At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead innovative projects from concept to launch, driving consumer insights and collaboration.
- Company: Join AG Barr, a leading brand with a commitment to diversity and sustainability.
- Benefits: Enjoy competitive salary, flexible holidays, healthcare plans, and ongoing professional development.
- Other info: Dynamic work environment with opportunities for growth and creativity.
- Why this job: Make a real impact by shaping the future of iconic brands like IRN-BRU and RUBICON.
- Qualifications: Degree educated with experience in innovation or marketing, especially in FMCG.
The predicted salary is between 49500 - 60500 £ per year.
Location: Hybrid working from any of our HUBS (Cumbernauld, Middlebrook, Milton Keynes, Farringdon)
Contract and working pattern: 37.5 hours per week - Permanent
Are you ready to Be Your Best Barr None? Lets Grow!!! We are all about Being Your Best Barr None and having a career with real Moments that Matter!
Employing around 850 people across the UK, we are proud to be a responsible business that takes care of our people, values diversity, gives something back to our communities and works to minimise our environmental impact.
For 150 years AG Barr has been building great brands and is home to some of the nations favourite flavours. At our core is IRN-BRU, launched in 1901 and still going strong today, the vibrant RUBICON fruit based brand, Boost making every moment better with a caffeine kick, hydration hit or tasty treat, and FUNKIN where real fruit means authentic taste. We also have a number of exciting owned brands within our portfolio including MOMA, which crafts quality oats into great tasting oat drinks and porridges.
What we’re looking for… Innovation is a key strategic pillar within our growing business. This role combines both consumer marketing & commercial skills, with success being measured on the business value delivered by the innovations developed. At the heart of this role is the ability to create, manage and execute innovation from end to end. Starting with the generation of compelling insights from multiple data sources, developing and refining concepts and taking validated concepts from ideas into reality, including the development of launch plans. This is a full end to end role from strategy to execution.
In delivering successful innovation you will lead and inspire cross-functional teams, with strong levels of collaboration, strategic thinking and creativity. Once launched you will ensure that projects continue to be managed through the incubation period, creating long term support plans and influencing across the business to maintain focus and momentum.
As our Innovation Manager, you will be:
- Helping to build a healthy pipeline of ideas, grounded in consumer insight by proactively understanding and identifying latest technologies and consumer trends and their application to our portfolio.
- Leading workshops and engaging agency partners to create concepts for validation - undertaking qualitative and quantitative research in order to identify those concepts that provide consumer appeal at scale.
- Translating “blue-sky” and white space concepts into commercially viable pipelines.
- Managing innovation projects through AG Barr’s innovation process. This requires excellence in cross functional working and the ability to bring teams together to drive solutions towards a common goal.
- Development of the proposition for each new launch and excellence in briefing agencies to deliver brand/product identity and positioning that delivers against these propositions.
- Working closely with R&D, packaging and design agencies to create products that deliver against the proposition.
- Creation and execution of successful marketing plans to support the launch of new brands and products across the full marketing mix.
- In conjunction with the commercial team, develop robust business cases for new launches, based on clear and well-founded assumptions, to deliver a 3 year P&L that will provide the business with the targets for all innovation launches.
What you’ll bring… Ideally degree educated and significant experience in industry across innovation or marketing functions. Comfortable working in a fast paced and entrepreneurial environment. Strong brand management experience within FMCG. Experience within soft drink and or alcoholic beverage categories, welcomed. Ability to create compelling consumer insights from diverse sources. Creative thinker with experience in a branded goods marketing role – including branded New Product Development. Strong FMCG innovation and ideation experience. Evidence of having worked at the front end of innovation, with a proven track record of creating winning ideas grounded in consumer insight. Evidence of managing multiple and often complex projects / priorities in a fast-paced environment. Ability to multi-task and manage multiple projects at once and navigate ambiguity. Sufficient process & research knowledge to generate & validate new concepts & turn these into workable business solutions. Strong leadership, communication skills & influencing skills. Commercially astute and able to effectively analyse large volumes of data into insights and actionable recommendations. Previous experience managing internal and external partners.
You will also demonstrate our AG Barr behaviours of Being Honest, Accountable, Connected and Brave.
What we offer… We believe in creating a diverse and inclusive culture where your voice can be heard. Our skilled, loyal and committed people are critical to the future success of AG Barr which is why we are continually investing in our employees to develop their talent. We look after our employees by offering a competitive salary and benefits package which includes:
- Uncapped bonus linked to business performance
- Defined contribution Pension
- Up to 34 days holiday (depending on shift pattern)
- Flexible holiday trading
- Flexible cash pot to spend on benefits
- Healthcare Cash Plan
- Flexible benefits e.g. discounts & cashbacks, gym memberships, technology purchases etc
- Life assurance
- Save as you earn scheme
- Staff sales discount
- Free AG Barr products throughout your working day and staff sales
- Annual salary review
- Ongoing professional development and access to Learning and Development programmes and content
- And much more!
