Senior Creative & Design Project Manager

General Description

Role Description

Capgemini’s Connected Marketing Operations team delivers frictionless, digitally augmented, data-driven marketing services that drives more agile connections and seamless experience with customers. This is critical in transforming your business, shaping new consumer values, and driving sales. Our next-generation digital marketing solutions leverage innovative marketing technologies to enrich brand’s digital strategy with relevant insights and data, maximize campaign and channel reach, and drive operational excellence and efficiency across the marketing organization. 

We are seeking a highly experienced and strategic Senior Innovation Manager to lead end-to-end product and packaging innovation projects for a key Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) external client. The ideal candidate will proven track record in managing innovation projects from concept to launch within a CPG company or a related industry.

Role Overview

The Sr. Innovation Manager is a leadership role responsible for overseeing and managing multiple product and packaging innovation projects from concept development to launch for a leading Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) client. With over 10 years of experience and a strong background in project management, this individual will serve as a key interface to drive fast-paced innovation projects to successful and timely completion.

Responsible for the flawless execution of project deliverables and proactively addressing challenges to ensure projects remain on track while maintaining highest quality and efficiency. The ideal candidate will have proven & in-depth experience in consumer package goods, package design, product innovation and marketing

Key Responsibilities / Accountabilities

• Innovation Process Management: Provide end-to-end project management support for product and packaging innovation projects from concept development, feasibility validation, R&D, business proposal and approval
• Project Leadership: Lead innovation project kick-off and facilitate discussions with all stakeholders to ensure project team is aligned on the overall scope, timelines and objective.
• Stakeholder Communication: Coordinate and facilitate project discussions, including kick-off meetings, project update meetings and lesson learnt sessions, ensuring all key decisions and updates are cascaded to all stakeholders
• Collaboration & Continuous Improvement: Build relationships and foster a culture of continuous improvement to convince the cross functional team to execute process changes.
• Regularly monitor innovation projects providing insights and recommendations for ongoing improvements.
• Assess project delays, identify risks and propose accelerations to keep projects on track.
• Monitor and maintain up-to-date records of project progress, including tracking milestones, deliverables, and deviations from the original plan.
• Ensure accuracy of information and collate all required inputs for completeness of project documents and supporting materials.
• Conduct lessons-learned reviews and incorporate findings into future projects for continuous improvement.
• Guide and mentor innovation project managers and project coordinators and share best practices from other projects

Qualifications (Education/Experience/Certification)

• MBA preferred, Bachelor’s degree in marketing, advertising, communications, or related field
• 8+ years of experience in project management within a CPG or FMCG environment.
• 5+ years of product innovation and marketing experience
• Demonstrated track record of managing innovation projects to successful outcomes​
• Strong knowledge of product and packaging innovation or new product development processes.
• Strong experience in using the Microsoft Office suite with strong Excel and PowerPoint skills

Soft skills required

• Proven ability to effectively manage multiple projects in a dynamic environment
• Strategic influencing skills to convince the cross functional team to execute.
• Strong technical and organizational skills in addition to excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to work under pressure
• Excellent written, oral, and interpersonal communication skills
• Ability to coordinate and support multiple stakeholders
• Ability to set priorities and be flexible in dynamic environment
• Cultural sensitivity and ability to work internationally
• Strong relationship building, communication, and influencing skills
• Should be committed and focused to succeed under challenging work environment