Director, Insights and Innovation

The Director, Insights and Innovation will work with the CEO to implement Company’s business and innovation strategy highlighting the company's product strengths and value-added capabilities. This position leads Company’s Innovation Team, ensuring the best investments are made in support of innovation and achieving its margin and share goals. Engagements will include leading the development of the innovation strategy; coaching Senior leadership (VPs) to develop, document, and communicate their 5-year business strategy, including roadmaps and defining appropriate strategies to achieve long-term growth goals—whether through innovation and/or mergers, acquisitions or alliances; ensuring continued linkages between BAF’s strategy development and that of its partners (Corporate Accounts, Customers); and providing expert knowledge to partners on strategy development.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

1. Work closely with the CEO in developing company’s plans for strategic growth. This includes identifying trends and growth opportunities in the dehydrated Foodservice and Retail market, identifying strategic gaps in the market and researching opportunities to address these gaps, and presenting ideas and findings to senior management for further development.

2. Responsible for the regular communication of the Insights and Innovation Team’s strategic plan and growth opportunities to senior level executives (VPs/CEO/Chairman/Board) both internally and externally; develop executive level presentations that succinctly and persuasively communicate the strategic plan.

3. Evaluate and make recommendations on company’s short and long term growth strategies.

4. Create the vision and support the structure of the Insights and Innovation department and amend to fit the needs of a high performing innovation team (i.e. adjust innovation activity on a tactical basis to the extent permitted by market variation and opportunity where these best fit with attainment of the strategic plan and company objectives). Negotiate and manage the financial resources required to support the Business Plan and to manage service provision within the allocated budget.

5. Develop/support and promote a strong customer and consumer-focused and results-oriented performance culture within the Insights and Innovation team, ensuring the provision of cost effective, efficient, high quality innovation, technology, sustainability and product management to the company's line of business requirements.

6. Ensure services are provided to the highest possible standards within the resources available. Implement effective systems for setting targets, managing performance, reporting systems, identifying and overcoming weaknesses, and delivering sustained improvements.

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 Innovations 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 in a related field or equivalent and seven to ten years related experience.

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 define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions. Ability to interpret an extensive variety of technical instructions in mathematical or diagram form and deal with several abstract and concrete variables.

Computer Skills

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

Other Skills and Abilities

Minimum:

§ A strategic thinker - capable of thought leadership with respect to such things as product mix, pricing and profitability and the ability to translate these into actionable programs.

§ Ability to predict scenarios of future competitor actions and extrapolate from competitors' behavior and signals underlying strategic goals.

§ The proven ability to drive (and commercialize) an innovative product strategy in response to clear identification of market opportunities.

§ The ability to adapt instituted plans in a nimble fashion in order to respond to market trends.

§ Customer-focused with the proven ability and technical acumen to analyze and understand market needs, technology and business trends, and new product opportunities.

§ The proven ability to influence practical and defendable strategic business plans.

§ Proven leadership and management skills combined with a commitment to ensure effective use of resources and empowering team members.

§ Executive presence; excellent oral and written communications skills combined with strong presentation capabilities.

§ The personal credibility necessary to develop an organization that can, over time, create market dominance.

§ Managed and developed Direct Reports.

Additional:

§ The demonstrated ability to engage fully with customers and partners at multiple levels in their organizational structure - able to earn the customer's trust and be sensitive to their needs.

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

§ An entrepreneurial success oriented self starter - driven, assertive, demanding yet seasoned - determined to aggressively capitalize on opportunities and win market share.

§ Willing to take realistic personal and business risks.

Other Qualifications

Travel up to 35% 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.