Senior Manager, Consumer Insights & Strategy - PepsiCo Shelf

PepsiCo is a world leader in convenient foods and beverages, with 2005 revenues of more than $32 billion and more than 157,000 employees.The company consists of Frito-Lay North America, PepsiCo Beverages North America, PepsiCo International and Quaker Foods North America. PepsiCo brands are available in nearly 200 countries and territories and generate sales at the retail level of about $85 billion.
PepsiCo offers product choices to meet a broad variety of needs and preference -- from fun-for-you items to product choices that contribute to healthier lifestyles.PepsiCo’s mission is “To be the world's premier consumer products company focused on convenient foods and beverages. We seek to produce healthy financial rewards to investors as we provide opportunities for growth and enrichment to our employees, our business partners and the communities in which we operate. And in everything we do, we strive for honesty, fairness and integrity.”Position Description:
The Sr. Research Manager will spend approximately 80% of his/her time on Innovation Insights related projects, and 20% of his/her time on Base Business Insights related projects.
The Sr. Research Manager works directly with the Sr. Marketing Manager - Innovation, the Marketing Manager ? Innovation, the Sr. Marketing Manager ? Base business and the Assistant Marketing Manager ? Base business.
The Sr. Research Manager will provide mid/senior-level leadership in consumer research to deliver insights that will 1) develop and fill a Shelf Stable Juice innovation pipeline, 2) guide overall Shelf Stable Juice Innovation strategy, and 3) monitor/track Base business performance. This person will be accountable for assessing information needs, and developing and implementing plans to address those needs. This person will be experienced at integrating relevant knowledge for maximum insight with the ability to translate into actionable recommendations.
The ideal candidate will have strong strategic thinking and thought leadership skills. This candidate must have the ability to think holistically about the entire business which includes the consumer, the category and the competitive environment. This candidate must also have the capacity to own research design, execution, data analysis and, translate consumer learning into consumer insights with actionable implications ensuring that the voice of the consumer is incorporated into all business decisions. Most importantly, the candidate must have experience in, and be open to new, different and creative ways of generating consumer insights, and be open to taking on all facets of research project management (from design to results presentation).
Primary Responsibilities: Partner with Marketing and R&D in developing project objectives and strategies. Provide guidance to the cross-functional business team by identifying key business and consumer issues and opportunities for the Innovation projects. Lead, develop and apply actionable frameworks for identifying growth opportunities. Present learning and insights as a basis for strategic decision making. Develop and manage an Innovation custom research budget (approx. $1MM). Monitor research spending for assigned projects, ensuring resources are allocated against priority initiatives. Leverage syndicated data sources (e.g. Health Focus, IRI scanner and panel data, Spectra and ITRAC/Consumption data) to help identify consumer trends and new product opportunities. Manage all facets of primary research (both qualitative and quantitative) in regards to the Innovation projects. Manage supplier selection, activity and work flow to ensure cost efficient, accurate, and timely completion of projects. Provide input to development of best practice research methodologies and assist in identifying innovative, efficient research tools/technologies. Identify and implement productivity opportunities to deliver savings and maximize our research dollars. Leverage IRI scanner data, panel data, and other syndicated sources (e.g. Spectra, NET, ITRAC) to help monitor and diagnose the brand/category and address base business issues and information needs.
REQUIREMENTS
Minimum Job Requirements:
Bachelor's Degree; Advanced Degree (MBA) preferred; 7+ years of relevant marketing research experience with a consumer packaged goods company; 5+ years experience as a consumer research professional.It is important the individual be well versed in research methodologies and posses the ability to apply research to address Marketing Innovation challenges.
Key Skills:
Communication ? Excellent written and verbal communication skills required. Able to translate complex data into actionable insights. Able to effectively communicate to all levels of the organization.Consulting ? Able to synthesize client needs into actionable cost efficient research plans. Able to partner with both clients and suppliers throughout research process. Able to provide decision making support to the organization and maximize organizational impact of research. Also have the ability to partner across divisions within PepsiCo.Project Management Skills ? Able to independently manage research projects from start to finish, delivering actionable insight within budget.Analytic Ability ? Strong analytical thinking skills are critical. Able to creatively solve business problems, innovating new approaches where required. Skilled in interpreting research, extracting insights, and communicating in a motivating way.Influencing Ability ? Able to influence all levels of organization towards actions identified in research.Technical Skills ? Able to recommend and manage both primary consumer research and scanner/panel analysis. Comfortable with both qualitative and quantitative research techniques. Familiar with analytic approaches such as in-market testing and price/promotion modeling.