Senior Manager/Director of Innovation, Beverage

Tradin Organic

Seeking a Senior Manager/Director of Innovation to lead product innovation and commercialization efforts in the beverage sector. Join Tradin Organic, a leader in organic ingredients supplying top retailers in the US.

Posted 5/19/2026full-timeRemote • California • 🇺🇸 United StatesSeniorWebsite

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Partner with Retail leadership and Sales to identify opportunities, customer needs, and white space
Leverage consumer insights, market data, and trends to evolve product strategy
Own and manage Build product-level P&Ls, including cost targets, margin expectations, and pricing guardrails based on current market pricing
Ensure all innovation aligns with financial, operational, and customer requirements
Own a 3‑year innovation roadmap and a longer‑range (5–7 year) opportunity view, focused on where Tradin Organic can credibly play and win beyond the core
Build and scale the innovation function over time
Partner with third-party formulators and development partners
Own development and management of product P&Ls, leveraging cross-functional inputs from Operations, Supply Chain, and Finance
Define product and packaging specification requirements in partnership with Operations, ensuring alignment with manufacturing capabilities and cost targets
Evaluate formulations against cost, quality, scalability, and sensory targets
Own and optimize the innovation portfolio and stage-gate process, leveraging project management tools (Asana or similar platforms)
Build detailed project plans, timelines, and dependencies across internal and external teams
Drive cross-functional alignment and accountability to deliver innovative objectives and visibility across all stakeholders, utilizing stage gate
Lead continuous improvement of stage-gate process to enhance speed, visibility, and execution
Drive the end-to-end development of innovation projects from concept to commercialization and full-scale production
Partner with Operations and Supply Chain to ensure manufacturability and cost targets are achieved
Lead cross functionally with Ops team to manage co-manufacturers and external partners through launch
Proactively manage risks related to scale-up, cost, and supply to ensure successful commercialization
Act as the central hub connecting Leadership, Sales, Operations, Supply Chain, Finance, and external development partners
Lead customer-facing innovation initiatives, with focus on private label and custom product development - focus on beverage
Translate customer and commercial needs into executable development plans and timelines

Requirements

What you’ll need

Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Business, Engineering, or related field (Food Science is a plus, not required)
Sr. Manager: 5 – 8+ years in CPG innovation, product development, commercialization, or technical program management
Director: 8 – 10+ years leadership in CPG innovation – leading teams and product portfolios
Strong experience building and managing product P&Ls and cost models
Experience working with external formulators, co-manufacturers, or development partners
Proven track record of launching beverage products from concept through commercialization
Experience managing innovation pipelines using project management tools (Asana or similar platforms)
Strong understanding of ingredient costs, supply chain, and manufacturing constraints
Excellent cross-functional leadership and communication skills.

Benefits

Comp & perks

11 paid holidays
401(K) matching
Comprehensive health insurance
Employee Assistance Program
Life Insurance
Educational Assistance
Paid Paternity Leave
Volunteering Paid Time Off

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills & Tools

product developmentcommercializationinnovation managementP&L managementcost modelingformulation evaluationproject managementsupply chain managementmanufacturing capabilitiesbeverage product development

Soft Skills

cross-functional leadershipcommunicationrisk managementstakeholder managementstrategic thinkingteam leadershipcustomer focusproblem-solvingcollaborationaccountability