Innovation Lead

SUMMARY:
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POSITION INFO:

Job description/responsibilities:

Responsible for providing overall Innovation management leadership for company’s brands and categories. This role ensures the company’s success by contributing to the development of the brand strategy, including delivering appropriate product and packaging, persuasive advertising, creative and brochure materials, sampling, and full 360 activation plans. Is responsible for implementing initiatives across multiple brands within each category as required by the Head of Brand and Innovation. Working closely with the Category Team and other marketing functions, supply chain, DP, R&D and NPD, this position plays a critical role by:

Shaping growth strategy for the brand

• Collaborates in develops productive brand growth strategy through category input, thorough in depth and insightful analysis of market, financial and research data.
• Understands local market and consumer needs and provides input to category.
• Conducts competitor reviews and develops action plans to protect and grow market share for the brand.
• Market and Justine performance analysis to include evaluation of performance vs brand and innovation objectives.
• Collaborates to suggest/propose resources (budgets, investments, etc) critical to meet brand innovation objectives via strategy.
• Drives brand value through development of brand positioning, image, advertising assets and style guides, to include guidance for communication and product education strategy.
• Collaborates with BI, Category, and market research to develop superior consumer insights that lead to winning product concepts and its execution/development for a particular brand.
• Updates category on all aspects of the brand, to ensure alignment, and visibility to key issues.
• Delivering new products.
• Works to develop innovation pipeline that translates into market success through superior local insights.
• Drives the development of brands and gap analysis initiatives to fill the gaps identified in strategy.
• Participates in cross-functional teams to generate new product ideas from Ideation workshops to product launch.
• Facilitates approval of the strategic needs of the brand, and consumer driven objectives for new products, to include pricing strategy and cost objectives.
• Implements and executes NPD process to develop agreed product program, including integration with supply chain, regulatory, legal, costing, sourcing, and manufacturing of new products.
• Collaborates with marketing to provide feedback and input to all concepts and products under development (positioning, packaging, creative, formula directions, etc).
• Partners with Market Research to develop clear marketing and consumer understanding and suggest research needs in support of major new product development and its execution (pricing, merchandising, brand communication, media support, etc).
• Proposes launch guidelines and develops brand assets for major new, and partners with marketing to follow through on implementation.

Harmonizing the company’s product line while maintaining brand differentiation

• Builds portfolio strategy, supporting both base (SSI projects) and new sales, enhancing portfolio productivity with a view to building optimal SOL.
• Participates in portfolio/SKU productivity reviews, analyses Innovation SKU performance and set minimum thresholds for new SKUs.
• Delivers against specific Size of line targets for Justine to build relevant earning opportunity.
• Working with the JASS project team, R&D, Legal and SC to implement approved work stream actions.

Job Qualifications, Skills & Experience:

Qualifications: Grade 12 (Matric). Relevant qualification will be advantageous.

Experience: Significant Brand Marketing experience; Innovation and beauty preferred.

Skills:

• Relevant multiple category experience preferred.
• Direct selling or catalogue/mail order experience preferred.
• Experience in product development and project management.
• Matrix Organization practical working knowledge.

Competencies:

• Developing Brand Strategy
• Managing the Brand Portfolio
• Knowing the Consumer and insight development
• Leading New Product Development (Advanced Practitioner) (Critical)
• Integrating Cross-Functional Operations (Advanced