As the Senior Manager of Innovation Process and Planning at KDP, you will play a pivotal role in driving the company's growth and market leadership through the establishment and continuous improvement of both processes and enabling digital capabilities to maximize innovation-driven growth. You will work across the business to convert consumer-focused, multi-year innovation pipelines into winning products. This key leadership position requires a strategic thinker with a proven track record in driving innovation, managing cross-functional teams, and ensuring the successful delivery of new and improved hot and/or cold beverages offerings.
What you will do:
Process Optimization:
- Support development, deployment, and continuous improvement of our Portfolio Management & Stage Gate processes.
- Generate enabling tools, including digital capabilities, to support the process and drive consistency across the business.
- Refine metrics and key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure the effectiveness of innovation initiatives and the innovation process.
- Integrate tracking to measure the progress against defined KPIs.
- Establish common business case framework, including cost-benefit analysis, resource requirements, etc. to enable evaluation and prioritization of the pipeline.
- Partner with our Business Unit (BU) teams to integrate the process and tools into their operating cadence and ways of working.
- Collaborate with owners of supporting processes (e.g., Strategic Planning, CAPEX, Supply Chain Integration, Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP), Financial Planning, etc.) to ensure appropriate process and integration.
- Work with functional partners (e.g., R&D, Marketing, Supply Chain, etc.) to streamline key enabling processes and increase innovation speed to market.
- Facilitate regular cross-functional Stage Gate and Portfolio reviews; manage steering committees’ composition, discussions, and escalation.
Cross-Functional Collaboration:
- Foster a collaborative environment by working closely with cross-functional teams to bring ideas from concept to execution.
- Facilitate communication and coordination between departments to ensure smooth execution of innovation initiatives.
Risk Management:
- Assess risks associated with innovation projects, partnering with business leads and cross-functional teams to help develop and track progress against mitigation plans.
Business Impact Tracking:
- Prepare regular reports and presentations to communicate the status, impact, and value of innovation initiatives to senior management and stakeholders.
- Monitor financial performance and ensure cost-effective execution of innovation initiatives.
Stakeholder Engagement:
- Collaborate with BU and Enterprise leadership to provide regular updates on innovation initiatives and their impact on the company's overall strategy.
- Engage with external partners, vendors, and industry experts to stay abreast of the latest trends and technologies.
- Champion best practices and innovation methodologies, such as design thinking, agile development, and design to value (DtV).
Benefits:
Our people are the heart of our business, which is why we offer robust benefits to support your health and wellness as well as your personal and financial well-being. We also provide employee programs designed to enhance your professional growth and development while ensuring you feel valued, inspired and appreciated at.
Requirements:
- Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field; advanced degree preferred.
- 7 years of experience in innovation, product development, continuous improvement or a related field within the beverage industry.
- Proven track record of successfully launching innovative products from concept to market.
- Strong strategic thinking, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
- Ability to inspire and motivate, foster a culture of innovation, and manage change effectively.
- Excellent leadership and team management abilities.
- Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills.
- Familiarity with industry regulations and quality standards.
Keurig Dr Pepper (NASDAQ: KDP) is a leading beverage company in North America, with a portfolio of more than 125 owned, licensed and partners brands and powerful distribution capabilities to provide a beverage for every need, anytime, anywhere. We operate with a differentiated business model and world-class brand portfolio, powered by a talented and engaged team that is anchored in our values. We work with big, exciting beverage brands and the #1 single-serve coffee brewing system in North America at KDP, and we have fun doing it!
Together, we have built a leading beverage company in North America offering hot and cold beverages together at scale. Whatever your area of expertise, at KDP you can be a part of a team that’s proud of its brands, partnerships, innovation, and growth. Will you join us?
We strive to be an employer of choice , providing a culture and opportunities that empower our team of ~28,000 employees to grow and develop. We offer robust benefits to support your health and wellness as well as your personal and financial well-being. We also provide employee programs designed to enhance your professional growth and development, while ensuring you feel valued, inspired and appreciated at work.
Keurig Dr Pepper is an equal opportunity employer and affirmatively seeks diversity in its workforce. Keurig Dr Pepper recruits qualified applicants and advances in employment its employees without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, disability or association with a person with a disability, medical condition, genetic information, ethnic or national origin, marital status, veteran status, or any other status protected by law.