About the role
We’re looking for an ambitious and commercially minded Innovation Marketing Manager to lead the GB & International Innovation agenda for some of the UK and Europe’s most loved brands — including our iconic Strings & Things brand.
In line with Kinisla’s renewed ambition, this is a new role within an expanding function, focused on delivering innovation that unlocks new growth opportunities for the portfolio.
The Innovation Marketing Manager is the end-to-end owner of the branded innovation agenda, responsible for setting the innovation vision, strategy, and priorities, and ensuring delivery of a high quality, consumer led innovation pipeline that drives short, mid and long term growth.
This role acts as the Innovation Lead, translating strategic growth ambitions into clear innovation platforms, pipelines, and launch plans.
Reporting into the Head of Innovation, Insights, Category Management & Transformation the role provides leadership, clarity, and pace across the innovation funnel — from insight led opportunity identification through to in market execution — while developing and coaching a high performing innovation team.
Joining us means stepping into a fast-paced, agile and ambitious environment where ideas are welcomed, ownership is encouraged, and development is continuous.
This is a hybrid role, with 2 days per week in our Staines offices (Tuesday & Wednesday) and requires occasional travel to our partners in London and our sites across Ireland and the UK.
About Kinisla
Kinisla is a vertically integrated farm-to-fork business with a very substantial consumer foods presence and a leading nutritional and dairy ingredients division, delivering high-quality dairy solutions with a focus on sustainability and innovation. From partnering with local family farms to producing world-class dairy products, we ensure every step of our value chain reflects our commitment to excellence.
With over 50 years’ experience in milk processing, dairy and nutritional technology advancement, and product innovation, we are a key stakeholder in the global food industry and creators of a strong portfolio of market leading dairy brands including Cheestrings, Charleville and Coleraine Cheese, Dairygold, Golden Cow and our new SMUG range. Our from food, for food culture and deep-rooted connection to our 2,800 milk suppliers differentiates our business and offers captivating opportunities for our customers and consumers.
Our dairy comes from some of the world’s richest grazing land and is produced by a network of Irish family farms that have one of the lowest carbon footprints in the world. Through a combination of expertise, innovation, and sustainability, Kinisla is proud to shape the future of dairy while meeting the diverse needs of our farmers, customers, and communities.
Headquartered in Tralee, Co. Kerry, we operate multiple manufacturing facilities in the southwest of Ireland, including Listowel, Charleville, Newmarket, and Farranfore. Additionally, we manage 29 Farm & Home stores throughout the region, ensuring comprehensive coverage and service. In Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom, our presence extends to key locations in Portadown, Coleraine, and Ossett.
Globally, Kinisla employs over 1,600 dedicated professionals across Ireland, Northern Ireland, the UK, USA, Netherlands, Spain, Germany, and China. In 2024, we achieved a turnover of approximately €1.3 billion, reflecting our commitment to excellence and growth.
What you’ll be doing
Innovation Strategy & Leadership
-
Own and lead the Innovation Strategy, aligned to Business Strategy across priority portfolios.
-
Define clear innovation platforms, guardrails, and playing fields for brands and categories.
-
Provide strong innovation leadership and direction, ensuring the business moves from innovation participation to innovation performance.
-
Act as the senior innovation voice across the organisation, influencing key stakeholders at all levels.
Innovation Pipeline Ownership & Governance
-
Accountable for the health, quality, and value of the innovation pipeline across short and long term horizons.
-
Lead innovation forums ensuring gate discipline, pace, and quality of decision making.
-
Ensure innovation projects progress effectively from insight to launch readiness, balancing ambition, feasibility, and commercial return.
-
Maintain a robust, prioritised portfolio that reflects resource, capacity, and strategic focus.
Consumer Led Proposition Development
-
Ensure all innovation is rooted in strong consumer insight
-
Oversee development of compelling concepts, propositions, and brand appropriate solutions.
-
Manage key agency and external partners to support breakthrough thinking, concept development, and delivery.
-
Bring outside in innovation inspiration and best practice into the business.
Commercial & Brand Impact
-
Ensure innovation supports brand equity growth and delivers against commercial KPIs (value, margin, success rate).
-
Shape innovation launch strategies, ensuring clear roles for brand, innovation, and activation
-
Track in market performance and embed learning loops to strengthen future pipelines.
-
Partner closely with Insights, Brand, Category, R&D, Finance and Commercial teams to translate ideas into winning, executable propositions.
Team Leadership & Capability Building
-
Lead, coach, and develop the team including Senior Innovation Managers and Innovation Manager, setting clear objectives and development pathways.
-
Create a high performing innovation team with strong standards, clarity of ownership, and accountability where people feel empowered, supported and energised.
-
Foster a culture of curiosity, pace, and constructive challenge.
-
Build innovation capability, mindset, and confidence across the wider organisation.
Success Measures
-
Strength and value of the innovation pipeline (short / medium / long term).
-
In market success rate of innovation launches.
-
Delivery of innovation contribution to growth targets.
-
Stakeholder confidence and alignment behind the innovation agenda.
-
Capability, engagement, and progression of the innovation team.
What you can bring to the role
- Significant experience in Innovation, Marketing, or Brand roles within FMCG (ideally food / dairy / chilled categories).
-
Proven track record of leading complex innovation pipelines from insight to launch.
-
Experience managing and developing senior team members.
-
Strong commercial acumen with experience building and evaluating business cases.
-
Strategic thinker with the ability to simplify complexity.
-
Strong influencer with gravitas across functions and leadership teams.
-
Consumer obsessed, insight driven, and commercially grounded.
-
Comfortable with ambiguity; able to set direction where it doesn’t yet exist.
-
Collaborative, decisive, and outcomes focused
-
Curiosity, resilience and a hunger to learn, grow and push boundaries
What we can offer
At Kinisla, we believe in giving talented, curious people the opportunity to make a difference. We work as a team, searching for the best ways to inspire food and nourish life.
We are a community of innovators, working across disciplines to solve global food challenges with a fresh approach. We want you to achieve whatever you put your mind to.
We also offer:
-
25 days annual leave (excluding bank holidays)
- Health Care
- Matched pension scheme
-
Benefits platform offering discounts and cashback on major retailers.
Get in touch today!
In Kinisla we benefit from the knowledge of our colleagues who bring a diverse range of cultures, backgrounds, lifestyles and experiences. One team fostering an inclusive culture that, above all, inspires food and nourishes life. One culture where everyone brings their unique perspectives and experiences to help make us better, together. We are committed to nurturing an environment of positivity and inclusiveness, where everyone can be at their best, both personally and professionally.
Our recruitment, selection and assessment process are based on the skills and competencies of the specific roles and based entirely on merit. We are committed to and value Diversity and Inclusion in all recruitment processes within Kinisla and do not discriminate based on gender, race, class, economic status, ethnic background, sexual orientation, age, political beliefs, veteran status, marital status or any other protected characteristic.
Please note: We do not accept CVs or candidate profiles from recruitment agencies where Kinisla terms of business have not been signed. Additionally, we will not consider or agree to payment of any recruiter fee under these circumstances. This also applies to CVs or candidate profiles sent directly to any Kinisla Hiring Managers.
