Sr. Innovation Manager

Welcome to Daiya Foods, where we are reimagining comfort foods that are irresistible and better for you. Today, as dairy-free food grows in popularity, that spirit of innovation continues to inspire our team. Our diverse portfolio of great tasting foods invites everyone to the table.

Our dedication to minimizing environmental impact extends across our operations. We operate in a manufacturing facility and office that is LEED certified, embodying our commitment to sustainability through the leadership in energy and environmental design principles. Join our team of food-loving Daiyans, where our shared passion, vision, and ability to bring smiles to each other's faces fuel our journey of dairy-free exploration.

SUMMARY The Sr. Manager, Innovation, is a key driver of Daiya’s growth agenda. Reporting to the Director of Innovation Insights, this role owns the end-to-end commercialization of our innovation pipeline - translating high-potential ideas into successful, consumer-centric product launches.

This leader sets the commercial product agenda, aligns cross-functional stakeholders around clear priorities, and secures the organizational focus and resources required to win. Day-to-day, the Sr. Manager orchestrates cross-functional delivery with rigor and pace - shaping product development, packaging design, business cases, learning plans, and integrated go-to-market strategies to ensure every launch lands with impact.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Lead the Development of Innovation Projects Build a forward-looking, multi-year pipeline of business-driving ideas and projects grounded in consumer insights, category dynamics, and market opportunities Partner with Insights Ideation to translate high-potential concepts into defined projects with clear priorities, success criteria, strategic objectives. Oversee projects through the stage-gate process, including establishing the scope of the project, and partnering with Project Management to ensure projects meet key milestones and objectives Lead and influence cross-functional teams to advance innovation with pace - providing direction on priorities and briefs, simplifying complex problems making decisions at critical project junctures Manage the learning plan and understand methodologies to deepen consumer understanding and derive new insights, optimize new launches, and validate project action standards Lead the Commercialization Launch of New Platforms Products: Oversee commercialization plans, including partnering with Sales team to develop winning strategies at the customer level and category level Parter with Insights, Category Management, and Business Development to create compelling sales stories that secure distribution on new launches Serving as key expert/resource for marketing, sales, and customers. Support participate in development of communications briefs on new launches, ensuring consumer insight and business and marketing objectives are accurately captured and addressed through integrated communication plan development Deliver Business Results Develop and manage a pipeline of projects that delivers against Innovation growth targets while strengthening brand equity and overall business performance.

Own the P L for new launches, ensuring projects meet financial criteria for commercialization Manage the innovation budget with discipline - partnering closely with suppliers and internal teams to deliver learning plans on time on budget. Leadership Development Responsible for the leadership and development of 1 direct report Lead Inspire the Marketing department in delivering high performance, as a member of the Senior Marketing Leadership team Act as a steward for the Daiya brand and positively impact Daiya’s reputation directly with external partners, such as key retailers, buyers, brokers, and suppliers EDUCATION EXPERIENCE Bachelor’s degree in Business; MBA strongly preferred.