Job description
Innovation & Research Associate, Consumer Brands
Associate Level
Location: Atlanta, GA and/or Virtual (preferred ATL)
Salary: ~$75K
A stealth startup, backed by leading VC firms and with a recently closed Series A round, is establishing a CPG innovation and new venture team.
The team will be responsible for hatching next-generation sustainable consumer brands and experiences. We are seeking an Associate who is entrepreneurial-minded and passionate about working throughout the innovation process to bring clean consumer brands and partnerships to life. An Innovation & Research Associate has expertise in current industry gaps and sees gaps that no one is talking about, leverages data and insight to craft a narrative around white-space opportunities and ideas, and is a dedicated product and ingredient fiend.
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Responsibilities
• Lead workstreams of innovation initiatives from discovery and ideation through commercialization, including strategy development, white-space opportunity identification, analysis of trends/unmet needs, end-user problem definition, research and discovery, future state redesign, and product concepting
• Design and execute qual and quant consumer research, including digital ethnographies, concept tests, and pricing studies
• Design and manage internal ideation and design thinking sessions; collaborate on development of new internal innovation process / sprint methodology
• Manage and/or build relationships with innovation partners; seek out new relationships with academics, consultants and subject matter experts
• Collaborate with Business Designers to prioritize opportunities and articulate thoughtful analyses into recommendations/business cases for pitches to senior leadership
• Development and circulation of monthly key insights and social listening reports
Preferred Experience and Capabilities
• Bachelor's degree required
• Minimum of 2 years of experience in innovation strategy, design thinking, innovation or strategy consulting; CPG experience preferred - beauty, food and beverage, supplements, with knowledge of current trends
• A strong passion for improving people’s lives through new packaged product design
• Empathy and curiosity for how people behave and how great brands and businesses behave, and openness to learning new techniques and from new perspectives
• Ability to nurture and champion new ideas, and contribute to creative solutions, with strong storytelling, communication and presentation abilities
• Strong analytical and creative problem-solving skills, led by a data-driven approach; you can break down complex problems into component parts, perform research, structure and analyze qualitative and quantitative data, and transform them to present viable solutions and/or inspiration for innovation
• Ability to work independently, comfort with navigating ambiguity, and energized by working in a fast-paced environment
• Demonstration of solid leadership qualities and collaboration skills; previous project management experience with proven ability to effectively manage multiple projects in a dynamic environment is preferred
• You are willing to travel as needed (anticipated up to 25%)