Location: Mississauga

Role Overview

The Manager, Marketing Innovation is a dynamic and strategic leader responsible for driving the innovation agenda across Hershey Canada’s brand portfolio. This role is central to identifying and unlocking growth opportunities through consumer-centric innovation, from insight to commercialization. The ideal candidate brings a blend of creative thinking, business acumen, and project leadership to build a robust innovation pipeline that delivers both short-term wins and long-term brand equity.

This individual will lead the development of the Canadian innovation strategy, leveraging deep consumer insights, market trends, and competitive intelligence to shape breakthrough ideas and new product concepts. They will guide cross-functional teams through the innovation process—from ideation and business case development to launch planning and post-launch tracking—ensuring alignment with strategic priorities and operational feasibility.

Key Accountabilities

• • Lead and develop the Canadian innovation strategy, ensuring a sustainable pipeline delivering short-term growth and positioning Hershey’s for the future
  • Monitor and understand consumer behavior, trends, and the competitive landscape
  • Lead consumer needs and business opportunity mapping
  • Facilitate ideation sessions across various brands and categories
  • Develop and assess business plans and recommendations
  • Drive leadership decision and gate process for innovation
  • Develop robust launch strategies and execution plans
  • Track innovation performance
  • Elevate Hershey’s innovation capabilities via thought leadership and training
  • Maintain strong connectivity with cross-functional teams, international teams, and senior management
  • Lead strategic project-based work with customers to grow the category profitably and demonstrate thought leadership internally and externally
  • Select, coach, and develop direct reports
  • Provide leadership in executing annual performance management and compensation processes

Education

• MBA or Bachelor of Commerce with Marketing major preferred

Professional Experience

• 5 to 7+ years of experience in consumer-packaged goods, with essential brand marketing experience
• Experience with innovation and marketing essentials, including brand reviews, brand plans, Integrated Marketing Communications process, and formula/packaging development
• Experience managing innovation from ground up: insight to idea, commercialization, and in-market launch

Skills & Competencies

• • Solid foundational marketing training in top-tier CPG (innovation experience preferred but not required)

  • Strong leadership skills to guide cross-functional teams

  • Ability to think creatively to develop breakthrough ideas, approaches, and strategies

  • Dynamic, high energy, curious, and resilient

  • Expertise in project management

  • Results- and solutions-oriented with outstanding analytical abilities

  • Proficient in project management and team leadership

  • Demonstrated ability to collaborate with cross-functional departments including Sales, Category Development, Finance, Operations, Research & Development, and Consumer Insights & Research

  • Significant exposure to and engagement with senior management

Hershey Canada is proud of being named to Forbes Canada’s Best Employers 2021 List and Forbes 2021 World’s Top Female Friendly Companies. We have also been recognized as one of Greater Toronto’s Top Employers for 2022, Canada’s Top 100 Employers for 2022, and one of Canada’s Most Admired Corporate Cultures 2021.

At Hershey Canada, we seek the advancement of an inclusive and respective culture by having a diverse workforce and inclusive environment to create more Moments of Goodness for our employees and consumers. Hershey Canada extends opportunities to qualified applicants and employees regardless of race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, family status, genetic characteristics, disability, or any other protected status.

We will provide accommodations throughout the recruitment, selection and/or assessment process to support diversity, equity, and inclusion in our hiring. Please inform the Talent Acquisition team if you require accommodation in order to participate in our hiring process.