Innovation and Brand Change Commercialization Manager

Our Company: 

Congo Brands is at the epicenter of where consumer demand meets product development. Through brand partnerships with lead influencers, we are afforded an inside look at what consumers truly desire. Congo Brands is a health and wellness brand that sells supplements, fitness snacks, hydration drinks, energy drinks, and more through e-commerce and retail partnerships. Congo Brands houses some of the world’s most noted brands including Alani Nu, Prime Hydration, and 3D Energy. Congo Brands is on pace to become one of the world’s most noted consumer product companies, with revenue growth increasing exponentially year over year. Congo Brand’s goal is to be the go-to ‘Better for You Brand’ for everything from ready-to-drink beverages, snacks, supplements and more.

The Role:

The Innovation and Brand Change Commercialization Manager role will streamline and execute our strategic initiatives within the Beverage, Nutrition, and Personal Care products markets. In this role you will apply your experience to enhance existing product lines, align cross-functional stakeholders, and champion cost/risk optimization workstreams.

This role is on-site at our Louisville, KY headquarters.

Key Responsibilities:

• Own a pipeline of projects as a key leader responsible for the execution of project timelines and outlining of resources, with a strong understanding of linkages between tasks throughout the process of commercializing a new item.
• Lead the commercialization process for product changes, including formulation modifications, packaging updates, and cost optimization initiatives.
• Collaborate with R&D and operations teams to ensure smooth transition and implementation of product changes.
• Assess and manage potential risks associated with brand change initiatives, developing mitigation strategies and contingency plans.
• Shepard complex projects through the Stage Gate process, and compile postmortems for review.
• Lead cross-functional meetings outlining action items for follow ups as guidelines for the core project team(s).
• Organize cross-functional input (ex.: regulatory, finance, operations, sales, marketing) for new projects, ensuring key stakeholders have a voice at the table within the working team.
• Facilitate project scorecards (project status, action items, achievements) to key partners and encourage accountability for teams responsible for completing tasks at hand.
• Act as the “activist” role in overcoming obstacles and keeping projects progressing through the Stage Gate process.
• Establish and maintain meaningful relationships throughout cross-functional teams and external vendors.
• Use effective project management skills, including but not limited to GANTT charts, A3 problem solving, chartering, stakeholder analysis, RACI, work breakdown structure; critical path; crashing technique; setting milestones and progress reporting to move a project from inception to completion
• Other duties as required 

Key Skills and Experience Preferred:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Business, Supply Chain, or related fields
• Minimum 5 years of responsibility in Project Management, R&D Innovation, or Supply Chain analysis
• Excellent communication and presentation skills (written and oral)
• Demonstrated strength in inspiring a team-oriented collaborative environment
• Demonstrated leadership in supervisory or managerial roles
• Ability to work independently/self-starter
• Ability to travel as needed
• Strong MS Office/Excel capabilities
• Has a demonstrated passion that align with the core values of Alani Nu
• Experience with NetSuite/ERP systems is a plus
• PMP Certification is a plus

Benefits & Perks:

• Competitive Salary
• Health/Vision/Dental Benefits
• 15 days of PTO + 8 paid holidays
• 6 weeks paid parental leave
• 401(k) plan with employer match
• Monthly cell phone stipend
• AND SO MUCH MORE!

#PRIME

Congo Brands, LLC. Is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, veteran status, age, or any other classification protected by Federal, state, or local law.