Vp Automation Innovation Jobs (NOW HIRING)

The VP of Innovation will be responsible for leading Kinder's innovation team and driving our pipeline across new products, categories, and emerging packaging formats. This leader will play a critical role in shaping the future growth of the company by identifying new opportunities for flavor innovation and driving the development of capabilities required to successfully bring them to market.

This role owns development of the strategic innovation portfolio, including the evaluation, prioritization, and advancement of opportunities through the pipeline, building the roadmap for new platforms and categories, and leading the Innovation team to ensure early-stage concepts best meet consumer needs and have strong technical and commercial pathways to scale. The VP of Innovation will work closely with cross-functional partners including Strategy, Consumer Insights, Culinary, R&D, Commercialization, Operations, and Creative (among others) to translate emerging ideas into viable opportunities and ensure strong alignment from concept through commercialization. This role is also responsible for upholding a high bar for innovation, ensuring new platforms meet Kinder's high quality standards and deliver exceptional consumer experiences.

Once a platform is technically stable and commercially validated, this role will be responsible for ensuring it is effectively transitioned to the Brand team for long-term ownership and continued growth. Success in this role requires both strategic thinking and operational leadership – balancing big-picture innovation strategy with the practical realities of product development, capability building, and commercialization in a fast-moving entrepreneurial environment.

• Drive the innovation pipeline, including long-term opportunity identification, portfolio strategy, and near- and mid-term prioritization of innovation initiatives.
• Guide the Innovation team in identifying consumer, culinary, and market trends to define whitespace opportunities, product platforms, flavor formats, and adjacent categories that can drive future growth for Kinder's.
• Translate consumer insights and market signals into clear innovation strategies and priority platforms supported by our ability to achieve strong differentiation and exceptional consumer flavor experiences.
• Develop innovation roadmaps that thoughtfully sequence development based on strategic fit, technical capabilities, category growth opportunities, consumer expectations, and retailer needs.
• Build "Kinder's friendly" processes and best practices that allow Kinder's to consistently generate, evaluate, prioritize, and scale new ideas.

• Work with cross-functional partners to identify technical, operational, and organizational capabilities required to successfully enter and scale new platforms
• Ensure cross-functional engagement in the development of new platforms and categories, defining work to be done, outlining success criteria, and ensuring the right internal partners are involved.
• Quickly identify and escalate key risks or roadblocks to maintain quality with speed and ensure successful commercialization.
• Oversee the Innovation Team's role as interim Brand Managers for new platforms and categories, driving concepts from early development through launch and stabilization before transition to Brand.
• Facilitate strong collaboration between Innovation and Brand to ensure successful transfer of ownership when platforms are ready for transition.
• Guide collaboration between Innovation and technical partners to ensure clear articulation of flavor targets, product claims, and refinements for new concept development informed by consumer insights.

• Drive the Innovation team to identify opportunities where packaging, format, or product configuration could unlock new usage occasions or enhance consumer experience.

• Partner with cross-functional partners (e.g., Strategy, Sales, R&D) to ensure innovation priorities are aligned with consumer brand permission, operational capabilities, and commercial goals.
• Work closely with Portfolio Management to define pre-commercialization viability, support launch readiness, and meet timelines once in flight.
• Clearly communicate and drive alignment around innovation strategy, priorities, progress, and risks with senior leadership and key internal partners.
• Foster a culture of curiosity, experimentation, and disciplined risk-taking within the Innovation organization.
• Mentor and develop individual Innovation team members while encouraging cross-functional learning and collaboration
• Champion Kinder's mission to deliver exceptional flavor innovation to consumers.

Education/Experience

• 12+ years of experience in innovation, product development, or category strategy within food & beverage or adjacent consumer industries.
• Demonstrated ability to build and manage innovation portfolios and product platform roadmaps.
• Experience identifying and building the capabilities required to enter new product platforms (e.g., technical, operational, commercial).
• Experience translating cross-functional innovation initiatives from early-concept through commercialization and scale.
• Strong communication and organizational leadership skills with the ability to align cross-functional internal teams and external partners around complex innovation initiatives.
• Deep understanding of consumer insights, product development processes, and commercialization dynamics.
• Experience working in fast-paced, entrepreneurial environments where teams must move quickly and make decisions with incomplete information.

Personal Characteristics

• Strategic thinker with a passion for identifying white-space opportunities and breakthrough product platforms.
• Highly collaborative leader who thrives in cross-functional environments and builds strong partnerships across technical, commercial, and brand teams.
• Self-starter who takes initiative and is willing to challenge conventional thinking.
• Comfortable working in ambiguity and making decisions with imperfect information
• Growth mindset with curiosity and excitement for learning.
• Passionate about developing people, with a demonstrated ability to mentor, coach, and grow team members into stronger leaders while building a high-performing, collaborative culture.
• Low ego with a strong sense of humility.
• Passionate about building flavor experiences that delight consumers and push flavor innovation forward.

The position will be based onsite in Walnut Creek, CA. We strongly believe in the power of culture and community and have a hybrid work structure with 4 days in the office on a weekly basis to encourage collaboration and personal connections that will allow us to better serve our customers and consumer and to have more fun.

The expected starting salary range for this role is $275,000-$300,000 per year. We may ultimately pay more or less than the posted range based on the location of the role. The amount a particular employee will earn within the salary range will be based on factors such as relevant education, qualifications, performance and business needs.