Ice Cream Associate Manager Strategic Projects & Planning

With 19,000 expert ice cream colleagues and iconic brands like Wall’s, Cornetto, and Ben & Jerry’s, we are the world’s largest ice cream company, leading the industry in 76 countries. We create moments of joy through everyday ice cream experiences, driven by a culture that values speed, simplicity, ownership, and collaboration. Our high-performance environment embraces digital innovation, data-driven decisions, and continuous learning—including how AI can enhance our work and consumer experiences.

This is a full-time, hybrid role requiring a minimum of two days onsite. It is a project-based assignment anticipated to last 18 months, with eligibility to apply for internal opportunities upon completion, though continued employment is not guaranteed.

About the Role

This role supports the North America Ice Cream Supply Chain organization as the PMO lead for major strategic transformation initiatives. You will translate long-term supply chain strategy into executable plans and ensure the successful delivery of high-impact projects from business case approval through implementation, commissioning, startup, and value realization. You will coordinate cross-functional teams across Engineering, Manufacturing, Planning, Procurement, Finance, R&D, and Commercial functions to drive strategic growth, insourcing, and network transformation. Responsibilities include developing integrated project plans, evaluating capacity requirements, assessing implementation trade-offs, and providing governance across complex programs.

Beyond project execution, you will support the broader Strategic Planning agenda by developing business cases, evaluating network opportunities, identifying productivity improvements, and driving initiatives that enhance service, gross margin, and operational performance.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end project management of strategic supply chain initiatives, from business case approval through commissioning, startup, and operational handoff, ensuring delivery against scope, timeline, cost, and business objectives.
• Develop and maintain integrated project and implementation roadmaps, coordinating engineering, manufacturing, planning, innovation, procurement, and finance activities to ensure successful execution of strategic programs.
• Build and run capacity, timing, and network scenarios to assess insourcing opportunities, growth requirements, manufacturing constraints, investment needs, and implementation trade-offs across the network.
• Lead cross-functional decision-making on production transitions, commissioning sequencing, startup readiness, and capacity deployment to support growth, innovation, and network transformation objectives.
• Coordinate the transition of production from contract manufacturers to internal manufacturing facilities, ensuring readiness across supply planning, operations, engineering, product setup, and innovation teams.
• Support development of long-term supply chain strategies, business cases, and network optimization opportunities by evaluating capacity requirements, operational constraints, capital investments, and value creation opportunities.
• Drive strategic planning initiatives including complexity reduction, productivity improvement, service enhancement, and gross margin delivery through analytical insight and cross-functional leadership.
• Develop executive-level analyses, project governance materials, and recommendations to support senior leadership decision-making on strategic investments and supply chain transformation programs.

Qualifications

Behaviors You’ll Need to Succeed:

• Challenger: Passionate about uncovering opportunities, driving value creation, and delivering results.
• Collaborator: Builds strong relationships and aligns diverse stakeholders behind a common objective.
• Owner: Takes accountability for outcomes and proactively manages risks, dependencies, and execution challenges.

Who You Are:

• A Project Leader: You thrive in complex environments and can lead large cross-functional initiatives from concept through execution. You build alignment, manage competing priorities, and keep teams focused on delivering critical milestones.
• A Strategic Thinker: You connect long-term business objectives with operational realities, balancing growth ambitions, capacity constraints, investment requirements, and execution risks to drive the best outcomes.
• A Dot Connector: You understand how decisions in planning, engineering, procurement, manufacturing, and innovation affect the end-to-end value chain and use that knowledge to drive integrated solutions.
• A Problem Solver: You enjoy working through ambiguity, evaluating multiple scenarios, and developing practical recommendations for complex business challenges.
• A Change Agent: You are energized by transformation and can lead organizations through significant operational changes, influencing stakeholders and driving adoption across the business.

We're Looking For Someone Who:

• Thinks end-to-end and takes ownership of results.
• Is comfortable working in a fast-moving, evolving organization.
• Values collaboration, clarity, and low-ego ways of working.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering, Supply Chain, Operations, Business, or a related field.
• 5+ years of experience in project management, supply chain, manufacturing, engineering, operations, strategic planning, or related disciplines.
• Demonstrated experience leading complex cross-functional initiatives with multiple stakeholders.
• Strong analytical and quantitative problem-solving skills.
• Excellent communication, stakeholder management, and influencing skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• PMP certification or formal project management training.
• Experience supporting manufacturing startup, commissioning, capacity expansion, or insourcing projects.
• Knowledge of supply chain network design, capacity planning, and scenario modeling.
• Experience with MS Project, Power BI, advanced Excel, or planning analytics platforms.
• Experience in FMCG or consumer products manufacturing environments.
• Experience leveraging AI and digital tools to improve planning and project execution.

Benefits

Alongside meaningful work and strong development opportunities, we offer a comprehensive reward package that typically includes:

• Market-competitive pay and performance-related rewards.
• Flexible ways of working.
• Support for health, wellbeing, and life outside of work, including time off to rest and recharge.
• Ongoing learning and development opportunities.
• Medical, dental, and (where applicable) vision coverage.
• Health and wellbeing support, including employee assistance programs and wellness initiatives.
• Health-related savings and spending accounts.
• Retirement savings programs with a competitive matching plan.
• Additional employee perks (e.g., corporate discounts, commuter or learning support).

Pay

The pay range for this position is $88,600 to $133,000. Compensation decisions consider skill sets, experience, training, licensure, certifications, qualifications, education, and business needs. This position is bonus eligible.