VP Innovation

Advanced degree in Packaging Engineering or related field
10+ years of experience developing liquid dispensing products
Material Science knowledge
Understanding of Injection Molding
Knowledge of dispensing markets and applications and a proven track-record of collaboration to bring new products to market
Knowledge of CPG customers development processes and requirements is preferred
Knowledge of Sustainability trends and the implications for product development & product performance
Disciplined approach to project management with excellent skills at leading cross-functional teams through accelerated brief development processes through each stage of the stage gate process
Understanding of financial metrics and business case development
Passion and sense of urgency to bring projects to a successful commercialization
Strong analytical & problem-solving skills
Comfort with being a challenging partner
Excellent written and verbal communication skills
Continuous improvement mindset
Exceptional leadership & collaboration skills: A global orientation with the ability to lead across cultures

Lead and drive timely execution of the company’s innovation pipeline to meet SDS growth and profitability goals
Collaborate with Marketing to identify and develop new features and enhancement options for existing products
Build a high-performance engineering team with diverse expertise in a range of technologies and applications
Provide leadership and guidance to the team while building a culture of collaboration and continuous improvement
Redesign the innovation process to reflect customer and market dynamics
Enhance the process to accelerate and strengthen the design brief
Drive deeper engagement with customers to more quickly align on targeted performance
Develop more accurate predictive testing
Outline a faster approach to prototyping
Accelerate overall product development
Engage and drive alignment with customers on priority projects
Engage with suppliers to better leverage their innovation capabilities and resources
Strengthen innovation governance model to more fully leverage all SDS resources and create better alignment between innovation and business strategy
In collaboration with SDS Leadership, Marketing and our customers, constantly refresh the SDS innovation agenda.