Director Innovation

Bimbo Bakeries
$146,900 - $205,700
paid time off, 401(k)
United States, Texas, Irving
1735 North Story Road (Show on map)
Nov 12, 2025
Have you ever enjoyed Arnold, Brownberry or Oroweat bread? A Thomas' English muffin or bagel? Or perhaps snacked on a Sara Lee, Entenmann's or Marinela cake or donut? If the answer is yes, then you know Bimbo Bakeries USA! More than 20,000 associates in bakeries, sales centers, offices and on sales routes work to ensure our consumers have the freshest products at every meal. In addition to competitive pay and benefits, we provide a safe and inclusive work environment that appreciates diversity, promotes development and allows our associates to be their authentic selves. #LI-SO1 Come join the largest baking company in the world and our family of 20,000 associates nationwide! Top Reasons to Work at Bimbo Bakeries USA: Salary Range: $146,900 - $205,700 Annual Bonus Eligibility Comprehensive Benefits Package Paid Time Off 401k & Company Match Position Summary: Innovation plays a key role in remaining competitive in the market and to position ourselves for further growth.To focus our efforts, our Innovation team will work closely with our Brand Teams, R&D, Technical Services, Engineering, Packaging, and Sales teams to support the goals and strategies of our branded businesses. The Director of Innovation position will support our Sweet Baked Goods Innovation teams and will play a key role in filling our future innovation pipeline.The person in this position will be responsible for leading the innovation effort for the category which will include understanding our business objectives, defining the innovation strategy, defining the work, developing consumer insights to ideate new products and then shepherd those new ideas through a product development process.This team member will lead their projects with cross functional teams through testing until the product is ready for final commercialization.This individual will need to demonstrate consumer empathy, as well as excellent teamwork, communication skills, organization, and project management skills.Exposure to a variety of market research techniques and experience in data analysis are also important.We are looking for candidates who are passionate about food and food trends and who enjoy the work of creating new things. The Director will spend ongoing time in stores and on-site at manufacturing and supply chain facilities to develop a thorough understanding of the full business. An understanding of modern Innovation methodologies including Design Thinking, Jobs to Be Done, Lean Process, Design Sprint, and Agile is a plus for candidate selection. This position reports to the VP of Innovation. The preferred location for this position is onsite in Irving, TX. Remote candidates may be considered, provided the candidate is in EST or CST time zones. Key Job Responsibilities: Lead further out innovation efforts by collaborating with the Category leadership to create a vision for innovation that includes an expanded product footprint. Mine trend and consumer data to map where the consumer is going and generate compelling product ideas that meet their needs. Systematically evaluate ideas to select high potential opportunities for further testing and/or feasibility analysis Collaborate with internal research partner to design innovation testing (concept, prototype, in-store etc.) to best prove out innovation viability with consumers Work with Category Leadership to prioritize the future innovation plan. Develop strong, collaborative relationships with cross-functional teams (Brand Teams, RGM, R&D, Manufacturing Operations, and Sales) to ensure collaboration and alignment of direction at all stages of development and launch. Use information, logic, and sound business judgment to develop new products and categories. Have strong project management skills to oversee projects through to execution Prepare persuasive sales and internal communication materials. Work collaboratively with agency and research partners. Must be agile in creating and reading data analysis to generate business insights. Develop and manage new product and program handoffs (process and materials) to ensure a smooth transition of new product launch activities throughout the development process. Key Behavioral Competencies: Ability to influence and communicate to the senior level in the organization. Be a team player and strong collaborator. Ability to sell ideas up, down and sideways to keep team and stakeholders motivated and focused. Self-starter, ability to work independently. Innovative problem solver. Open mindset. Tenacious. Results oriented. Learning enthusiast, intellectual curiosity. Excellent organizational and communication (written and oral) skills. Leadership Competencies: Adapts approach and attitude in real time, according to the changing demands of different situations. Creates a climate where people are motivated to do their best to help the organization achieve its objectives. Holds self and others accountable to meet commitments. Makes sense of complex, high quantity, and sometimes contradictory information to effectively solve problems. Education and Work History: Bachelor's degree in marketing or a related field required.MBA is a plus. A minimum of 7 years of experience, CPG preferred. Computer skills and proficiency with MS Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Ability to learn and be proficient at other analytical tools and data sources. Experience with syndicated data such as IRI or Nielsen. Previous experience in Innovation role. Experience with consumer research and concept/prototype testing. Ability and willingness to travel 15% of the time. Proficiency in Spanish is a plus, but not required. Physical Demands: The physical and mental demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an associate to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.Reasonable accommodation may be requested to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Bimbo Bakeries USA is an equal opportunity employer with a policy that provides equal employment opportunity for applicants and employees regardless of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, or gender identity), national origin, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, veteran status, any other classification protected by law. It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability. >