Manager Innovation Strategist Jobs (NOW HIRING)

At PepsiCo, you’ll discover a place where our mission is to create smiles around the

world. With a portfolio of more than 500 beloved brands including Gatorade, Lay’s

and Quaker, our work touches millions of people every day.

At the heart of the company is a team of thinkers, creators, and problem-solvers who

collaborate to innovate and turn ideas into action. Driven by innovation and a focus

on creating joyful moments through food and drinks, our decisions are guided by

consumer centricity, creating opportunities for our associates to do meaningful work

and make a lasting impact in the communities we serve.

Whatever your role, you’ll be part of a global community that values your ideas and

empowers you to make an impact on your career and on the world around you.

The Pepsi Frito US Portfolio of the Future Consumer Insights team is the growth engine for human-centric, foresight driven decisions that lead to the next era of food experiences.

This role reports to the Director of ‘Future of Eating’ for Consumer Insights, and the team will work closely with senior cross functional stakeholders across marketing innovation, marketing, R&D, Shopper Insights and Product Design.

Everyone on our Portfolio of the Future Consumer Insights team contributes materially to delivering actionable recommendations that influence high impact key business decisions. We have 3 main responsibilities:

• Innovation Strategy: Identifying and translating consumer and market trends into innovation strategy
• Innovation Development: Leading the consumer agenda as a key input to our innovation development and optimization
• Innovation Transformation: Identify, develop and champion new capabilities and ways of working to balance risk and rigor and drive efficiency in day to day decisions.

Role Overview:
This role is responsible for identifying emerging health and wellness trends and future demand spaces, shaping PepsiCo Foods US understanding of how GLP1 adoption and adjacent healthdriven behaviors are redefining demand—and translating those shifts into actionable portfolio recommendations.

You will serve as a thought partner to senior leaders, helping the business navigate ambiguity and unlock growth amid rapidly evolving consumption patterns.

Health & Wellness Understanding & Foresight

• Lead development of a robust, evolving understanding of Health trends, including consumer motivations, behaviors, unmet needs, and tradeoffs across eating occasions.
• Identify how health and wellness lifestyle adoption is changing frequency, portion size, satisfaction drivers, nutritional priorities, etc.
• Partner with analytics teams to leverage panels, consumption data, and emerging data sources to quantify behavior change and demand impact

Future Demand & Innovation Strategy

• Translate health trend driven demand shifts into clear strategic implications for PFUS innovation pipelines and portfolio choices
• Identify white spaces and growth opportunities across formats, benefits, occasions, and usage moments
• Apply Jobs to Be Done, demand spaces, and cohort frameworks to reframe innovation opportunities through a Health Trending lens

Innovation Development & Learning

• Lead consumer learning agendas for health and wellness trends that are relevant for innovation, including concept development, testing, optimization, and concept development.
• Evolve testing and learning approaches to reflect new consumption realities (e.g., smaller portions, higher expectations for satiety, nutrition, and enjoyment).
• Provide thought leadership on how to evaluate innovation success in a changing demand landscape.

Stakeholder Leadership & Influence

• Serve as a trusted advisor to PFUS, Marketing, R&D, and Innovation leaders on various health and wellness trends, including GLP 1 implications and future demand.
• Drive outside in thinking and ensure insight to action translation across all stages of the innovation cycle.
• Effectively manage agency partners and internal stakeholders to deliver high quality, timely, and impactful insights.

What Success Looks Like

• You are recognized as a go to expert on health and wellness trends including GLP-1 behavior and future food demand.
• Your work directly influences innovation strategy, portfolio decisions, and go to market approaches
• Teams make faster, more confident decisions because you bring clarity to ambiguity
• Cross functional teams view Consumer Insights as a strategic growth partner, not just a research function

Compensation and Benefits:

• The expected compensation range for this position is between $110,700 - $185,250.
• Location, confirmed job-related skills, experience, and education will be considered in setting actual starting salary. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range during the hiring process.
• Bonus based on performance and eligibility target payout is 12% of annual salary paid out annually.
• Paid time off subject to eligibility, including paid parental leave, vacation, sick, and bereavement.
• In addition to salary, PepsiCo offers a comprehensive benefits package to support our employees and their families, subject to elections and eligibility: Medical, Dental, Vision, Disability, Health, and Dependent Care Reimbursement Accounts, Employee Assistance Program (EAP), Insurance (Accident, Group Legal, Life), Defined Contribution Retirement Plan.

Minimum Requirements:

• 5-7 years in marketing, insights, consumer research, consulting preferred; Bachelor’s Degree (Required)
• This role must sit at one of our main HQ locations Plano, TX (Preferred) or Chicago, IL
• Experience setting and leading cross-methodology insights agendas, well versed in research methodologies and possesses the ability to apply research to address business challenges.

Skills Profile:

• Preferred experience with breakthrough innovation development
• Experience with scientific, nutrition-based research is a plus
• Experience in IRI/Nielsen scanner and panel data
• Preferred experience with brand strategy & positioning
• Strong initiative and results orientation
• Ability to translate market dynamics to insight
• Strong influencing, communication, and storytelling skills
• Strong strategic thinking and problem solving
• Collaboration / teamwork skills; experience in matrix environment(s)
• Comfort with ambiguity and ability to adapt and prioritize
• Excellent project and budget management skills
• Bias for action

Our Company will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of the Fair Credit Reporting Act, and all other applicable laws, including but not limited to, San Francisco Police Code Sections 4901-4919, commonly referred to as the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance; and Chapter XVII, Article 9 of the Los Angeles Municipal Code, commonly referred to as the Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, or disability status.

PepsiCo is an Equal Opportunity Employer: /Female / Minority / Disability / Protected Veteran / Sexual Orientation / Gender Identity

If you'd like more information about your EEO rights as an applicant under the law, please download the available EEO is the Law & EEO is the Law Supplement documents. View PepsiCo EEO Policy.

Please view our Pay Transparency Statement

Minimum Requirements:

• 5-7 years in marketing, insights, consumer research, consulting preferred; Bachelor’s Degree (Required)
• This role must sit at one of our main HQ locations Plano, TX (Preferred) or Chicago, IL
• Experience setting and leading cross-methodology insights agendas, well versed in research methodologies and possesses the ability to apply research to address business challenges.

Skills Profile:

• Preferred experience with breakthrough innovation development
• Experience with scientific, nutrition-based research is a plus
• Experience in IRI/Nielsen scanner and panel data
• Preferred experience with brand strategy & positioning
• Strong initiative and results orientation
• Ability to translate market dynamics to insight
• Strong influencing, communication, and storytelling skills
• Strong strategic thinking and problem solving
• Collaboration / teamwork skills; experience in matrix environment(s)
• Comfort with ambiguity and ability to adapt and prioritize
• Excellent project and budget management skills
• Bias for action