VP Growth & Innovation

About Us

The Marzetti Company (Nasdaq: MZTI) manufactures and sells specialty food products. Our retail brands include Marzetti dressings and dips, New York Bakery garlic breads, and Sister Schubert's dinner rolls, in addition to exclusive license agreements for Olive Garden dressings, Chick-fil-A sauces and dressings, Buffalo Wild Wings sauces, Arby's sauces, Subway sauces, and Texas Roadhouse steak sauces and frozen rolls. Our foodservice business supplies sauces, dressings, breads, and pasta to many of the top restaurant chains in the United States.

At Marzetti, our mission is to make every meal better through high-quality, flavorful food. Led by our purpose, to nourish growth with all that we do, our team members are dedicated to creating great tasting food and cultivating deep and lasting relationships.

Overview

Develops strategic direction, business objectives and plans to achieve results for assigned brands. Coordinates and manages all activities associated with overall innovation strategy & pipeline, including licensing and branded portfolios.

Responsibilities

Lead new product development and product improvement.

o Lead team to identify white space opportunities for branded sauces/dressings/dips/bread

o Develop business cases for new product introductions

o Develop new product launch plans and leads execution in a desired time frame

o Collaborate with Insights, R&D, Supply to develop E2E innovation plan

o Own envision/design stages of innovation

• Identify and pursue partner opportunities for additional license retail products
• Lead relationship for Licensors in Development stage; partner with appropriate Brand Leaders to transition to Execution stage
• Create and justify annual plans include short and long term objectives, strategic initiatives and tactical actions, product line architecture, SKU mix, annual revenue, spending budgets, pricing and consumer promotions. Makes periodic adjustments to the plan as market demands.
• Coach and develop Innovation team to deliver on innovation strategy in strong partnership with R&D, Operations and Brand Marketing team.

Qualifications

• Minimum of a BS degree in marketing or business administration; MBA strongly preferred.
• Minimum of 15+ years of experience in managing consumer product brands.
• Extensive innovation experience commercializing new items from concept to in-market.
• Experience analyzing and interpreting consumer data into a usable and effective story to support the strategic direction of the brand.
• Food industry experience required.
• Understands expense and profit management, P&L management
• Strong leadership skills and previous experience leading a team.
• Displays strong personal and interpersonal skills
• Proven ability to effectively communicate in verbal and written form, and has strong presentation skills
• Demonstrated knowledge of marketing fundamentals
• Proficient in Microsoft Office.

Working Conditions/Environment

Works in a normal office environment where the employee is regularly required to speak, see, hear, sit, stand, talk, type, walk and bend while moving about the facility. The noise level in the office is quiet. Regular travel to plant locations or outside agencies may be required.

• Minimum of a BS degree in marketing or business administration; MBA strongly preferred.
• Minimum of 15+ years of experience in managing consumer product brands.
• Extensive innovation experience commercializing new items from concept to in-market.
• Experience analyzing and interpreting consumer data into a usable and effective story to support the strategic direction of the brand.
• Food industry experience required.
• Understands expense and profit management, P&L management
• Strong leadership skills and previous experience leading a team.
• Displays strong personal and interpersonal skills
• Proven ability to effectively communicate in verbal and written form, and has strong presentation skills
• Demonstrated knowledge of marketing fundamentals
• Proficient in Microsoft Office.

Lead new product development and product improvement.

o Lead team to identify white space opportunities for branded sauces/dressings/dips/bread

o Develop business cases for new product introductions

o Develop new product launch plans and leads execution in a desired time frame

o Collaborate with Insights, R&D, Supply to develop E2E innovation plan

o Own envision/design stages of innovation

• Identify and pursue partner opportunities for additional license retail products
• Lead relationship for Licensors in Development stage; partner with appropriate Brand Leaders to transition to Execution stage
• Create and justify annual plans include short and long term objectives, strategic initiatives and tactical actions, product line architecture, SKU mix, annual revenue, spending budgets, pricing and consumer promotions. Makes periodic adjustments to the plan as market demands.
• Coach and develop Innovation team to deliver on innovation strategy in strong partnership with R&D, Operations and Brand Marketing team.