Innovation Assistant Insight Manager

An exciting opportunity has arisen to join a world leading global organisation. Our client, a blue chip FMCG company, is currently seeking a Innovation Assistant Insight Manager based in Blackfriars, London. This is a full-time, temporary role for a period of 12 Months (Maternity Cover), Monday to Friday, 36.25 hours per week, to start ASAP. The role is paying between £35,000 and £39,500 per annum, pro rata, depending on experience.

Background:

The world around us has changed and if anything, the pace of change is accelerating. We are facing a lot of disruptors, from local players who are agile in responding to local consumer & market trends to start-ups who are utilising latest breakthrough technology.

In the outside world, it's the products & services and innovation culture that puts the human first which are winning the innovation game: human needs, desires and creators' ingenuity; shared & circular economies in hyper connected worlds, homes and cities; creative repositioning of entire industries making them obsolete; the leverage of digital design and advanced technology as differentiators & enablers of superior consumer experiences; innovations that genuinely improve and add meaning to Brands and people's lives; and acute levels of externalised accelerators, innovation partnerships and collaborations. These famous innovations we all talk about and admire are quite simple ideas. Yet make seismic shifts, powered by the people that make them & the people they serve.

Vision:

The vision for Innovation COE (Centre of Excellence) is to grow into one of the most innovative and entrepreneurial companies in the world by rapidly translating new insights & ideas into action and driving bigger, better and more disruptive innovations that deliver valued consumer experiences.

CMI's Innovation COE will become a hub of creativity, know-how, agility, rigour and business acumen. A bridge internally and externally of leading edge Innovation applications and partnerships into our business.

Scope:

Innovation will be focusing on two pillars:

Core Responsibilities:

• Identify & integrate consumer insights into various innovation projects. This will include funnel innovations & renovations on Core and NPD.
• Identify Market & Micro Trends and Innovation Metrics as well as monitoring feedback & Competitive Innovations in market, including key competitor launches reviews.
• Lead different innovation research projects from ideation/co-creation workshops to final testing of the full mix, using a differentiated pathway of methodologies
• Ruthless simplification of all MR and innovation processes and standardising & automating research methods.
• Be responsible for building and developing relationships with the global-wide Innovation team and across key business partners including CMI, CTI, Marketing, R&D and Finance.

Competencies:

You should be proactive in identifying new trends and innovation ideas on various categories, and acting with speed & agility in landing them with the business partners. You should be connected externally with the latest competitive moves, innovation ideas and trends. You need to demonstrate strong collaboration, communication & presentation skills as you will be required to give internal presentations to senior brand and category leadership teams. You should have a founder mentality & Bias for Action in speed and simplification to embrace new disruptive innovation ideas that transform the business and unlock growth opportunities.

Skills/ Experience/ Qualifications:

• Personal passion for Innovations & Trends
• Innovation research experience
• Strong project management skills
• Good analytical thinking and communication skills to present clearly, simplify complex topics and influence decision-making
• Strong communication skills both written and verbal
• Ability to prioritise and deliver pipeline of innovations across brands and work streams
• Comfortable working with data (analysis, synthesis and interpretation)
• Comfortable working independently and as part of a virtual and global team, including reporting to a line manager not based in the same location.
• A team player; accountable, open minded who likes to work in rapid and agile way
• 10% Travel involved (Rotterdam)