Position Summary
The Manager, Innovation Insights reports to the Director, Innovation Insights and is responsible for identifying and applying consumer insights that help shape a compelling, consumer-led innovation pipeline. The role partners closely with Innovation, Brand, R&D, Strategy and cross-functional teams to uncover unmet needs, emerging behaviors and whitespace opportunities that can be translated into growth platforms, concepts and actionable recommendations.
The Manager serves as a strategic partner and voice of the consumer throughout the innovation process, leading learning plans, synthesizing multiple sources of information, and connecting insights to business decisions. This person should be equally comfortable with rigorous research execution and broader strategic thinking, helping the organization move from data and observations to clear innovation choices.
Responsibilities
• Lead innovation-focused learning plans grounded in business priorities, portfolio strategy and brand ambitions.
• Design, manage and synthesize qualitative and quantitative research to support early-stage exploration, concept development, product optimization, packaging and go-to-market decisions.
• Identify unmet consumer needs, tensions, motivations and emerging behaviors that can unlock new product, format, flavor, occasion and experience opportunities.
• Translate insights from primary research, syndicated data, cultural and category trends, and internal learning into clear, story-driven recommendations.
• Partner closely with Innovation, Brand Marketing, R&D, Strategy and cross-functional teams to shape innovation territories, briefs, concepts and prioritization decisions.
• Help define and evaluate whitespace opportunities and future-forward platforms that support long-term portfolio growth.
• Bring a strong external perspective by staying current with category, cultural and consumer trends.
• Influence stakeholders by clearly articulating what the business should do, not just what the research says.
• Ensure insights work is connected across projects and shared in ways that build organizational learning and stronger decision-making.
• Manage multiple projects and external vendor partners with strong attention to quality, timing, budgets and business impact.
• Contribute to research best practices and help the team stay ahead of the evolving research landscape, including the thoughtful application of AI-enabled tools and approaches.
Minimum Qualifications
• Bachelor's degree in marketing, business, psychology, sociology or a related field.
• 6+ years of consumer insights, innovation insights, market research or strategy experience, preferably within CPG or beverage alcohol.
• Experience with a broad set of qualitative and quantitative research methodologies, including concept development, innovation screening, product testing and packaging research.
• Ability to synthesize multiple information sources into actionable insights and strategic recommendations.
• Strong communication, storytelling and presentation skills, with the ability to influence cross-functional partners.
• Experience managing external research partners and multiple projects simultaneously.
• Strong analytical thinking, curiosity and comfort navigating ambiguity.
• Ability to connect consumer understanding to business strategy and innovation decisions.
• Proficiency in PowerPoint and Excel.
• Willingness to travel as needed.
Preferred Qualifications
• MBA or other advanced degree.
• Client-side insights experience supporting innovation, brand strategy or portfolio strategy for iconic brands.
• Experience in beverage alcohol or broader food and beverage categories.
• Familiarity with syndicated data sources and trend/cultural intelligence tools.
• Passion for innovation, consumer behavior and translating emerging opportunities into business action.
Compensation and Benefits
The posted salary range for this role is $113,500.00 – $177,600.00 per year. Constellation Brands states this is the lowest to highest salary it believes in good faith it would pay for the role at the time of posting; actual pay within the range depends on factors including relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, seniority, geographic location and performance. The company offers a comprehensive benefits package including paid time off, medical/dental/vision insurance and 401(k) for eligible employees.
More information
Location: Chicago, Illinois, United States. Job type: Full time. Job area: Marketing. Requisition R-40519.
Apply through the link on this listing. Please see the original Constellation Brands posting for full details, including the company's equal employment opportunity statement.
