New

Portfolio & Innovation Manager, Ingredients

Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc.
vision insurance, flexible benefit account, parental leave, 401(k)
United States, Massachusetts, Lakeville
1 Ocean Spray Drive (Show on map)
Aug 14, 2025
Ocean Spray is hiring for a(n) Portfolio & Innovation Manager, Ingredients! We're a team of farmers, thinkers, creators, and doers. Whatever your title, whatever your role - it always comes back to this: we're a farmer-owned co-op where everyone rolls up their sleeves to get the job done. Three maverick farmers started it all - and we've been making our own way ever since. Position Location: We're all about flexibility! This will be a *hybrid role* based out of our corporate headquarters in Lakeville, MA or our Seaport Boston, MA location with Mondays & Fridays remote. The Portfolio & Innovation Manager, Ingredients will lead the Ocean Spray Ingredients (OSI) product innovation and portfolio strategy across the Global Ingredients business which encompasses North America, Europe, MENA, and India as well as strong regional collaboration with LATAM and Asia Pacific. This role is responsible for managing the innovation pipeline and ensuring product-market fit across key customer segments in the food and beverage manufacturing industry. The ideal candidate will bring a strong blend of commercial acumen, technical understanding, and cross-functional leadership to drive growth through customer-centric innovation. A Day in the Life... Portfolio Strategy & Management Lead the development and execution of the regional portfolio strategy for the US, Europe, MENA, and India. Align with global teams to ensure consistency and collaboration with LATAM and Asia regions where applicable. Define and manage product-segment fit and core USPs across key applications and customer types. Evaluate product-level profitability, lead SKU rationalization and renovation initiatives. Innovation Leadership Own and manage a rolling 2-year innovation and renovation pipeline, aligned with strategic growth priorities. Identify and prioritize innovation opportunities based on unmet customer and consumer needs. Lead cross-functional innovation projects from concept to commercialization, leveraging insights from strategy, market intelligence, and R&D. Coordinate regional innovation deployment and launch activation plans. Customer-Centric Development Translate market trends and customer insights into application-specific solutions. Partner with Culinary and R&D teams to develop and showcase relevant product concepts to customers, brokers, and leads. Support customer-specific new product development (NPD) initiatives in collaboration with Business Development and Technical teams. Capability Building & Enablement Maintain and evolve sales enablement tools, including category-specific pitches and training materials. Collaborate with R&D to deliver product training for internal teams, brokers, and customers. Support global digitalization initiatives to enhance portfolio visibility and decision-making. What We Are Looking For: Required Bachelor's degree in Business, Food Science, Marketing, or related field 7+ years of experience in product innovation, portfolio management, or marketing in the food and beverage industry. Proven track record of launching at least 3 successful products or services in the past 3 years. Strong analytical skills with experience using syndicated data tools (e.g., Nielsen, IRI, Dunnhumby). Deep understanding of NPD processes, including consumer research, claims development, regulatory compliance, and commercialization. Experience with project management methodologies (e.g., Stage-Gate, Agile, Compass). Excellent communication, presentation, and stakeholder management skills. Strong commercial acumen and understanding of food manufacturing business models (e.g., private label, co-manufacturing, retail). Ability to lead cross-functional teams and influence without authority. Preferred Master's degree in Business Administration (MBA) or related field Experience working across international markets, particularly outside the US. Familiarity with food production processes and technical product development. Passion for food innovation and emerging technologies. Education: Bachelor's or University Degree (Required) Work Experience: At least 5 Years of Experience Benefits: Complete insurance package on Day-1 that includes a plethora of health and wellness programs Health, Dental and Vision insurance Health savings account Flexible spending account Life and accident insurance Employee assistance program Telehealth services Fertility benefits Transgender benefits 1:1 health coaching and more 401(k) with up to 6% Company matching; additional potential discretionary match at year-end Short-Term Incentive/Performance bonuses Flexible scheduling options Vacation pay, up to three weeks of time (pro-rated for your first year of employment) Holiday pay for 12 holidays Career development and growth opportunities Tuition/Education assistance programs Access to LinkedIn Learning Scholarship programs for children of employees Parental leave Bright Horizons Family Solutions - Back-up care, tutoring, etc. Adoption assistance Bereavement leave Up to $300 fitness reimbursement Up to $300 massage reimbursement Employee appreciation events Employee discounts Charitable giving Who We Are: You might have our iconic cranberry juice in your fridge or have gotten into heated holiday debate about what's better - canned or fresh cranberry sauce. But did you know that the hardworking people growing the superfruit in our products are 700 family farmers that own our cooperative? They entrust us with what is most precious to them to create new and innovative products that will delight consumers and grow this beloved brand today and into the future. Team members, farmers, consumers and communities alike--we value what makes us unique and strive to connect our farms to families for a better life by living our values: Grower Mindset - We embrace our grower-owners innovative spirit and heritage through confidence, learning and focus on the future. Sustainable Results - Guided by purpose, we are focused on delivering results for our grower-owners. Integrity Above All - We are ethical, doing the right thing for our grower-owners, customers, consumers and each other Inclusive Teamwork - We build diverse and inclusive teams that strengthen our cooperative. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or veteran status.