Commercialization Project Manager

Generous Brands develops and markets beverage brands including Bolthouse Farms, Health-Ade, Evolution Fresh, and SAMBAZON. The Commercialization Project Manager leads cross-functional commercialization initiatives spanning innovation, reformulation, renovation, packaging development, and operational efficiency from project intake through launch and post-launch execution.

Responsibilities:

• Lead cross-functional teams on innovation, renovation, reformulation, packaging development, operational efficiency, engineering and other commercialization projects across the Generous Brands portfolio
• Own project execution from approved project brief through launch, including timelines, milestones, critical paths, risks, dependencies and cross-functional deliverables
• Partner with cross-functional teams to ensure delivery of project requirements including timing, task management, change management, product characteristics, cost, profitability, quality, supply readiness and customer commitments
• Develop and recommend the best path to execute the project brief quickly and efficiently while meeting customer and consumer expectations, quality requirements and financial objectives
• Drive project stage-gate discipline, ensuring projects are appropriately scoped, prioritized, approved and ready to advance through each phase of commercialization
• Proactively identify project risks, constraints and decisions needed; escalate issues with clear facts, options and recommendations
• Manage change management systems and ensure project information, decisions, timelines and status are accurately maintained in project management tools
• Lead multiple cross-functional teams of 20 or more stakeholders while managing several complex projects that may range from approximately 6 to 24 months
• Build effective working relationships across Marketing, Sales, R&D/Product Development, Operations, Procurement, Quality, Finance, Supply Chain, Engineering, Master Data and other functions
• Provide clear project updates and recommendations to stakeholders at all levels, including senior leadership and the Executive Leadership Team, as needed
• Support plant trials, first production, launches and post-launch activities as required

Requirements:

• • Demonstrated experience leading projects or significantly contributing to project success beyond the candidate's primary functional area
• • Strong understanding of project stage gates, prioritization, project planning, business performance metrics and cross-functional decision-making
• • Ability to work effectively with key stakeholders and clearly articulate roles, responsibilities, dependencies and decisions needed to move work forward
• • Technically competent and comfortable asking challenging questions, while able to influence, energize and align others around solutions
• • Strong collaboration skills across business functions, particularly Marketing, Operations, Product Development/R&D and Supply Chain
• • Strong ability to understand business economics and strategic priorities and to proactively identify and mitigate risk
• • Detail-oriented with strong digital and project management skills. Proficiency in Microsoft Office and project management tools such as Smartsheet, MS Project or equivalent
• • Strong functional leadership, business acumen and understanding of strategy, economics and financials
• • Strong written, verbal and presentation skills
• • 4-year college degree in engineering, business or another relevant discipline
• • 2 or more years of work experience demonstrating the skills required for this position
• • Must have color vision to examine differences in product quality or packaging design
• • Occasional standing, walking, sitting, handling products, climbing
• • Ability to lift 30 lbs
• • Ability to work in both hot and cold environments
• • 5 or more years of work experience
• • Master's degree in engineering, business or another relevant discipline
• • Food or beverage industry experience
• • Product development and/or commercialization experience
• • Smartsheet or equivalent experience
• • Strong understanding of digital recipe management systems
• • PMP certification