JMS Staffing is hiring: Director of Innovation Marketing Insights (Watsonville)

Our client in California is seeking a Director of Innovation & Insights to join their team!

This is a remote/full-time/direct-hire position

Salary based on experience: $175k-$225k

Position Summary:

The Director of Innovation & Insights leads the end-to-end insights and innovation pipeline, shaping strategic growth opportunities rooted in consumer understanding and market foresight. This role establishes and operationalizes a consumer-centric insights function, guiding early-stage ideation through concept testing, validation, and post-launch optimization. Partnering closely with Brand, Product, Sales, E-Commerce, and Executive Leadership, this leader ensures the organization advances a differentiated, insight-driven pipeline aligned with long-term vision and commercial goals.

Key Responsibilities

Consumer & Market Insights Leadership

• Build and oversee an integrated insights ecosystem leveraging qualitative and quantitative research, syndicated data, social listening, segmentation, and trend tracking.
• Translate consumer and market learning into actionable strategies, refined brand positioning, and innovation concepts.
• Champion the internal voice of the consumer, advocating for unmet needs, behaviors, and demand drivers.
• Synthesize insights to inform strategic decisions across teams and business units.
• Maintain frameworks that ensure insights are accessible, actionable, and aligned to business priorities.

Innovation Strategy & Pipeline Development

• Lead cross-functional ideation, innovation steering, pipeline prioritization, and stage-gate readiness.
• Identify white-space opportunities across categories, formats, benefits, and channels.
• Develop compelling product concepts and business cases to address emerging opportunities.
• Partner with Product, R&D, Brand, Sales, Operations, and Regulatory to advance concepts from idea to execution.
• Ensure the pipeline balances creativity with commercial viability and long-term strategic fit.

Foresight & Strategic Growth Planning

• Conduct long-range foresight and category mapping to identify future-state growth platforms.
• Maintain a rolling three-year innovation roadmap aligned to brand, channel, and consumer priorities.
• Monitor competitive activity, cultural trends, ingredient innovation, and regulatory dynamics to guide strategic planning.
• Anticipate shifts in consumer expectations and market dynamics to proactively shape investment focus.
• Provide strategic recommendations that inform planning cycles and executive decision-making.

Testing, Learning, & Optimization

• Design and manage concept testing, pricing studies, volumetrics, and market research initiatives.
• Partner with Retail, Performance Marketing, and E-Commerce teams to structure A/B and in-market testing.
• Lead post-launch analysis, synthesizing performance results and consumer feedback.
• Translate learning loops into ongoing product and pipeline improvements.
• Establish best-practice testing frameworks that accelerate organization-wide learning.

Cross-Functional Collaboration & Influence

• Act as a strategic partner to Brand, DTC, Amazon, Sales, and International teams, ensuring insights shape messaging, positioning, and expansion.
• Communicate insights and recommendations visually and compellingly for stakeholders at all levels.
• Build and lead a high-performing insights function.
• Manage research vendors, agencies, and external partners.
• Foster an insight-driven culture that influences decision-making across the business.

Qualifications:

• 812+ years of experience in Consumer Insights, Innovation, Strategy, or Growth roles within CPG, wellness, or supplement industries.
• Proven success in building consumer-first product pipelines and influencing cross-functional partners.
• Deep expertise in insight methodologies and turning research into strategic action.
• Strong innovation acumen with a balance of creativity and commercial rigor.
• Demonstrated ability to lead end-to-end research, new product development, and innovation governance.
• Experience operating across multiple channels, including Amazon, DTC, Retail, and Professional.
• Bachelors degree required.