R&D Packaging Manager - Meals & Baking - Golden Valley, MN

OVERVIEW

General Mills is seeking a Packaging R&D Manager role in their Meals & Baking Solutions Operating Unit that will have Packaging R&D accountability for iconic brands, including Pillsbury and Old El Paso. You will serve as the direct Packaging R&D business interface across these key brands to deliver the current plan and partner on growth strategies and build packaging capability to enable the future growth of Meals & Baking. This leader will coordinate across a talented team of 8-10 direct reports to develop and execute against Innovation growth ideas, Cost Savings programs, Core Renovation levers, and Sustainability ambitions.

In addition to the business and people leadership responsibilities, this role will also create and translate a Packaging cost savings strategy into action across all of Meals & Baking, including other brands like Betty Crocker, Progresso, and Annie's. This responsibility spans across a large raw material COGS spend and requires strong activation and leadership to deliver cost savings goals over an extremely diverse and complex portfolio of packaging technologies, materials, formats, and processes. Critical thinking, thought leadership, and strong collaboration with Product R&D Marketing, Sourcing, Operations, and Engineering will be essential to driving next-level cost savings impact.

You will manage a portfolio of products through a complex manufacturing network, temperature states, and channels, providing opportunities to lead new ways of working with a variety of cross-functional partners. The role will also connect into a Packaging leadership group across North America, providing Enterprise-wide growth opportunities.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES

• Lead and develop a high-performing team of 8-10 direct reports with diverse expertise across key materials, brands, and technical areas to deliver research and develop new products, cost savings, and core innovation plans and pipeline sufficiency for key brands like Pillsbury and Old El Paso in North America.
• Create and activate a packaging cost savings strategy to unlock fewer and bigger end-to-end cost savings initiatives.
• Steer the activation of Functional and Business strategies by driving moments of truth levers, tapping into subject matter experts, external partners, and brand remarkability tools to drive a packaging growth agenda.
• Advance a Circular Future through business management and collaboration with central technology resources on new packaging material technologies to drive advancement of Global Responsibility commitments for packaging sustainability.
• Create an inspired and agile team by flexing team resources to the biggest priorities, leading your team through new digital ways of working, and increasing external partnerships to drive business impact via packaging.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's degree - Engineering, Packaging, or Relevant Scientific Discipline.
• Experience leading teams as a manager of people and leading through others.
• 10+ years of industry experience.
• Comprehensive understanding of consumer product development processes, encompassing all stages including translating consumer insights into design and scaling solutions through a supply chain.
• Experience and technical acumen across a variety of packaging materials including flexible films, paperboard, corrugated, metal containers, composite cans, and rigid plastics.
• Demonstrated knowledge of business processes and ability to develop relationships with cross functional partners.
• Demonstrated strong people skills, strategic planning, and leadership skills.
• Desire to challenge assumptions, identify new opportunities, and create new ways of working & capabilities.
• Effective communication skills and a global mindset.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Takes accountability to win, has a bias for action, and can deliver results through others.
• Mentoring and coaching others for growth.
• Comfortable navigating ambiguity and organizational complexity.
• Demonstrated strong agile leadership & ability to pivot quickly.
• Exceptional multi-tasking, follow-up, and prioritization skills.

ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS

• Applicants for this position must be currently authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis, and General Mills will not sponsor applicants for this position for work visas.
• This role is open to relocation, but international relocation and remote assignments will not be considered.

We exist to make food the world loves. But we do more than that. Our company is a place that prioritizes being a force for good, a place to expand learning, explore new perspectives and reimagine new possibilities, every day. We look for people who want to bring their best - bold thinkers with big hearts who challenge one other and grow together. Because becoming the undisputed leader in food means surrounding ourselves with people who are hungry for what's next.