Customer and Consumer Insights Sr. Manager

Summary

As a member of the Insights and Innovation Department, the Customer and Consumer Insights Sr. Manager will help develop and lead the Customer and Consumer Insights Team responsible for delivering insight-based direction for strategic planning and innovation. Engagements include providing customer and consumer insights to develop and drive strategies and programs for our portfolio of brands and services; identifying and understanding unmet consumer needs; creating new products and business models; reinventing and managing established businesses; developing strategic alliances and acquisitions and formulating breakthrough marketing strategies and business plans; and performing marketing mix analysis, volume forecasting, and researching trends, movements and rituals.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

1. Define critical marketing and business issues through customer/consumer insights, broad-based business analysis, and consultation with key managers across critical functions (including target, needs understanding, idea generation and sizing of markets along with understanding of competitive issue/space). Identify trends and growth opportunities in the dehydrated products market; articulate strategic gaps in the market and research opportunities to address these gaps.

2. Evaluate market trends and develop senior level contacts in the food and retail community for the purpose of understanding emerging trends and identifying possible future partners. Facilitate strategic sessions with cross functional teams to develop consumer value equations and better understand their consumer. Aid the teams in synthesizing the learning across all the research so they have a more well-rounded view of their consumer/customer. Develop superior understanding of customer and consumer needs, shoppers, markets, and competitors; synthesize customer and consumer data to clearly articulate actionable insights that impact long-term and annual strategic planning in conjunction with the marketing and R&D department. Advise senior level Innovation, Brand Marketing, and R&D on strategic implications of research results as well as research design and methodology.

3. Develop and roll out a corporate insight training program that will help researchers, marketers, and product developers develop insights that help grow their brands/business. Provide thought leadership on new research tools, techniques to establish competitive advantage and trusted relationships with key retail partners; lead the design and implementation of best practice research methodologies to support insights and innovation in the retail and foodservice channels. Work collaboratively across the organization to help secure the information from cross–enterprise departments and leverage existing BAF assets. Develop strong partnerships with Sales, Marketing, Finance, and Research & Development to provide a consumer/customer centric rigor in the delivery of innovative product concepts.

4. Manage supplier selection for primary research and syndicated data sources, customize research budget to maximize value and control costs, and all phases of research and methodologies, including Brand Equity, Strategic Positioning, Awareness & Usage, Product/Concept Testing, Segmentation, Needs Assessment, Continuous Tracking, and Focus Groups.

5. Build and enhance the capabilities of the Insights and Innovation Team and larger organization through quality and continuous improvements; in particular, partner with business unit leads (VPs and Managers) to help enhance rigor around 5-year strategic planning for products, brands and innovation initiatives.

6. Assist making business cases of Innovation pipeline projects; cases will include projected revenue, financial model, 5-year strategic plan, identified resources and requirements needed to execute, and go-to-market strategy. Evaluate and make recommendations on company’s short and long term growth strategies.

Must maintain the highest standards of ethics and integrity while embodying the tenets of “What We Stand For” and “The Basic Principles.”

Must maintain the highest standards of data management by creating consistent, reliable data which will ensure accuracy and in turn, maximize the use of data and confidence in decision making.

Other duties may be assigned.

Supervisory Responsibilities

Directly supervises employees in the Insights and Innovation Department. Carries out supervisory responsibilities in accordance with the organization's policies and applicable laws. Responsibilities include interviewing, hiring, and training employees; planning, assigning, and directing work; appraising performance; rewarding and disciplining employees; addressing complaints and resolving problems.

Qualifications

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Education and/or Experience

Master's degree, Masters of Marketing Research preferred, and four to ten years related experience and/or training.

Language Skills

Ability to read, analyze, and interpret the most complex documents. Ability to respond effectively to the most sensitive inquiries or complaints. Ability to write speeches and articles using original or innovative techniques or style. Ability to make effective and persuasive speeches and presentations on controversial or complex topics to top management, public groups, and/or boards of directors.

Mathematical Skills

Ability to apply advanced mathematical concepts such as exponents, logarithms, quadratic equations, and permutations. Ability to apply mathematical operations to such tasks as frequency distribution, determination of test reliability and validity, analysis of variance, correlation techniques, sampling theory, and factor analysis.

Reasoning Ability

Ability to apply principles of logical or scientific thinking to a wide range of intellectual and practical problems. Ability to deal with nonverbal symbolism (formulas, scientific equations, graphs, musical notes, etc.,) in its most difficult phases. Ability to deal with a variety of abstract and concrete variables.

Computer Skills

To perform this job successfully, an individual should have knowledge of Excel Spreadsheet software, PowerPoint, and Word Processing software.

Other Skills and Abilities

Minimum:

· Superior analytical skills and complex problem structuring

· Solid track record of identifying and developing consumer products/services for new and existing brands 2-5 years out

· Bachelor's Degree required preferred concentration in psychology, sociology, political science or marketing discipline.

· A minimum of 4 to 7 years consumer research experience having worked with brand teams and outside partners; ideally experience will include work with both client and market research agency roles.

· Resourceful - knows how to quickly and economically find market data, service providers (agencies, collateral), etc.

· Confident and effective at communicating with all levels of an organization in an honest, open and constructive fashion.

Additional:

· Demonstrated leadership skills in a team setting.

· Demonstrated ability to deliver results with large-scale cross functional teams.

· Exceptional project management skills.

· Superior communication (written/verbal) presentation and facilitation skills.

· Familiarity with Foodservice and Retail products preferred, but not required.

· Willing to take realistic personal and business risks.

· A team player with strong interpersonal and team building skills.

Other Qualifications

Travel up to 50% of the time

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Work Environment

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.