Director, Innovation Excellence

Job Description

We are seeking a Director of Innovation Excellence to drive the future of innovation across our +$22B North America portfolio. This leader will shape our nutrition strategy, elevate innovation best practices, and establish a new approach to portfolio innovation, all with the goal of unlocking growth by meeting evolving consumer needs and industry dynamics.

Reporting to the Vice President of Creative, Capabilities & Innovation, the Director will be both a strategic thought partner and operational powerhouse, developing systems, processes and frameworks that push our innovation capabilities to new heights.

The impact of this role will be felt across our 300+ person marketing organization, as well as across insights, R&D, Supply Chain, Regulatory and other key functions that drive our innovation agenda. This leader will be responsible for embedding a best-in-class innovation mindset and ways of working that accelerate our ability to bring successful new products to market, ensuring our product and pipeline strategy meets both internal and external demands.

Beyond strategy and execution, this leader will also be responsible for building a culture of innovation, fostering a collaborative and forward-thinking community that empowers teams to think bigger, move faster, and innovate smarter, with the consumer always at the center.

Nutrition Strategy & Product Pipeline Leadership

o Define and lead implementation of the North American Nutrition Strategy, setting the long term vision based on consumer trends, competitive dynamics, regulatory shifts, and evolving industry standards.

o Proactively monitor and anticipate where consumer expectations, regulatory frameworks and category trends are headed, ensuring our brands are positioned for long-term success.

o Work in close partnership with global nutrition leaders, R&D, regulatory, and government affairs to translate strategic imperatives into clear priorities for product innovation, renovation and portfolio management.

o Lead a team of two, collaborating with a global nutrition leader, to develop and execute strategies that influence pipeline innovation, reformulation and white-space opportunities.

Innovation Excellence & Capability Building

o Lead the vision and development of innovation best practices, setting the gold standard for ideation, concept validation, pipeline development, consumer testing and go-to-market execution.

o Act as consultant to cross-functional teams, providing hands-on strategic guidance and coaching throughout innovation process to ensure rigor in execution and stronger business outcomes.

o Develop strategic partnerships with Insights, R&D, Supply Chain and across marketing, working collaboratively to build innovation capabilities that drive stronger pipeline success.

o Create, implement and scale new frameworks to improve brief development, testing protocols, consumer input and iteration processes, ensuring our innovation approach is faster, smarter and more effective.

o Embed an agile, insight-driven approach to innovation, ensuring teams are equipped with the right tools, methodologies, processes and community to continuously refine and improve how we innovate.

o Drive learning & development efforts, ensuring teams have ongoing education, training and exposure to best-in-class innovation methodologies.

o Influence how innovation happens across the organization, ensuring teams – regardless of function – operate with a shared innovation for what great innovation looks like.

Portfolio Innovation

o Develop and operationalize a new model for portfolio innovation, focusing on brand-agnostic opportunities that cut across multiple categories or unlock new core-adjacent whitespace opportunities.

o Establish cross-functional collaboration models that allow teams to leverage collective insights, capabilities and scale to develop innovations that expand portfolio reach and relevance.

o Act as a connector between brands, channels and innovation hubs, ensuring we are maximizing synergies and whitespace opportunities rather than working in silos.

o Identify consumer-driven opportunities that cut across brands, categories or channels, to build a robust, high-impact innovation pipeline.

Culture & Community

o Foster an organization wide culture of innovation, ensuring innovation is embedded in how we think, work and make decisions – not just specific teams or roles.

o Build and lead a community of innovators across the business – facilitating learning forums, best practice sharing, inspiration sessions and collaborative working groups to strengthen capabilities at all levels.

o Serve as a visible and vocal advocate for innovation within the company, helping to inspire, engage and mobilize teams around a common vision of what great innovation looks like.

o Partner with Creative Excellence, Marketing Capabilities and Insights to ensure innovation and brand building are seamlessly connected, driving holistic marketing and innovation success.

Cross-Functional Leadership & Influence

o Partner with and influence senior leaders Business Units and functional disciplines to embed innovation capabilities and best practices that elevate execution across the zone.

o Act as a trusted advisor to senior leadership, providing guidance on process, pipeline development and innovation frameworks that support the zone’s long-term growth agenda.

o Influence without direct authority, helping align teams, embed innovation best practices, and ensure innovation efforts are well-integrated into business priorities.

o Communicate and share innovation learnings, progress and success stories, ensuring that insights and best practices are leveraged across the organization to improve innovation effectiveness.

Our Total Rewards philosophy is to provide a meaningful and flexible spectrum of programs that equitably support our diverse workforce and their families and complement Kraft Heinz’ strategy and values.

New Hire Base Salary Range:

$184,800.00 – $231,000.00

Bonus: This position is eligible for a performance-based bonus as provided by the plan terms and governing documents.

The compensation offered will take into account internal equity and may vary depending on the candidate's geographic region, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience among other factors

Long-Term Incentive (LTI): In addition to base salary and bonus, this role is eligible for additional compensation in the form of equity.

Benefits: Coverage for employees (and their eligible dependents) through affordable access to healthcare, protection, and saving for the future, we offer plans tailored to meet you and your family’s needs. Coverage for benefits will be in accordance with the terms and conditions of the applicable plans and associated governing plan documents.

Wellbeing: We offer events, resources, and learning opportunities that inspire a physical, social, emotional, and financial well-being lifestyle for our employees and their families.

You’ll be able to participate in a variety of benefits and wellbeing programs that may vary by role, country, region, union status, and other employment status factors, for example:

• Physical – Medical, Prescription Drug, Dental, Vision, Screenings/Assessments

• Social – Paid Time Off, Company Holidays, Leave of Absence, Flexible Work Arrangements, Recognition, Training

• Emotional – Employee Assistance Program , Wellbeing Programs, Family Support Programs

• Financial – 401k, Life, Accidental Death & Dismemberment, Disability

Location(s)

Chicago/Aon Center

Kraft Heinz is an Equal Opportunity Employer that prohibits discrimination or harassment of any type. All qualified applicants are considered for employment without regard to race, color, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. Applicants who require an accommodation to participate in the job application or hiring process should contact NAZTAOps@kraftheinz.com.