Manager, Innovation Insights

Position Summary

The Manager, Innovation Insights will report to Director, Innovation Insights and is responsible for identifying and applying consumer insights that help shape a compelling, consumer-led innovation pipeline. This role partners closely with Innovation, Brand, R&D, Strategy, and cross-functional teams to uncover unmet needs, emerging behaviors, and whitespace opportunities that can be translated into growth platforms, concepts, and actionable recommendations. The Manager serves as a strategic partner and voice of the consumer throughout the innovation process, leading learning plans, synthesizing multiple sources of information, and connecting insights to business decisions.

Responsibilities

• Lead innovation-focused learning plans grounded in business priorities, portfolio strategy, and brand ambitions.
• Design, manage, and synthesize qualitative and quantitative research to support early-stage exploration, concept development, product optimization, packaging, and go-to-market decisions.
• Identify unmet consumer needs, tensions, motivations, and emerging behaviors that can unlock new product, format, flavor, occasion, and experience opportunities.
• Translate insights from primary research, syndicated data, cultural and category trends, and internal learning into clear, story-driven recommendations.
• Partner closely with Innovation, Brand Marketing, R&D, Strategy, and cross-functional teams to shape innovation territories, briefs, concepts, and prioritization decisions.
• Help define and evaluate whitespace opportunities and future-forward platforms that support long-term portfolio growth.
• Bring a strong external perspective by staying current on category trends, consumer shifts, culture, and innovation best practices.
• Influence stakeholders by clearly articulating what the business should do, not just what the research says.
• Ensure insights work is connected across projects and shared in ways that build organizational learning and stronger decision-making.
• Manage multiple projects and external vendor partners with strong attention to quality, timing, budgets, and business impact.
• Contribute to research best practices and help the team stay ahead of the evolving research landscape, including the thoughtful application of AI-enabled tools and approaches.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in marketing, business, psychology, sociology, or a related field.
• 6+ years of consumer insights, innovation insights, market research, or strategy experience, preferably within CPG or beverage alcohol.
• Experience with a broad set of qualitative and quantitative research methodologies, including concept development, innovation screening, product testing, packaging research, and strategic exploratory work.
• Demonstrated ability to synthesize disparate information sources into actionable insights and strategic recommendations.
• Strong communication, storytelling, and presentation skills with the ability to influence cross-functional partners.
• Experience managing external research partners and multiple projects simultaneously.
• Strong analytical thinking, curiosity, and comfort navigating ambiguity.
• Ability to connect consumer understanding to business strategy and innovation decisions.
• Proficiency in PowerPoint and Excel.
• Willingness to travel as needed.

Preferred Qualifications

• MBA or other advanced degree.
• Client-side insights experience supporting innovation, brand strategy, or portfolio strategy for iconic brands.
• Experience in beverage alcohol or broader food and beverage categories.
• Familiarity with syndicated data sources and trend/cultural intelligence tools.
• Passion for innovation, consumer behavior, and translating emerging opportunities into business action.