To find out more about what it is like to work for AG Barr, please visit our careers platform here. We are an equal opportunities employer and happy to discuss any reasonable adjustments that may be needed for successful candidates with a disability, health or mental health condition.
While we have highlighted our ideal requirements for this role, we are realistic that the successful candidate probably won't meet every single requirement in this advert, but we are big advocates of people growing in role. So even if you don’t meet every single requirement, we encourage you to submit an application - you may be just what we are looking for! Apply now!
Speculative CVs from agencies will not be accepted. Latest closing date for applications is 15th November. Please note, we may close vacancies early where we receive significant numbers of applications, so apply now!
Innovation Manager in London employer: AG Barr
AG Barr is an exceptional employer that prioritises the well-being and growth of its employees, offering a vibrant work culture in Cumbernauld. With a commitment to diversity, community engagement, and environmental responsibility, we provide extensive benefits including up to 34 days of holiday, a flexible cash pot for personal benefits, and a defined contribution pension plan. Join us to lead innovative engineering strategies in a company that values your contributions and fosters meaningful career development.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Innovation Manager in London
✨Leverage Innovation Hubs
Tap into local innovation hubs and research centres. These places often host events and workshops where you can meet like-minded people and industry leaders. Plus, they might have job openings that aren't widely advertised, so keep your ears open!
✨Showcase Your Projects
Turn your past innovation projects into compelling stories. Create a portfolio showcasing your creativity and problem-solving skills. This can give hiring managers a real flavour of what you can bring to the table at companies like AG Barr.
✨Connect at Industry Conferences
Make it a point to attend industry conferences and seminars focused on R&D and innovation management. These events are fantastic for networking and often have job boards or career fairs where you can connect directly with firms looking for talent.
✨Use Your University’s Resources
If you're fresh out of university, don't forget to tap into your institution's career services. They often have exclusive partnerships with companies seeking new talent in R&D, especially for full-time roles. It's a good shortcut to landing a gig at places like AG Barr.
We think you need these skills to ace Innovation Manager in London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Showcase Your Creative Thinking:In innovation and R&D management, it's all about thinking outside the box. Make sure your CV highlights any projects or experiences that showcase your creative problem-solving skills. Use specific examples to illustrate how you've developed and implemented innovative ideas in previous roles.
Tailor Your Experience to R&D:When you're crafting your CV, focus on your experience in research and development. Highlight any relevant projects you've worked on, including methodologies used and results achieved. This will show us at AG Barr that you understand the R&D process and can contribute meaningfully to our projects.
Let Your Passion Shine in the Cover Letter:For a full-time role like this, your cover letter should reflect your genuine passion for innovation and development. Share your excitement about the opportunity to work at AG Barr and touch on how your goals align with our mission. This helps us see your motivation for wanting to join our team!
Quantify Your Achievements:Numbers speak volumes in R&D! Whenever possible, quantify your achievements in your CV. Whether it’s a percentage improvement in project outcomes, the budget size you’ve managed, or the number of successful products you've launched, these figures will help paint a clearer picture of your impact and capabilities.
How to prepare for a job interview at AG Barr
✨Show Off Your Innovative Thinking
In an Innovation R&D Management role at AG Barr, they're going to want to see how you approach problem-solving. Be ready to discuss previous projects where you introduced a new idea or process. Highlight your ability to think outside the box and provide examples where your innovations drove significant results.
✨Familiarity with Tools and Technologies
Make sure you're clued up on the latest tools and technologies related to innovation management, such as project management software and data analysis platforms. Being able to discuss specific tools you’ve used or have experience with will show AG Barr that you’re ready to hit the ground running.
✨Demonstrate Collaboration Skills
Since this is a full-time gig, emphasising your teamwork skills will be essential. In innovation, collaboration often sparks the best ideas, so be ready to talk about how you've worked effectively within cross-functional teams in your past roles. Have concrete examples at the ready!
✨Prepare for Scenario-Based Questions
Expect some scenario-based questions in your interview that reflect real challenges you might face in the role. £At AG Barr, they might want to see how you handle tight deadlines or manage conflicting ideas within a team. Prepare some responses that demonstrate your critical thinking and decisiveness in high-pressure situations.
