Innovation Director

COMPANY OVERVIEW:

Icelandic Provisions is an early-stage growth company that provides essential nutrition rooted in the Nordic Food Philosophy.The flagship product, dairy Skyr, is the only authentic Icelandic Skyr brand in the United States that uses heirloom Skyr cultures and the original recipe that is beloved across Iceland.

The Nordic way of life is not only deeply rooted in the quality of the Icelandic Provisions’ products but runs deep in the organizational culture through the WÁOO (pronounced WOW!) values.When we are attracting talent to join our growing organization, a natural question we ask is whether the candidate brings the “wáoo” factor?We describe is as: Welcoming, Ámbitious, Optimistic, and On with the butter!

With a strong consumer and business base to build on, we are looking for product-obsessed, passionate individuals who are energized about rapid growth and achievement and want to be a part of the happy, healthy cultural movement that we are leading.We believe in putting best-in-class products in the market and take pride in what we are building, “making everything count” along the way.

POSITION OVERVIEW:

The Director of Innovation will lead the development and execution of our innovation strategy.This role will help Icelandic Provisions shape and create new product platforms to meet our short and long-range business plans and help extend our brand from a skyr company into a provisions company. The ideal candidate is passionate about their food choices and is inspired to bring nutritious and sustainable options to the market that consumers will truly enjoy. Motivated by a natural curiosity, this leader is focused on marketplace performance, paying attention to consumer reviews, competitive activity, and food trends, always pushing the company to punch above their weight in driving innovation to the next level.

KEY JOB RESPONSIBILITIES:

Market Research: leads in-depth consumer insights and competitive data analysis to identify unmet consumer needs that inform our innovation strategies and new product development ideas.This includes using consumer panel and scan data (e.g., Nielsen, IRI), organizing the plan around data exploration to extract key insights, and leading the decision-making process around the prioritization of new projects.
Business Planning: translates compelling and differentiated ideas into go to market plans that will support our financial and brand goals.This includes building the business plan, with a strong understanding of the product P&L (including pricing strategy and COGs structure) to ensure a successful launch and continued success in market.
Stage Gate Process: drives the management of all product development projects through the commercialization process, facilitating key decisions, capturing and monitoring risks, and role-modeling strong stakeholder management through the demonstration of excellent communication and project management skills.
Cross-Functional Collaboration: collaborates closely with Marketing, Product Development, Operations, Finance and the Sales team to ensure seamless integration of innovation initiatives.This includesanticipating and providing clear direction that fosters strong collaboration.This role takes pride in motivating, coordinating and supporting partners in successfully managing complex projects.
Budget Management: develops and manages the innovation budget, ensuring efficient allocation of resources to high-impact projects.Monitors expenditures and provides regular financial reports.
Team Leadership: builds and leads a high-performing innovation team.Provides mentorship, sets objectives, and drives performance to achieve strategic goals.Promotes a culture of creativity and continuous improvement.

JOB QUALIFICATIONS:

Proven experience (10+ years) in-house CPG innovation, with a track record of building new platforms from the ground up and executing successful launches.
Experience leading, inspiring, and growing the very best, ambitious and experienced talent.

Strong business acumen and entrepreneurial spirit

Strong custom research and insights experience (both quantitative and qualitative)
In-depth knowledge of marketing principles, brand management, and market analysis.While this role will not directly develop marketing communications and materials, this person should have good working knowledge and expertise to provide input and feedback into the process.
Significant experience with pricing analysis for new product ranges and platforms.
Experience with packaging structure development and operationalizing new structures.
Excellent analytical abilities and strong strategic thinking skills, with a data-driven approach to decision-making.This requires a mastery of marketing software and tools (e.g., POS, panel data, CRM, analytics platforms, etc.)
Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to influence and collaborate effectively across all levels of the organization.
Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment and manage multiple projects simultaneously.
Demonstrates resilience and the ability to manage the ups and downs of new product development and long innovation timelines.
Passionate about creating delicious, simple and wholesome food.

ORGANIZATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS:

The ideal candidate for any role within Icelandic Provisions needs to align to the values by exemplifyingWÁOO (pronounced WOW!) in the way that they lead.We will naturally be assessing for the “wáoo” factor (i.e., did they “wáoo” you and will they “wáoo” others?)Here’s how we describe it:Welcoming, Ámbitious, Optimistic, On with the butter!

WELCOMING - Food is one of the greatest connectors we have as humans. In the English language the word “companion,” in Spanish the word “companero,” in Italian the word “compagno,” and in French the word “copain” all come from the Latin meaning “with whom one eats bread.” We love this because we are a provisions company, and we value and embrace how food brings us together. So, it’s only natural that we look for talent that is hospitable and welcoming, treating and accepting others in a way that is consistent with the culture at IP.
AMBITIOUS - We have big dreams. We are eager, brave, passionate and love to punch above our weight.We compete in one of the most competitive categories in the consumer-packaged goods retail landscape and we are a small and mighty team.We are seeking individuals who are smart, entrepreneurial, and energized by charging toward a common goal to join our team.
OPTIMISTIC - We are a glass half full company. Iceland is regarded as one of the happiest countries on earth despite being dark for much of the year.We are looking for individuals who are focused on the upside, shy away from negativity, and know how to persevere no matter what the circumstances are.
ON WITH THE BUTTER! - Put simply we do not like to dilly-dally.We connect dots, move, and then move on. There is an Icelandic phrase that is used to encourage people to get on with it called “áfram með smjörið” which literally translates as “get on with the butter.”We are seeking individuals who know how to make informed decisions and then quickly action them.

YOU’RE AN IDEAL CANDIDATE IF...

You think working in a fast paced, ever changing, entrepreneurial environment is exciting
You believe there is always a better way. You ask lots of questions, actively seek the opinions of others and love working collaboratively
You are a “Swiss Army Knife” of talents and are comfortable with the often fluid, changing environment of a startup and want to make a positive and lasting impact
The unknown, the ill-defined or the uncharted motivates you
You are looking for a work environment without a lot of hierarchy, you like empowerment and have a “roll up your sleeves” mentality
You have strong analytical skills balanced with a great sense of logic and pragmatism when it comes to problem solving
You are self-aware, you pay attention to organizational dynamics, and you are comfortable pacing how you influence and drive organizational change
You are both a doer and an optimist

WHAT ICELANDIC PROVISIONS OFFER:

Salary Range $160,000 - $180,000, commensurate with skills and experience
Competitive benefits package including health, dental, vision insurance and 401k matching
Flexible paid time off allowing to manage your time as it works for you
Exciting work environment in a small team and a great deal of autonomy
Flexibility to work remotely or in our New York City offices
Delicious Skyr available (for free)