Marketing Innovation Manager – Latin America

Role Overview

• Responsible for managing innovation pipeline including: insight generation, market and product scoping, financial valuations, claims and science story development and validation amongst consumers and health care professionals, contingency planning, and commercial project lead through stage-gate processes for key Abbott Nutrition brands in Latam – Similac, Pediasure, Ensure, Glucerna and Pedialyte.
• Drive consumer insight development and trend spotting, working with Marketing Insights to uncover competitively differentiated and superior product, package, and other innovation ideas tied directly to resolving a consumer need state.
• Builds value propositions translating to incremental financials opportunities with demonstrable consumer interest, addressing wider market and competitive landscape consideration.
• Ensure pipeline sufficiency by planning innovation building blocks, together with contingency, to meet PA nutrition business objectives.
• Strategic prioritization of short term and longer term innovations to drive clarity on resource management, while balancing business needs.
• Meet regularly with consumers and HCPs/KOLs.
• Work with Global, Regional and Affiliate teams to develop regional innovation pipeline strategy and initiatives and support affiliates for individual pipelines across the brands.
• Seamlessly drive projects through the stage – gate processes, with close partnerships with cross functional teams – including R&D, Supply Chain, Project Management, Regulatory and others.
• Pulls together PIERs (Project Initiations in the system) for new product innovations with clear scoping (product, market, SKUs) and P&Ls meeting relevant financial hurdles.
• Work with business teams within Latam as well as other regions to refine opportunity attractiveness for new innovation concepts, and build advocacy for projects to increase alignment, size, and scope.
• Work directly with global, regional and affiliate marketing as well as cross functional partners (Market Insights, R&D) to continually develop and execute portfolio strategy, meeting the long-term growth needs of the brands.
• Monitor industry trends and competitor activities to identify new opportunities for the company, Review competitors’ products and suppliers proposals to identify opportunities for new products or improvements to existing ones.

Requirements

• Strong analytical skills including business and financial management.
• A demonstrated leader; able to drive urgency for progress in self and others needing little direct supervision.
• Experienced in handling complex projects in a matrix organization with demonstrated ability to collaborate with cross-functional teams to attain business objectives.
• Experience in an international/multi-national corporation, working in global/area/local marketing team, and with R&D, Agencies, and other key cross-functional teams.
• Strong oral and written communication skills.
• More than 10 years of progressively responsible product marketing, brand management, or/and innovation/product launch experience.
• BA/BS Degree, MBA preferred due to the business complexity and strategic focus.

Benefits

• Career development with an international company where you can grow the career you dream of.
• Employees can qualify for free medical coverage in our Health Investment Plan (HIP) PPO medical plan in the next calendar year.
• An excellent retirement savings plan with a high employer contribution.
• Tuition reimbursement, the Freedom 2 Save student debt program, and FreeU education benefit
• an affordable and convenient path to getting a bachelor’s degree.
• A company recognized as a great place to work in dozens of countries worldwide and named one of the most admired companies in the world by Fortune.
• A company that is recognized as one of the best big companies to work for as well as the best place to work for diversity, working mothers, female executives, and scientists.