Senior Brand Manager (Candy Innovation)

Responsibilities

• The Senior Brand Manager, Candy Innovation, will lead the innovation strategy and pipeline development, management, and execution for Candy
• Candy is a growing category with strong future potential and innovation is a critical driver of category growth
• This leader will manage cross-functional project teams to ensure the ideation, development, and launch of successful innovations
• This role involves driving recommendations and decisions while ensuring alignment among senior managers from various functions, including R&D, Manufacturing, Procurement, Consumer Insights, and Product Change Managers
• Leverage existing Candy and snacking trends, identify new ones, and lead the US Candy strategy
• Own the Candy innovation strategy and pipeline, including Sour Patch Kids and Swedish Fish
• Identify new growth opportunities and translate them into successful product bundles
• Lead innovation projects from ideation through to post-launch analysis, ensuring maximum success potential
• Champion Innovation Excellence and best practices within Mondelez
• Manage and develop 1 direct report
• Support Growth Ambitions: Drive Candy strategy and growth objectives by identifying new growth opportunities in Candy, leveraging market trends, consumer insights, and need-state analyses
• Strategic Planning: Develop a clear innovation, renovation, and portfolio strategy for Candy, aligning with brand strategies and business goals, while projecting future growth and scaling opportunities to inform long-term strategic decisions
• Innovation Pipeline Development: Define and manage the Candy innovation and renovation pipeline, ensuring alignment with category and brand strategies
• Lead Innovation Projects: Contribute or lead idea generation, concept development, and qualification, collaborating with cross-functional teams and external partners
• Maximize Innovation Impact: Develop and scale innovation bundles, ensuring they meet consumer needs and are aligned with brand strategies, including product concepts, packaging, and pricing
• Engage Stakeholders: Foster strong engagement with regional and country stakeholders to maximize the scale of new innovations and integrate local requirements early in the process
• Post-Launch Evaluation: Coordinate post-launch evaluations and recommend corrective actions if necessary
• Inspire a passion for innovation across the organization and encourage “out of the box” thinking
• Demonstrate assertiveness and strong leadership while driving for speed and simplicity
• Foster alignment early in the process, aiming for fewer but bigger initiatives
• Seek simple, practical solutions and leverage best practices to drive innovation
• Capture trends, gather inspiration from competitors, and bring external insights into the organization
• Challenge the status quo and advocate for a “Play to Win” mindset

Qualifications

• Proven experience in developing and marketing product innovations at a cross-country level
• Ability to motivate and inspire others
• 10+ years of marketing experience
• Higher education degree, ideally in Marketing or a related field
• Fluency in English
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Extensive experience in innovation management
• 5+ years of experience in managing cross-functional teams
• Strong strategic agility
• Experience working with design and innovation agencies
• High level of creativity
• Results-driven mindset