Innovation Manager

Innovation Manager

At MegaFood our mission is to Grow a Healthier World.

Together with our trusted farm partners, we are a force for good. From creating premium products with radical transparency, to committing to organic and regenerative agriculture, we are nourishing our world from the roots by filling nutritional gaps and revolutionizing a broken farming system.

As a B Corporation, we’re also cultivating a community of transparent suppliers, working to enable a thriving workforce, and supporting businesses, communities, and programs that share these same goals and values. All for a healthier, more sustainable and more resilient future.

That’s Nutrition with Ambition™. Are you ready to join us?

Purpose

The Innovation Manager is responsible for guiding innovation initiatives, including: ideation, exploratory research, scoping and early development. This role will protect the integrity of our long-term pipeline and is instrumental in bringing innovation to market in an effective and efficient manner. 

The position will assist in building internal innovation capabilities as well as shape a culture of curiosity and a bias to action. Through leadership, communication and collaboration, the Innovation Manager will help build a cross-functional coalition, resulting in stronger product propositions and executional excellence. 

Essential Function and Responsibilities

Consumer and Market Insights

• Act as the voice of the consumer, includes overseeing qualitative and quantitative research
• Identify disruptive threats and opportunities based on trends 
• Manage syndicated research subscriptions 
• Synthesize reports and project learnings into actionable insights
• Maintain competitive industry intel  

Opportunity Assessment

• Build a business case

• Where to Play: Market growth, total addressable market, competitive landscape, size of opportunity and consumer segments 
• How to Win: Product value proposition, target persona, channel strategy

• Develop and validate concepts that deliver on key consumer needs and align to the brand strategy 

• Shape and manage ongoing 3-year pipeline

Front-End Product Creation 

• Oversee product feasibility
• Identify commercialization hurdles and drive resolutions 
• Develop project scope, milestones and risk profiles 
• See projects through initial Stage Gate process

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• 8 years or more experience in Consumer Goods; undergrad required, MBA preferred  
• Strong leadership and business acumen 
• Excellent organizational and project management skills
• Experience guiding custom consumer research, such as ethnographies, conjoint, IHUT, CLT and concept tests
• Data analysis and insights through syndicated data (Spins, Nielsen, IRI. Stackline, Mintel) 
• New product forecasting
• Ability to see the big picture, as well as manage the details
• Capable of managing multiple priority projects in tandem
• Excellent organizational and project management skills
• Experience with a Stage Gate process and how it can be used for maximum efficiency
• Ability to influence and activate cross-functional teams 
• Willing to formulate an opinion, backed up by insight, and make recommendations
• Self-starter with the ability to “think like an owner" and a bias for action

At MegaFood, we believe all employees are here to lead. Our Leadership Capabilities reflect what we value most in our leaders and highlight what we can expect from each other. 

How We Lead: 

Lead with a Growth Mindset: We continuously improve and innovate. We are proactive, agile and flexible. We drive results.

Act like an Owner: We are accountable, invested in our mission, and pursue results with passion and tenacity. 

Collaborate to win as a team: We are curious and value diverse perspectives. We seek to understand first, and communicate with candor and respect.

People Leaders:

Develop ourselves and others: We coach and inspire our teams to extraordinary performance. We celebrate individual and team accomplishments, learn from our failures and seek to continuously improve. 

MegaFood is committed to cultivating and preserving a culture of diversity, inclusion and belonging. The collective sum of our individual differences, knowledge, life experiences, and unique talents, represents a significant part of our culture and is the foundation for our accomplishments and impact.

We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer.  We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, citizenship, national origin, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, physical or mental disability, veteran status, marital status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by state, federal or local law. We strive to create a supportive community where we all are comfortable and confident to be authentic, open and curious.

If you need a reasonable accommodation because of disability for any part of the employment process, please send an email to careers@megafood.com or call 603-216-0889 and let us know the nature of your request and your contact information.