Associate Director - Disruptive Innovation and M&A Strategy

THE ROLE:

• This position will report to the: Chief Growth Officer
• Travel Requirement: TBD
• Location: Remote
• FLSA Status: Exempt
• Shift: 1st
• Employment Category: Full Time - Regular
• Pay Range: $160-$185

INGENUITY GROWS GOOD.

Guided by its purpose — Ingenuity Grows Good — Bolthouse Farms is recognized as a leader in growing, manufacturing, and distributing high quality, nutrient dense branded products. Employing more than 2,200 people and headquartered in Bakersfield, California’s fertile San Joaquin Valley, Bolthouse Farms is one of the largest carrot growers and distributors in the U.S. and manufactures the No. 1 premium refrigerated branded beverage in U.S. retail. Bolthouse Farms is made up of farm and food fanatics who work every day to serve Our Land, Our People, and All People. Visit Bolthouse Farms or follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter to learn more.

WHAT YOU’LL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR IN THIS ROLE

The Associate Director of Disruptive Innovation and M&A Strategy will be a key leader within the organization. Reporting to the Chief Growth Officer, this individual will be responsible for disruptive innovation, including developing consumer insight-led platform innovation within our category, extending our brands into new categories, and supporting the evaluation of new brands to add to the portfolio. In addition, this role supports the commercial due diligence of potential acquisition targets, primarily leading work associated with the industry trend, consumer, and value creation theses. This position requires a candidate that is a strategist, innovator, collaborator, and driver of results.

Innovation

• Lead market analytics and direct research efforts to develop “new to the world” and/or “new to the category” disruptive innovation platforms. Includes innovation within our current categories and beyond
• Collaborate with Consumer Insights partners to deeply understand the wants and needs of existing and new consumer segments
• Identify, size, and prioritize new whitespace opportunities that have a strong consumer benefit and point of difference, complement the existing portfolio, and maximize incrementality
• Develop the concept, positioning, portfolio differentiation, claims direction, pricing strategy, and financial forecasts for new products
• Collaborate with cross-functional project teams to commercialize new items, from idea through first production. Partner with Brand and Sales on customer sell-in, then facilitate successful hand-off to the Brand Management team for go-to-market launch planning
• Partner with Brand Management to develop a comprehensive 3-year innovation roadmap for each brand, inclusive of the disruptive innovation you’ll lead and the closer-in innovation, line extensions, and renovations led by the Brand team
• M&A Strategy and Diligence Support
• Internal lead for commercial due diligence of potential acquisition targets, in partnership with Butterfly Equity. Includes leading market and company analysis and developing a thesis on operational value creation levers
• Contribute to the evaluation of management teams
• Provide a definitive point of view on the attractiveness of targets

Brand Partnerships

• Help refine our brand partnership strategy and support execution where relevant
• Scope of strategic evaluation includes potential manufacturing, distribution, sales, brand collaboration, and licensing partnerships
• Scope of execution support includes brand partnerships and licensing

WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree required; MBA in Marketing preferred
• Must have 2+ years of experience in an innovation specific role
• Proficient in MS Office suite and IRI/Nielsen syndicated data

Additional Required Qualifications:

• 8+ years of total work experience, with real-world operational experience in a food or beverage setting, ideally combined with a management consulting or investment banking background
• Proven track record of developing and launching successful whitespace innovation within the food and beverage industry
• A strong collaborator with experience leading external agency partners and internal cross functional teams. Ability to influence without direct authority
• Experience leveraging syndicated data to develop data-driven recommendations and strategies
• Demonstrated ability to draw insightful conclusions from consumer research, and translate them into actionable business strategies and tactics
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including experience presenting to senior business leaders
• Track record as a leader, mentor, and developer of talent
• An ownership mindset, a focus on execution, and the ability to remain nimble and grounded in the face of ambiguity in a dynamic, fast paced company in transition

Preferred Qualifications:

• Prior experience in management consulting or investment banking

Physical Demands:

• N/A

WHAT WE OFFER

Our rich benefits packages are designed to support the health and well-being of both our eligible co-workers and their families.

• Medical
• Dental
• Vision
• Group Life and AD&D
• Voluntary Life and AD&D
• Group Short-Term Disability
• Group Long-Term Disability
• Flexible Spending Accounts
• Employee Assistance Program
• 401(k)
• Paid Time Off

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY
We are an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering a culturally diverse organization. We strive for inclusiveness and a workplace where mutual respect is paramount. We encourage applications from a diverse pool of candidates, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, or veteran status. We will provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities, as need, to assist them in performing essential job functions.

REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS
Reasonable accommodations will be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. If you are interested in applying for employment with Bolthouse Farms and need special assistance to apply for a posted position, or if you believe you do not meet any of the required qualifications of a posted position due to a protected disability and would like to explore the possibility of an accommodation, please contact our Talent Acquisition team at: TalentAcquisition@bolthouse.com for additional support and guidance.

RECRUITMENT AGENCIES:
Bolthouse Farms does not accept unsolicited agency resumes. Bolthouse Farms is not responsible for any fees related to unsolicited resumes.

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