Specialist, Innovation & Strategy

Nestle's Research & Development Center is our regional powerhouse driving innovation in food, beverage, and pharmaceutical science. Backed by our global Nestle R&D organization, we lead breakthrough discoveries that are both good for consumers and the planet. Our team of experts range from product developers to engineers, working across our portfolio of food, beverage, infant nutrition, and health science to create leading-edge products and services. As part of our organization, you will use your entrepreneurial spirit and commitment to excellence to unlock the power of food and provide premium value.

This position is not eligible for Visa Sponsorship.

The Nestle Development Center in Solon is responsible for the ideation, creation, and renovation of new and existing frozen and chilled meals, pizza and snacking product experiences. Our mission is to leverage our diverse expertise to unlock innovative solutions, creating food people love. To achieve this, we are committed to attracting and developing the right people.

Come join us and help create the future. We are on the lookout for a Specialist, Innovation & Strategy with a passion for food. In this role, you will support R&D innovation exploration linked with Strategic Business Unit and Market strategic priorities. Your strategic storytelling will help translate science and technology discovery into innovation and renovation fuel for new products, processes, packaging, services, experiences, and business models.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Facilitate early concept development and evaluation for consumer desirability, technical feasibility, and financial viability. Support the translation of scientific and technical discoveries across R&D into consumer-focused concepts.
• Identify and size opportunity areas, and incorporate this knowledge into strategy sessions, ideation and pipeline building workshops, and research activities.
• Identify improvement opportunities for our innovation approach, methodologies, and tools to create stronger and more compelling consumer-centric concepts.
• Credibly communicate consumer and marketplace signal data (macro, micro & culinary), in collaboration with business foresights teams.
• Connect, exchange, and build innovation best practices with internal & external networks.
• Support the end-to-end process of briefing, planning, executing, and facilitating ideation and pipeline workshops, hackathons and innovation sprints.
• Support qualitative consumer research to guide early-stage product design, prototyping development and fine-tuning required to inform concept development.

Job Qualifications (Minimum Education, Experience, and Knowledge):

• Bachelor's degree in business, marketing, or related field.
• Minimum 3 years of CPG marketing, insights, agency or brand innovation & renovation role.
• Highly entrepreneurial (demonstrates business mindset, initiative, resourcefulness, and agility).
• Track record of using growth mindset and innovation capabilities to creatively address strategic challenges and opportunities.
• Exposure to (and usage of) concept writing best-practice, and consumer insights tools and testing techniques.
• Impactful oral, written, and interpersonal communication, presentation, and storytelling skills with ability to effectively interact with all levels and functions across the organization; both on the commercial and technical side.
• Strong stakeholder management skills.
• Strong project management/organizational skills.
• Strong ability to prioritize and manage various day-to-day activities, working to a timeline.
• Excels in a collaborative team environment, with the ability to lead and facilitate cross-functional teams. Global experience preferred.
• Ability to travel 10 - 20%, domestically and internationally (in line with prevailing travel governance).

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To our veterans and separated service members, you're at the forefront of our minds as we recruit top talent to join Nestle. The skills you've gained while serving our country, such as flexibility, agility, and leadership, are much like the skills that will make you successful in this role. In addition, with our commitment to an inclusive work environment, we recognize the exceptional engagement and innovation displayed by individuals with disabilities. Nestle seeks such skilled and qualified individuals to share our mission where you'll join a cohort of others who have chosen to call Nestle home.

The Nestle Companies are an equal employment opportunity and affirmative action employer seeking diversity in qualified applicants for employment. All applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, ethnicity, color, gender, gender identity, age, religion, national origin, ancestry, disability, perceived disability, medical condition, genetic information, veteran status, sexual orientation, or any other protected status, as defined by applicable law. Prior to the next step in the recruiting process, we welcome you to inform us confidentially if you may require any special accommodations in order to participate fully in our recruitment experience. Contact us at accommodations@nestle.com or please dial 711 and provide this number to the operator: 1-800-321-6467.

This position is not eligible for Visa Sponsorship.

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