Innovation Strategic Project Leader

Beam Suntory is Crafting the Spirits that Stir the World. Rooted in two centuries of family heritage, Beam Suntory has evolved into the world's third largest leading premium spirits company ... where each employee is treated like family and trusted with legacy. With our greatest assets - our premium spirits and our people - we're driving growth through impactful marketing, innovation and an entrepreneurial spirit. Beam Suntory is a place where you can come Unleash your Spirit by making an impact each and every day.

Innovation Strategic Project Leader  

Innovation Strategic Project Leader - 12 Month Fixed Term Contract

The following position is open in Scotland, United Kingdom.

What makes this a great opportunity?

Beam Suntory is at a key stage in the long-term development of its Scotch Whisky portfolio – with all of its key brands (Laphroaig, Bowmore, Auchentoshan, Teacher's and Glen Garioch) realigning their strategy and refreshing their brand design and range architectures. These changes are critical elements of a wider plan for financial growth as outlined in the Scotch and Irish 12 Year Plan.

Working directly for the Scotch & Irish Innovation Director this role will take the lead in managing the strategic brand redesign projects on behalf of the Innovation Team – coordinating all the supporting functions and supporting the Brand Teams to deliver redesigned ranges to market within the desired timeframe.

This is a critical Project Management role – acting as the ‘Ring Master’ driving and coordinating all supporting functions (Supply Chain, Production, Procurement, Finance, Pack Development and Project Management teams). Given the compressed timelines and commercial sensitivity of the projects it is essential that the successful candidate is able to quickly get up to speed on the projects and make an immediate impact to ensure the project plans are robust and are executed in full and on time.

This role will require an acute understanding of existing processes and systems used in the execution of these projects, inclusive of the Seed to Sip process and Planisware project management software.

Role Responsibilities

• Work closely with the Scotch & Irish Innovation Director to coordinate the delivery of the brand redesign projects:
  • To act as the representative of the Brand Team and Brand House leadership to ensure the projects deliver the specified brand objectives and requirements  within the agreed time and financial guidelines
  • To provide clear updates to Brand Team and Brand House and key stakeholders
  • To establish clear expectations and direction for all participants in the project, inclusive of the supporting Innovation Managers  
  • To ensure the correct application of all Beam Suntory innovation processes and standards
  • To also ensure all project materials submitted into Planisware and the S2S process are accurate and of the highest quality
• Manage the working of the cross functional project teams to deliver projects efficiently and effectively:
  • Leading and organising milestone meetings to ensure total team alignment on status/next steps
  • Working directly with functional teams to solve issues as they arise 
  • Supporting the SC/S&OP Teams through the transition from old to new ranges
  • Defining actions required from each function at each stage of the project and ensuring the commitment of these teams to delivering them
• Work with the GPPM (Global Project & Portfolio Management team) to establish, monitor and execute the project timelines, ensuring close attention being paid by the PM to chasing up any delayed project tasks to avoid overall project delays
• To act as a facilitator during interactions with external suppliers (e.g Design agencies, and packaging suppliers) to engineer solutions and compromises as required to keep the projects on track in terms of both timeline and Brand requirements

Qualifications & Experience

• 10+ years’ experience in cross-functional Innovation management both within and outside of Marketing (e.g., R&D, Operations, Purchasing, Innovation Project Management, etc.)  
• Track record of cross-functional team leadership and generating motivation/enthusiasm for innovations and other projects

At Beam Suntory, people are our number one priority, and we believe our people grow together in diverse and inclusive environments where their unique insights, experiences and backgrounds are valued and respected. Beam Suntory is committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity, military veteran status and all other characteristics, attributes or choices protected by law. All recruitment and hiring decisions are based on an applicant’s skills and experience.