Innovation Manager in Datchet

Role : Innovation Manager ( 12 Month Maternity Cover)

Work Level : 1C

Life tastes better with ice cream With 19.000 expert ice cream colleagues and iconic brands like Wall's, Cornetto and Ben & Jerry's, loved in 76 countries, we are the world's largest Ice Cream company leading the industry.

We create iconic ice cream brands that are part of everyday life, bringing moments of joy to millions of people around the world. Everybody loves ice cream. And as the world's biggest pure‑play ice cream company, we have the scale and ambition to make a real difference.

What truly sets us apart is how we work.

We move fast and keep things simple. We turn ideas into action, trust people to take ownership, and work as one team to win together with integrity. Our culture is high‑performance, collaborative and focused on getting things done.

We're curious and ready for what's next. We embrace digital, use data to make better decisions, and keep learning, including how AI can help us work smarter and serve consumers better.

The Magnum Ice Cream Company (formerly a division of Unilever) is now a standalone, independent, EUR 7.9 billion publicly listed company. We're on a mission to create the ultimate snacking company. A place where growth, innovation, founder and ownership mentality, and performance are cultivated and rewarded. And where we craft extraordinary ice cream experiences - transforming ordinary moments into lasting memories. Because we know, life tastes better with ice cream.

We dream big but keep things simple to act fast.If you want to grow with us, make an impact, and shape the future of Ice Cream , this is the place for you!

Background/Context:

Ben & Jerry's was founded in 1978 in a renovated gas station in Burlington Vermont, USA by childhood friends & dedicated activists Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield. They took a $5 correspondence course in ice cream making from Penn State University and with a $12,000 investment ($4,000 was borrowed), they began their business making the finest quality ice cream with big chunks and swirls. They operated the company on a sustainable concept of linked prosperity and a 3 part mission where product, economic and social objectives carried equal importance.

Today, Ben & Jerry's is a €400m+ business in Europe and one of the fastest growing brands within the total European Ice Cream portfolio. As a result, we are looking for a passionate marketer to help deliver our ambition of doubling the size of the business while simultaneously becoming the most ethical food brand in the market. This dynamic role includes responsibility for the development and execution of values centred new product development, all with the objective of accelerating growth sustainably.

The Role

The Ben & Jerry's EU Innovation Manager manages and supports innovation projects from concept through launch, working closely with cross‑functional teams across Europe. They will help bring consumer, category, customer, and market insights into the innovation pipeline, while ensuring projects are delivered on time, with strong commercial discipline and brand integrity.

This is a one year temporary role opening due to a leave.

What You'll Be Responsible For :

• Overall support across marketing & innovation delivery requirement
• Lead innovation projects through the internal innovation process, from concept to launch
• Support additional innovation projects by providing project management including managing timelines, meetings, milestones, and key project documentation
• Assist in landing innovations in market, working closely with the local country teams to deliver OTIF (on time in full) & delivering on the business case
• Work with cross functional marketing teams in the development of innovation sell‑in support and materials & communications plans.
• Work closely with the design dept to ensure excellent brand representation across all materials including packaging, POS, etc.
• Contribute to the development of the 18- 36 month portfolio roadmap
• Pro-actively feed market, category and customer requirements into platform innovation projects
• Support the development and execution of annual marketing plans & BETs
• Recommend and commission consumer research where needed
• Champion the consumer needs and brand passion within the overall business
• Partner with the Social Mission Team on integration of social mission campaigns/objectives in marketing plans.
• Provide regular support to event organisation, trade samples, and other launch related activities
• Budget support including PO raising.

We're Looking for Someone Who...

• You bring marketing experience in the ice cream or broader food category, with a genuine passion for building brands that connect with consumers.
• You are collaborative, commercially minded, and self‑motivated, with strong project management skills and the ability to build trusted cross‑functional relationships.
• You combine consumer insight and financial awareness to help move innovation from idea to launch.

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