Senior Project Manager (Strategic Innovation)

For All, For Good, our company signature, reflects Bel’s commitment to a healthier and responsible food for all. This mission mobilizes 12,600 employees every day in over 30 countries to build a profitable and sustainable business model.  Universal and positive, our brands - The Laughing Cow®, Kiri®, Mini Babybel®, Leerdammer®, Boursin® - are constantly reinventing themselves to offer healthier and responsible fruit and dairy snacks to all consumers.

 

Do you want to join a company with strong brands that puts consumers and responsibility at the heart of the decision-making process? Then Bel is made for you!

 

Are you bold, pragmatic, and determined? Do you want to contribute to the transformation of an international agri-food company? Them come join us and measure the impact of your talent and energy in realizing an ambitious and sustainable company project!

 

#IWorkForAllForGood

 

#IWorkForAllForGood

 

OVERALL MISSION

You will join the Bel Group Strategic Innovation Team whose mission is to accelerate Innovation Performance

• By designing Innovation Strategy at Group (global) level (White spaces identification, concepts…),
• by fostering Innovation Portfolio approach at Group / Brand / Market levels,
• by delivering Key Strategic Innovation Projects for Bel around the world.

 

In this Chicago-based role, you will have a pivotal role to lead the 3rd pilar of the team & deliver game-changing Innovations for Brands & Markets :

Be the single leader & deliver Key innovations for the Group on time in shelves (Strategic, Multi-countries, Transversal to brands, with a strong impact on the Strategic Plan achievement)

1.  Be Role Model for the Group regarding complex Project Leadership, navigating into complexity and managing huge multi-functional teams (Sales, Marketing, industrial, R&D, Procurement…) while keeping in mind your business objectives (Top-line and Bottom Line), timeline, quality and the user experience you expect to deliver. 
2. Partner with key Business Unit, understand/integrate their business stakes. Be the go between the Country’s team, Brand Team & the Research Innovation and Development (RID) team

 You will report directly to the Group Strategic Innovation Director based in France and have a dotted line to the RID platform director based in Chicago.

 

MAIN ACTIVITIES

 

1. Essential business activities expected from this position:

As Strategic Innovation Project Leader you will handle several projects and you will be in charge to integrate Business Challenges of your Key Country partner mainly focusing on North America geography (US and Canada).

You will be responsible for:

• Delivering innovation on time in shelves.
  • Coordinating the brief construction to ensure proper definition of the consumers et customers needs
  • Building and engage multi-function team to ensure the right expertise, time availability and positive mindset
  • Responsible of project P&L
  • Leading the decision making process while challenging your projects members and stakeholders to take the right (not the easy) decision
  • Prioritizing, making calls, building strong recommendations
  • Piloting planning, risk analysis, consumer performance
  • Ensuring excellence of execution
  • Insuring reporting in session and in the tools, representing the project voice to top management when needed
  • Animating weekly project team meetings, monthly Steering Committee meetings 
• Perfectly understanding the BUs main challenges regarding innovations for a perfect execution
    

1. Examples of complexities encountered on this position:

• • Coordinate and federate many stakeholders without hierarchical links
  • Pivot quickly when needed to always remain use