Position Purpose

This individual is responsible for driving and managing the development and delivery of high quality, consumer relevant Lindt products that contribute to accelerating sales during key seasons. This entails providing consumer based solutions relative to new recipes, formats, packaging, merchandising, and customer specific needs that build upon the Lindt brand equity. This role will lead the development and end-to-end delivery of 1-3 year product innovation pipeline identifying product opportunities applicable across seasons and brands as well as lead the cross-functional team such as Brand Marketing, Commercialization, Insights, Design, R&D, and E-comm to launch impactful products to drive Lindt sales, share, and profitability.

A critical focus of this job will be strong cross-functional team collaboration and management to accomplish key milestones for each product project.

Essential Job Functions/Key Accountabilities

Seasonal & Gifting Innovation Strategy & Insights

• Support brand strategies with a focus on portfolio effectiveness. Work with the Brand Marketing Teams to develop seasonal & gifting pipelines ensuring products align with brand strategy and meet the needs of the consumer 
• Understand and design for omnichannel as well as across brands
• Be the product expert for the brands, staying at the forefront of industry trends, competitive launches, and consumer insights
• Support the preparation of regular business and innovation updates to key stakeholders and senior leaders

Product Management & Development

• Lead the management and development of new product launches to meet the needs of the consumer, maintain Lindt brand and quality standards, and achieve financial objectives (sales, COGs, and profitability) as set forth by a Brand Manager
• Provide clear leadership and foster effective cross-functional team collaboration (R&D, Packaging, Purchasing, and Creative) to bring products to market together successfully, on time in full from concept & product ideation, to feasibility assessment and testing through final item set-up
• Ensure projects are being managed effectively, stage gates are on track, and launches are delivered on time meeting objectives
• Evaluate international Lindt portfolios, staying informed and being ready to exploit as appropriate, international SKUs or recipes that may meet the objectives of the brand team
• Update and communicate project information status as needed with key stakeholders, including obtaining all required approvals as well as flag and address potential project delays

Commercial

• Accountable for the delivery of agreed upon innovation targets with P&L responsibility of innovation & renovation workstreams

Success Criteria

• Managing and Measuring Work – Clearly assigns responsibility for tasks and decisions; sets clear objectives and measures; monitors process, progress and results; designs feedback loops into work.
• Timely Decision Making– Makes decisions in a timely manner, sometimes with incomplete information and under tight deadlines and pressure able to make a quick decision.
• Time Management– Uses his/hers time effectively and efficiently; values time; concentrates his/her efforts on the more important priorities; gets more done in less time than others; can attend to abroad range of activities.
• Action Oriented– Enjoys working hard; is action-oriented and full of energy for things he/she sees as challenging not fearful of acting with a minimum of planning; seizes more opportunities than others.
• Perseverance– Pursues everything with energy, drive and a need to finish; seldom gives up before finishing. Especially in the face of resistance or setbacks.
• Motivating Others– Creates a climate in which people want to do their best can motivate many kinds of direct reports and team or project members; can assess each person’s hot button and use it to get the best of him/her; pushes tasks and decisions down; empowers others, invites input from each person and shares ownership and visibility makes each individual feel his/her work is important; is someone people like working for and with.
• Intellectual Horsepower– is bright and intelligent; deals with concept and complexity comfortably described as intellectually sharp, capable and agile.

Why Lindt?  

As a multi-channel, fast-growing consumer goods company, we recognize that in a competitive market, hiring the right talent makes all the difference. To create happy and loyal Lindt consumers, we need to hire and retain empowered and results-driven Lindt employees. Our teams are comprised of inspired and dedicated professionals who stretch the boundaries of a typical career experience by living our Core Values and making a difference in our business every day. To learn more about our culture and teams, visit www.Jobs.LindtUSA.com.

Our Core Values:

• Passion For The Best - At Lindt we have pride and passion for what we do – we aspire for excellence in everything.
• In It Together - At Lindt we are one team with a shared purpose – we invest in our relationships and value each other.
• Always Evolving - At Lindt we shape our future – we take opportunities to improve, adapt to change and build on our strengths.
• Make An Impact - At Lindt we take responsibility for driving results – we focus on what matters to deliver on our commitments.
• Act Responsibly - At Lindt we act with integrity, treat others with respect, value diversity and care for the environment to create a sustainable tomorrow.

It is impossible to list every requirement for, or responsibility of, any position.  Similarly we cannot identify all the skills a position may require since job responsibilities and the Company’s needs may change over time.  Therefore, the above job description is not comprehensive or exhaustive.  The Company reserves the right to adjust, add to or eliminate any aspect of the above description.  The Company also retains the right to require all employees to undertake additional or different job responsibilities when necessary to meet business needs.

Lindt and Sprüngli is an equal opportunity employer and considers all qualified applicants without regard to race, national origin, gender, disability or veteran status.

Position Qualifications:

Skills & Knowledge

·         Proven successful experience developing products and portfolios in a fast-moving, CPG environment at Brand Manager level

·         Strong project management experience leading product innovation & renovation workstreams

·         Ability to manage multiple priorities effectively

·         Data-driven & analytical turning insights into action

·         Consumer centric

·         Strong business ownership

·         Cross-functional leadership & collaboration

·         P&L understanding

Experience

Required

·         3+ plus years of product management and/or development in CPG marketing

Preferred

·         Brand management experience

Education

Required

·         Bachelor’s degree

Preferred

·         Master’s degree or MBA

Other Requirements

·         Travel as required