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Innovation Coach - Snacks - Minneapolis, MN

General Mills

General Mills

Golden Valley, MN, USA
Posted on Wednesday, August 23, 2023

Job Description

OVERVIEW

This role, as part of the Snacks PDA Team will work collaboratively to deliver on significant innovation goals for the Snacks OU. Key brands/businesses include Nature Valley, Fiber One, Pillsbury, Chex Mix, Totinos, and others. They will support the build and advancement of pipelines through consumer first design best practices that help teams fall in love with the problem, align solutions to consumer needs, and deliver remarkable first moment of truth. By partnering closely with the cross-functional team to define learning objectives, they will champion the intersection of consumer empathy and business strategy to deliver sustainable innovation for the business. They will work in a dynamic business environment to ensure robust pipelines and to reduce barriers to experimentation. This leader will also partner in ITQ to increase the overall innovation acumen across the Snacks ITQ function.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES

  • Build and advance consumer-first innovation pipelines through partnership with key cross-functional partners, the broader ITQ team, and leveraging external partners
  • Champion consumer-first strategy development for the important innovation opportunity areas with each relevant business units
  • Coach teams through learning plans and innovation practices such as LOFA (Leap of Faith Assumptions), design principles, BML (Build, Measure & Learn) loops, and others
  • Build, execute, and reduce barriers to learning through experimentation and product design methodology
  • Partner with the learning community to develop learning plans for pipeline development across all brands and segments
  • Partner across the Global Product Design team and other ITQ teams to advance capabilities
  • Elevate innovation thinking across the Snacks ITQ platform

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

  • Bachelors in Food Science, Engineering, Product Guidance & Insights, Consumer Insights, Marketing or Innovation Studies
  • Experience with consumer-first design thinking/Innovation Academy Process
  • Demonstrated strong interpersonal skills, strategic planning, and engaging leader skills
  • Demonstrated business savvy, acumen and ability to influence the business and cross-functional teams
  • Passion for innovation
  • Desire to challenge assumptions and identify new opportunities
  • Strong communication skills and global mindset

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

  • Experience leading innovation and pipeline-building
  • Experience and skills in influencing business strategies
  • Takes accountability to win, has a bias for action, and can deliver results through others
  • Business judgment and problem solving
  • Experience in leading conversations, facilitating learning, and coaching groups through processes

COMPANY OVERVIEW

We exist to make food the world loves. But we do more than that. Our company is a place that prioritizes being a force for good, a place to expand learning, explore new perspectives and reimagine new possibilities, every day. We look for people who want to bring their best — bold thinkers with big hearts who challenge one other and grow together. Because becoming the undisputed leader in food means surrounding ourselves with people who are hungry for what’s next.


Salary Range

The salary range for this position is $67300.00 - $101200.00 / Annually. At General Mills we strive for each employee's pay at any point in their career to reflect their experiences performance and skills for their current role. The salary range for this role represents the numerous factors considered in the hiring decisions including, but not limited to, educations, skills, work experience, certifictions, etc. As such, pay for the succesful candidate(s) could fall anywhere within the stated range. Beyond base salary, General Mills offers a competitive Total Rewards package focusing on your overall well-being. We are proud to offer a foundation of health benefits, retirement and financial wellbeing, time off programs, wellbeing support and perks. Benefits may vary by role, country, region, union status, and other employment status factors. You may also be eligible to participate in an annual incentive program. An incentive award, if any, depends on various factors, including, individual and organizational performance.