Director, Innovation & Brand Change Commercialization
About the Function:
Supply Innovation and Brand Change
Our Supply Chain and Manufacturing team are problem-solvers, sourcing, producing, and delivering our much-loved brands to delight customers around the globe. Over half of Diageo's 30,000+ people work in Supply Chain and Manufacturing. It's an intricate and sophisticated operation that's the product of logistical, manufacturing, and technical collaborations.
Our teams in 100 sites in over 30 countries cover production facilities, supplier relationships, customer collaborations and third-party agreements. We're committed to realising our ‘Society 2030: Spirit of Progress' goals, to protect the environment and support our farmers and suppliers. Whatever your skills and experience, we'll help you to thrive in our inclusive culture.
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About the role:
The North American Innovation & Brand Change (I&BC) agenda continues to grow, yielding several hundred programs each year. With Innovation pressing for groundbreaking packs and liquids, existing Brands aspiring to maintain relevancy, and global partners attempting to pull more and more products from North America, it is an exciting time to be part of the IB&C team. The purpose of this role is to deliver leadership via portfolio management, capability analysis/development and continuous improvement in support of the delivery of North American I&BC agenda. In addition, this role is recognized as the voice of Supply within the Innovation team, to help evaluate and prioritize programs as appropriate. These programs can range in value and complexity, cutting across Innovation, global brand renovations and cost optimization projects.
Job Summary:
The Director of Innovation & Brand Change will focus on delivery in three primary areas:
I. Holistic I&BC Portfolio Management
- Facilitating project prioritization discussions with Innovation and Brand teams, respectively
- Ensuring effective resource utilization
- Ownership of I&BC pipeline tools and reporting - both regionally and North American input to Global
d. Act as the primary point of contact for Global I&BC ideation search and spin
II. Gap Analysis -Collaborating with Diageo North America's Technical and Conversion teams for Future I&BC
- Packaging formats, liquid capabilities, conversion capabilities and strategy
- Technical capabilities within our labs, conversion sites and our personnel
- Key relationship bridge between Procurement, Technical Innovation, Brand and our Commercial partners
III. Process Improvement
- Continuously monitor and provide recommendations to optimize NA's operating model as it relates to I&BC
- Embedding and continuously enhancing our core I&BC capabilities (i.e. World Class Commercialization)
- Primary point of contact for exporting and importing of best in class practices between North America and Diageo's Global regions
This role will work with a diverse set of internal and external customer teams across Diageo's Supply and Innovation/Demand organizations, including key partners within North American Innovation Marketing and Brand Marketing. It will also work across Innovation & Supply Project leads to ensure alignment and execution of all packaging and liquid concepts through commercialization to launch.
Roles Responsibilities:
- Strategic oversight of the total NA Innovation portfolio and all IB&C projects for US Spirits, inclusive of resourcing recommendations and project prioritization efforts.
- Consult, guide, and support Brand, Technical Innovation, Conversion, Procurement, and Customer Marketing in finding creative solutions to the development and commercialization process across I&BC programs.
- Ensure I&BC programs apply the appropriate Diageo methodologies (i.e. Planview, Design Tables, Change Control, Davinci, and Technical Readiness)
- Provide tactical and strategic input into the development process, driving early-resolution of commercialization hurdles
- Exceptional relationships and influencing skills across multiple functions, at all levels of the organization.
- Consistently demonstrate pride and commitment to Diageo via authentic behaviour, solution-focused mentality, and keeping Diageo's customers and shareholders top of mind.
- Lead and manage a team to ensure resources are appropriately applied across all agreed projects, coach and develop talent both functionally and in leadership by using Diageo tools of Performance for Growth, Development Plans and Leadership Standard.
Experience / skills required:
- 10+ years experience in CPG new product development/commercialization and supply chain. This would include deep knowledge of a Stage/Gate commercialization process.
- Requires a BS in a technical field (i.e. pack eng, industrial engineering, chemical engineering, or related technical field) with demonstrated success in a high pace, consumer goods commercialization process.
- Business savvy along with strong communication and interpersonal, influencing and relationship-building skills.
- Demonstrated experience/success in leading a multi-disciplined team in an extremely fast-moving environment, with the ability to lead, provide overall portfolio/project governance and cut-through in the face of ambiguity.
- Successful candidates will have strong technical depth and performance management skills, dynamic cross-functional interaction, and highly effective project management, communication, and negotiation skills
- Solid theoretical knowledge of primary package design, graphics development/commercialization, liquid development, and manufacturing processes and procedures.
Flexible Working Statement:
Flexibility is key to our success. Talk to us about what flexibility means to you so that you're supported to manage your wellbeing and balance your priorities from day one.
Rewards & Benefits Statement:
We recognise and value performance, offering our people a highly competitive Rewards and Benefits package including:
Diversity statement:
Our purpose is to celebrate life, every day, everywhere. And creating an inclusive culture, where everyone feels valued and that they can belong, is a crucial part of this.
We embrace diversity in the broadest possible sense. This means that you'll be welcomed and celebrated for who you are just by being you. You'll be part of and help build and champion an inclusive culture that celebrates people of different gender, ethnicity, ability, age, sexual orientation, social class, educational backgrounds, experiences, and more.
Our ambition is to create the best performing, most trusted and respected consumer products companies in the world. Join us and help transform our business as we take our brands to the next level and build new ones as part of shaping the next generation of celebrations for consumers around the world.
Feel inspired? Then this may be the opportunity for you.