Innovation Manager

Innovation Manager – Feminine Care 

Are you passionate about turning consumer insights into meaningful innovation? At Essity, we're looking for an experienced Innovation Manager to shape the future of our Feminine Care portfolio across Australia and New Zealand. 

In this exciting role, you'll lead the innovation agenda for trusted brands including Libra and TOM Organic, identifying growth opportunities and bringing commercially successful innovations to market. Working closely with global and local teams, you'll play a pivotal role in delivering products and solutions that improve people's everyday well-being. 

About the Role

As Innovation Manager – Feminine Care, you will be responsible for leading the regional innovation strategy and pipeline, ensuring it aligns with brand ambitions, consumer needs and business objectives. Acting as the key connection between Global Innovation, Brand, R&D, Supply Chain, Sales and Finance teams, you'll translate strategic priorities into impactful, locally relevant innovations. 

This is a highly collaborative role that combines strategic thinking with hands-on project leadership, offering the opportunity to influence both long-term growth and day-to-day execution across Australia and New Zealand. 

What You Will Do

• Lead the regional innovation roadmap and develop a balanced pipeline of growth opportunities. 

• Translate global innovation strategies and consumer insights into commercially viable initiatives for local markets. 

• Partner with Global Innovation teams to assess, adapt and launch innovation projects across Australia and New Zealand. 

• Identify emerging consumer trends, market opportunities and unmet needs to support future growth. 

• Develop robust business cases, including strategic recommendations and commercial assessments. 

• Lead consumer research, market validation and insight generation to inform decision-making. 

• Drive end-to-end innovation projects through the Stage & Gate process. 

• Collaborate closely with Brand, R&D, Supply Chain, Sales and Finance teams to ensure successful project delivery. 

• Define product propositions, including assortment, packaging, claims and pricing strategies. 

• Manage project timelines, risks, resources and governance requirements. 

• Monitor post-launch performance and capture key learnings to strengthen future innovation outcomes. 

• Influence stakeholders and foster alignment across global and local teams to deliver shared objectives. 

Who You Are

You are a commercially minded innovation professional who thrives on bringing new ideas to life. You enjoy working across functions, building strong relationships, and balancing strategic thinking with practical execution. 

You will bring: 

• 8+ years' experience in Innovation, Brand Management, New Product Development or a related FMCG environment. 

• Demonstrated success leading innovation or product development projects from concept through to launch. 

• Strong commercial acumen, P&L management and the ability to develop compelling business cases. 

• Experience translating consumer and market insights into actionable growth opportunities. 

• Exceptional stakeholder management and influencing skills. 

• Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams and navigate complex project environments. 

• Strong project management capabilities with a focus on delivering outcomes. 

• Proven ability to motivate and influence cross-functional teams and various stakeholders combined with entrepreneurial mindset. 

• Experience working within global organizations or global-local operating models will be highly regarded. 

• Australian Citizenship or Permanent Residency with full working rights 

What We Can Offer You

Our purpose, Breaking Barriers to Well-Being, provides meaning to everything we do. Join us to improve well-being for people and drive positive change for society and the environment. At Essity, you'll feel valued, empowered to grow, and challenged to achieve business results in a collaborative and open atmosphere. 

Innovate for Good | Excel Together | Be You With Us