best proposition for consumers and entering new spaces.
They should appreciate the marketing mix and understand market solution (packaging) needs to ensure that packaging solutions are scalable (fewer, bigger, better).
We need a person who can partner with Insights and Future Core marketing to create winning concepts and collaborate with Supply Chain & R&D colleagues to bring packaging concepts to life in the form of pilot & industrial prototypes. They must understand how we move from concept inspiration to pilot to an industrial scale solution.
Partner with Future Core marketing to stay updated on the latest developments in packaging processes and materials globally and how they could help us grow on the Nomad Future Core proposition.
They should have a passion for food and a solid technical understanding of new packaging technology, materials, processes, and supply chain within their category, continuously seeking new solutions to apply. They must use the latest tools available and connect with the outside world successfully, identifying solutions globally that can be used for Nomad.
They should be capable of leading and delivering technical projects while ensuring compliance with regulatory & Nomad policies and procedures. They must appreciate the need to design for manufacture and continuously seek manufacturing efficiencies & economies of scale while balancing this with the need to retain key attributes.
They must have good people leadership skills, with experience managing matrix projects.
Finally, the role requires good business awareness and commercial understanding to appreciate the contributions of their projects and the implications of not delivering against targets.
Responsibilities
Governance & Ways of Working
* Provides accurate & informative input to gate documents
* Ensures all new developments are consistent with the CSR strategy and Nutritional targets
* Challenges the current Ways of Working with an entrepreneurial mindset
* Leads Packaging Innovation area within the Future Core portfolio (and possibly Core Innovation/Reno)
R&D Programme
* Acts as the technical project leader for Future Packaging, Transformational, and CSR projects, responsible for driving delivery and decisions according to agreed milestones and timings
* With the Head of Futures, actively manages projects for maximum RoI, highlighting the need for prioritisation decisions when necessary
* Leads/supports prioritisation decisions, creating scenarios and identifying solutions
R&D Leadership
* Member of the Packaging Community
* Part of the CSR technical team that influences future CSR directions
* Works with other R&D Leaders to ensure best practices are shared and fully deployed within teams
* Participates in R&D strategy workstreams as required
Develop Capabilities
* Supports strategy on current and future capabilities for Future Core
* Creates ecosystem and external partnerships to accelerate research and leverage funding
Qualifications
* Must be qualified to at least degree level in a Technical subject, e.g., Packaging, Engineering
* Experience within the Food & Drink industry in a Technical/Quality/Product Development role
* Demonstrated people and programme leadership with evidence of successful delivery
* Track record of landing innovative packaging solutions
* Knowledge of Open Innovation and Design for Experience
* Eager to understand and anticipate consumer behaviour
* Experience in concept development & rapid prototyping
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