Innovation Project Manager, London

ASR Group is the world’s largest refiner and marketer of cane sugar, with an annual production capacity of more than 6 million tons of sugar. The company produces a full line of grocery, industrial, food service and specialty sweetener products. Across North America, ASR Group owns and operates six sugar refineries, located in Louisiana, New York, California, Maryland, Canada and Mexico. In the European Union, the company owns and operates sugar refineries in England and Portugal. ASR Group also owns and operates mills in Mexico and Belize. The company’s brand portfolio includes the leading brands Domino, C&H, Redpath, Tate & Lyle, Lyle’s and Sidul.

POSITION SCOPE

The Project Manager – Innovation, R&D is to successfully lead the delivery of multiple new product launches in sugars, syrups, and new category developments in adherence to a stage gate process across Europe concurrently, from the most straightforward to the most complex; this involves both launching the product successfully into the business as well as into our customers and their consumers. The role involves collaboration across Europe and North America to successfully influence multiple cross-functional stakeholders across the enterprise.

Position Strategic Objectives and Key Deliverables

1. Lead and manage cross-functional New Product Development (NPD) teams using the Stage-Gate methodology to drive the Innovation process from end to end, while planning and controlling schedules, targets and budget.
2. Manage overall project actions, issues, risks and dependencies, and drive through resolution or mitigation.
3. Effective management of time-cost-quality constraints in order to maximize long-term profitability and sales opportunities for the organisation.
4. Creation and development of excellent cross-functional networks and stakeholder communication.
5. Communicate with business partners (including program managers) and project team members to ensure alignment around goals and task deliverable.
6. Maintain progress on projects by motivating team members, addressing pain points, and leading quality assurance.

Detailed Roles and Responsibilities

1. Manages new products from idea / concept through to commercialization including post launch governance using a stage gate process.
2. Builds and manages complex project plans/timelines spanning extended time periods and interfacing with almost all business functions.
3. Acts as the single point of ownership for a defined change program within the portfolio.
4. Steering Committee – optimizing the custom business case readiness process to ensure the steering committee continues to make informed decisions on portfolio entries and marketplace additions.
5. Works closely with European Operations, Supply Chain, Purchasing, Quality, Finance, Marketing and Sales teams to successfully deliver each new product launch into the market.
6. Provides cohesion among cross-functional stakeholders by leading regular project team meetings across Europe.
7. Actively updates and maintains portfolio management database.
8. Provides clear and concise communication to stakeholders across the organization.
9. Collects, develops and refines product attributes and requirements with input from relevant stakeholders (e.g., customer/consumers, internal experts, executives, etc.).
10. Acts as gatekeeper for requirement changes throughout the stage gate development process for given new product projects within the portfolio.
11. Supports development by recommending creative, innovative approaches to break through barriers and challenge conventional thinking.
12. Provides project status reports for each project for roll-up into overall portfolio status reporting.
13. Handles complaints, settle disputes, resolve conflicts, and negotiate with others.

Essential Capabilities (knowledge, Skills, Abilities and Personal Attributes)

1. Strong working knowledge of a stage gate process and all that is required to effectively commercialize a product/project.
2. Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
3. Having the ability to manage and monitor a large number of projects to completion.
4. Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
5. Ability to network effectively with stakeholders and build relationships across all levels of the organization.
6. An understanding of Customer Experience.
7. Ability to work in detail.
8. Ability to clearly communicate complexity in different ways to different audiences within the organization.
9. Adept at achieving through others.
10. The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
11. The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
12. Has a strong sense of urgency and is deadline-oriented. The ability to handle multiple projects at one time.
13. Strong interpersonal skills.
14. Strong oral and written communication skills.
15. Demonstrable experience in Project Management for the Consumer Goods Industry.
16. Extensive delivery management experience either within a programme, project or work package context.
17. Strong working knowledge of product and packaging development and familiarity with quality assurance procedures.
18. 10% local travel required.
19. Product Development and/or Project Management experience within the FMCG industry.
20. Practitioner in PRINCE2 / MSP/ PMP/ CAPM/ Scrum Master or equivalent project management certification preferred.

Company Values

At Tate & Lyle Sugars, the group’s values are the cornerstone of our success:

1. Leadership: our goal is to be the leader in every arena in which we compete.
2. Teamwork: our strength is magnified when we work together.
3. Integrity: honesty and trust are the foundation of our success.
4. Service: we know that the people and communities in which we operate are crucial partners to our success.
5. Sustainability: the member companies of ASR Group are committed to sustainable agricultural and business practices.

At Tate & Lyle Sugars, our goal is to be the most admired sweetener Company.

Service Excellence: Be the industry’s Gold Standard by a relentless focus on reliability, providing products with superior quality and excellent customer services.
Efficiency and Sustainability: Eliminate inefficiency to be a sustainable, low cost producer and to generate fuel for reinvestment.
Value-Add: create strategic advantage and enhanced profitability through value-added products and services. The foundation of our values is Talent and Culture as we aim to build, retain and motivate a winning team.

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