Arbetsbeskrivning

Do you want to inspire new taste experiences that bring people together?

For our Business Area Europe Apmea, we are after a driven and engaged new team member in our Regional Product Line Taste team as Category Manager Innovation to create business value growth by successfully driving the Category Innovation Triangle (R&D/Marketing/Design) and the creation of a strong Generation Plan that delivers on the overall category business objectives.

The main aim for this role is to develop the strategic innovation roadmap for the category and to lead the development and launch of new products incorporating outstanding consumer experiences that delivers on the overall category business objectives. In this role you will have 1 direct report and you will have a wide exposure within the European organization with many cross-functional contacts centrally as well as local Product Line and Sales contacts in the clusters.

A regular day at work:

• Drive New Product Development within the Innovation Triangle together with R&D, Marketing and Design based on the category´s innovation territories
• Define learning plan in alignment with the Consumer Experience team
• Develop and own the product category Strategic Plan as part of the overall Product Line Strategic Plan in close cooperation with European Category Director Food preservation and European Category Manager Commercial Food preservation
• Gives input to the Technology Roadmap to ensure R&D investments/resources in business sector and globally are based on consumer insight driven innovation
• Define Generation Plan based on consumer insights, business needs, market development, and brand attributes
• Incorporates insights from consumer ratings and consumer NPS in all development projects
• Build and execute the Integrated Product Planning (IPP) for the category (market sizing approval, trends, sweet pot definition, etc.)
• Drive the definition of new innovations value for value-based pricing
• Monitor market and industry trends, long term areas of interest and technology developments
• Define range architecture in close cooperation with European Category Managers Commercial and link ranging deliverables/needs/requests to product development projects

Who you are:

• International. You enjoy to work in a truly global environment and you like to deliver in cross-functional teams;
• Strategic. You have demonstrated strategic thinking, have strong analytical skills and ability to see the big picture;
• Business acumen. You have a proven track record of displaying strong business understanding and you are able to evaluate risks/opportunities making skilled business decisions
• Influencer. You have exceptional collaboration skills, proven ability to form strong cross-functional relationships with varying business partners
• Good listener and communicator. You have great communication skills and you have the ability to convince, influence and motivate others in a complex matrix organization
• Self-starter. You are keen for new experience, responsibility and accountability. You are self-driven, problem-solver with a proven track record of delivering great results

Agile. You like working in a fast moving environment, being open to new opportunities and evolving priorities and flexible in the way you deliver against strict deadlines and dealing with ambiguity. You manage well ever shifting priorities

Energy. You are passionate about what you do and able to transmit that energy to your team. Challenges are there to be overcome!

Minimum requirements

• Academic degree in business and/or technical field
• 8 - 10 years of experience in marketing and/or commercial areas and/or product development with international exposure
• Experience in more than one function in manufacturing companies (home appliances, consumer electronics, automotive etc.) is considered as a strong plus
• Project management skills, able to plan and focus on strategic priorities