Requisition ID: 58641
Position Type: FT Permanent
Workplace Arrangement:
About Kerry
Kerry Dairy Ireland is not just a company; it's a thriving community that connects with over 3,000 farmers and milk suppliers. With a rich dairy heritage and a commitment to sustainability, we are proud to be one of the world's leading dairy businesses, generating over £1.3 billion in revenue annually.
Our Dairy Consumer Foods division boasts some of the UK and Ireland's favorite dairy and plant-based brands, including Strings & Things, PURE Dairy-Free, Dairygold, and Charleville. We are also the largest supplier of private label dairy spreads in the UK, serving all major retailers across the UK, Ireland, and parts of mainland Europe.
About the Role
As our Senior Innovation Manager, you will be at the forefront of our innovation journey. Your mission? To identify consumer trends, develop exciting new product ideas, and bring winning innovations to market. Collaborating with insight, marketing, R&D, and category teams, you will build a robust innovation pipeline that drives growth and strengthens our brand position in the competitive dairy landscape.
You will lead innovation for our drive brands, including the beloved Strings & Things and our market-leading Irish brands, Dairygold and Charleville, both of which are #1 in their categories in the Republic of Ireland. Your role will be pivotal in ensuring these brands remain innovative, relevant, and future-ready.
Key Responsibilities
* Opportunity Identification: Proactively identify and evaluate emerging consumer needs, market gaps, and technological advancements within the UK dairy market.
* Idea Generation & Concept Development: Lead ideation sessions to generate a robust pipeline of innovative product and process concepts.
* Concept Validation & Feasibility: Collaborate with insight teams to assess consumer appeal and market potential of new concepts.
* Project Leadership & Management: Guide cross-functional project teams through all stages of the innovation process, ensuring timely and quality delivery.
* Strategy Development & Execution: Own the 3-5 year innovation pipeline aligned with brand strategy and business objectives.
* Continuous Improvement: Monitor performance of launched innovations and identify learnings for ongoing enhancement.
* Culture Building: Champion a culture of innovation, encouraging creativity and experimentation within the organization.
* Stakeholder Engagement: Build and maintain strong relationships with internal stakeholders across R&D, Marketing, Insight, Category, and Sales.
Qualifications and Skills
To thrive in this role, you should possess:
* A degree qualification.
* 5+ years of experience in Innovation or NPD roles within FMCG.
* A curiosity for consumer behavior and trends that will shape the future of food.
* An enterprising spirit with experience in identifying new revenue streams and launching new business models.
* A commercial mindset with the ability to translate insights into growth opportunities.
* Strong influencing skills to engage with all levels of the organization, including senior stakeholders.
* A commitment to our core values: Think Bigger, Prioritize the Priorities, and Make it Happen.
Please note: We do not accept CVs or candidate profiles from recruitment agencies unless our terms of business have been signed. We will not consider or agree to payment of any recruiter fee under these circumstances.
Beware of scams online or from individuals claiming to represent us. A Kerry employee will not solicit candidates through a non-Kerry email address or phone number. Kerry does not currently utilize video chat rooms for interviews. Please refuse any request that asks for payment to participate in the hiring process.
Recruiter: #LI-SB1
Posting Type: LI