Lead – NPD Innovations Full Time

This role will drive end-to-end New Product Development from concept to launch, with a strong focus on product strategy, consumer insights, brand alignment, packaging innovation, and go-to-market execution. The role will act as a bridge between marketing, packaging, supply chain, regulatory, and external formulation partners to deliver differentiated, market-ready products.

Key Responsibilities:

NPD Strategy & Product Ownership

• Own the overall NPD roadmap, translating brand vision, consumer insights, and market opportunities into compelling product concepts.
• Lead product ideation, concept development, positioning, and differentiation, ensuring strong brand and commercial fit.
• Define product briefs, claims frameworks, and success metrics in collaboration with marketing and business teams.
• Act as the single point of accountability for products from concept to commercialization.

Cross-Functional & Project Management

• Drive the end-to-end NPD lifecycle, ensuring timely execution across functions and external partners.
• Collaborate closely with marketing, packaging, regulatory, supply chain, finance, and external formulation labs to ensure seamless product development and launch readiness.
• Own project plans, timelines, and critical milestones; proactively flag and mitigate risks.
• Ensure alignment between product concept, packaging, claims, costing, and launch timelines.

Packaging & Design Innovation

• Packaging strategy and development, including material selection, structure, sustainability, cost optimization, and visual differentiation.
• Partner with design agencies and vendors to deliver packaging that enhances brand storytelling, shelf impact, and consumer experience.
• Stay updated on sustainable packaging trends and innovations, ensuring compliance and scalability.

Market, Consumer & Competitive Insights

• Drive market and consumer research to identify white spaces, trends, and unmet needs.
• Monitor competitive launches and industry trends to inform innovation and renovation pipelines.
• Translate insights into clear product propositions and launch narratives.

Regulatory, Quality & Launch Readiness

• Work closely with regulatory and compliance teams to ensure claims substantiation, packaging compliance, and documentation readiness.
• Coordinate product testing, certifications, and approvals through internal teams and external partners.
• Ensure products are fully launch-ready across channels.

Financial & Commercial Alignment

• Build and evaluate business cases for new products, including pricing, margins, and cost structures.
• Partner with finance and procurement on cost optimization, vendor negotiations, and profitability goals.
• Support leadership with data-backed recommendations on portfolio prioritization.