Director, Innovation Insights

Job Description

Title: Director, Innovation Insights

Locations: Franklin, TN; London

All applicants must have permanent legal authorization to work in the United States. Mars does not sponsor employment visas for this role.

This position is not eligible for relocation benefits

As Mars Pet Nutrition evolves its global innovation strategy, it is essential to address the unmet needs of pets and their owners and identify and capitalize on emerging category trends and market opportunities. This role will spearhead the transformation of our global innovation insights capability, facilitating the development and validation of innovative value propositions and inspiring the entire organization to activate against priority white spaces. This role reports to the Global VP of Consumer and Market Insights and sits on the Global Innovation leadership team as well as the Global Insights Council. This associate sets a compelling vision, coaches the team, and resolves ambiguity to create clarity on the highest priority opportunities, playing a pivotal role in shaping the global innovation and insights agenda and acting as the thought leader for how we bring pet parent insights into the innovation process. Works with the global innovation program leaders and cross- functional teams to translate pet parent needs into innovative products and services that capture market share and drive growth. Works closely with global and regional Marketing and Insights teams to identify consumer pain points, evolving pet parent needs, and translate these opportunities into actionable innovation projects.

What Are We Looking For

• Bachelor’s degree in marketing, business, or a related field, MBA preferred
• 15+ years in market research, consumer insights, and innovation roles, with significant leadership experience. CPG industry experience strongly preferred.
• 3-5 years of experience leading and managing teams to drive insights for innovation, overseeing the development and launch of new products and services. Recognized thought leader with the ability to train and mentor teams in market research and innovation methodologies.
• Exceptional analytical and problem-solving skills, with a track record of translating data into actionable insights. Experienced in guiding teams in data analysis and application.
• Excellent written and oral communication and presentation skills, with the ability to effectively communicate complex research findings and tell compelling stories to stakeholders at all levels.
• Demonstrated ability to pilot and scale new approaches, tools, and methodologies across teams. Proven experience in fostering a culture of innovation and creativity within teams, encouraging cross-functional collaboration to develop breakthrough value propositions.
• Demonstrated ability to lead, motivate, and develop high-performing teams. Proven track record of building and nurturing talent, providing clear direction, and fostering a collaborative work environment.
• Ability to set a compelling vision for the team, aligning innovation initiatives with business goals and driving long-term strategic planning.
• Experience leading geographically distributed teams
  
  

What Will Be Your Responsibilities

• Create a framework for how the team approaches innovation qualification and validation including the development of signature processes and action standards to ensure the pet parent voice guides the pipeline.
• Seek external insights and partnerships with research agencies, technology providers, and internal teams to understand the trends that are shaping the pet category. Monitors market trends and emerging behaviors and formats to inform and inspire innovation, prioritizing the platforms that can drive disproportionate growth.
• Champion the delivery of the learning plan for the global innovation team, identifying and leveraging insights to enable the delivery of innovative products, services, and experiences that drive growth and value for pet parents.
• Collaborate with the marketing team to inspire, qualify, and validate innovation in an agile way, leveraging rapid prototyping and testing, rapid qualitative and quantitative research, and co-creation with pet parents to drive speed to market.
  
  

What can you expect from Mars?

• Work with over 130,000 like-minded and talented Associates, all guided by The Five Principles.
• Join a purpose driven company, where we’re striving to build the world we want tomorrow, today.
• Best-in-class learning and development support from day one, including access to our in-house Mars University.
• An industry competitive salary and benefits package, including company bonus.
  
  

Mars is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. If you need assistance or an accommodation during the application process because of a disability, it is available upon request. The company is pleased to provide such assistance, and no applicant will be penalized as a result of such a request.