Tata Consumer Product - Associate Manager - Innovations

Associate Manager, Innovations

Key Deliverables in this role:

Financial Outcomes:

- Evaluation and Validation: The incumbent will be responsible for:

1) Managing the medium/long term pipeline of new products in-line with the business goals .

2) Conduct rigorous testing and validation of innovation P&L by liaising with Finance, R&D, Factory etc

Customer Service:

- Consumer centric mindset

- Closely track the category for competition mapping and new trends for growth and plan innovation pipeline

- Scope out potential opportunities in culinary food spaces

- Leverage different idea generation platforms to identify the trends, conversations and input it in the NPD process

- Conduct consumer connects to mine consumer insights and work collaboratively with R&D team to launch new products

Internal Processes:

- Project Management, Collaboration and Knowledge Sharing:

- Drive the NPD agenda in line with business priorities - initiatives that will deliver on targets for NDP as a % of turnover

- Manage the innovation funnel stage gate process for key projects in line with business KPIs

- Work closely with cross functional teams to deliver on the strategic pillars of the NPD funnel; drive ownership and accountability across the organization for NPD projects

- Develop the product specifications in consultation with the consumer insights, marketing, sales, packaging, regulatory and the R&D teams

- Draw the GTM strategy along with brand team for the NPD brands and lead the launch of the products

- Lead research processes both qual and quant for all NPD projects

- Lead the launch for NPD in case of new products / brands successfully transition to marketing team at a later stage work closely with sales & category teams to see projects through to the market execution stage

- Responsible for all marketing activities for the related Portfolio - interaction with agency in product & communication development, promotions

- Assist in the IO/PO Creation and execution

Equity and Learning:

- Support the process of shoot/asset creation by close partnership with agency partners and in house design team

- Building Claims tool kit - building a ready toolbox backed with defendable evidence to support Scientific /Technical

/Marketing Claims through Commissioned Studies - Kantar, Clinical, Retail, etc. Liaison with R&D /technical team to test

- Support Lead, design & deliver on impactful consumer facing 360 degree communication and activation campaigns across platforms

- Help Proving superiority at Point of Sale - Implementing efficient and scalable superiority activation programs customizable for market type/channels.

Critical success factors for the Role:

- Educational Qualification - MBA (with prior experience in innovations preferred)

- 3 - 6 years of relevant work experience

- Great inter-personal, presentation & communication skills

Desirable success factors for the Role:

- Have worked in BTL / Event led role / organization with some creative development

- Understands broad levers to generate consumer trials for new products

- Fluent in Excel working with ability to run varied formulas

- Fluent in oral and written communication & ability to deliver multiple tasks under timelines

- Experience in brand management preferred