Innovation Manager (Maternity Leave Cover)

By harnessing the best of Suntory from across Australia and New Zealand, Suntory Global Spirits and Suntory Beverage & Food Oceania have come together in partnership to create a new $3bn multi-beverage powerhouse – Suntory Oceania

Underpinned by quality craftsmanship and a strong sense of purpose, the combined portfolio of over 40 market-leading brands will be powered by five distribution centres, more than 1,500 Suntorians and two local manufacturing sites. This includes the new carbon neutral facility that has opened in July 2025 in Ipswich Queensland. The new +$400 million, 17-hectare greenfield site is the largest single FMCG investment into Australia in the last decade, providing Suntory Oceania with ability to deliver the One Suntory Vision.

Across Australia and New Zealand, we live our Suntory purpose - to Inspire the Brilliance of Life – and as we embark on this exciting journey, we are looking for the brightest talent to join us in shaping the future of beverages in the region.

Mission of Role

The Innovation Manager owns a portfolio of Step Change Innovation projects with an execution horizon of 9 to 24 months. This ownership involves a full understanding of the role and value added by cross-functional teams at every stage of the projects to deliver key innovation milestones. These teams include Commercial functions such as Category Management, Shopper Marketing, On-Premise Marketing, and Sales; Marketing teams such as Brand & Insights; and Global Supply & Planning teams, including Commercialization and Research & Development.

The Innovation Manager also supports the Group Innovation Manager, Oceania, by monitoring the status of the pipeline, highlighting opportunities from Gemba insights, providing recommendations to Executive teams, and directly managing the overall RTD (Ready to Drink) and FBS (Full Bottle Spirits) NPD pipeline for Australia and New Zealand through strong collaboration with local brand teams and global brand houses/innovation teams.

A unique skill set is required to successfully perform this role. This includes both a structured, process-oriented thinking with attention to detail, a creative mindset to constantly seek opportunities and be comfortable with ambiguity when the situation demands it. A basic understanding of consumer insights and research is necessary for ideation and to create sound briefs, fundamental understanding of brand management to deliver innovation with Strategy in mind, along with a level of commercial acumen to effectively support NPDs in key customer forums post Gate 3.

Innovation is one of the teams within Suntory Oceania that deals with the largest number of stakeholders internally and externally, both locally and globally. Therefore, it is essential for the role to truly embody the Suntory Leadership Spirit values: Better Together, Gemba Focused, Commitment to Growth, Future Orientation, and Yatte Minahare.

Role Responsibilities

• Own up to 10 strategic Step Change Innovation projects with a 9–24-month horizon
  • Own inputs into Stage Gate or Integrated Business Planning for allocated innovation projects
  • Own research briefs for allocated innovation projects
  • Own commercial cross-functional engagements (Shopper, Category, and Sales) for allocated innovation projects
  • Own packaging development for allocated innovation projects, with inputs from Brand
  • Own project updates in internal communications such as key forums, town halls, and periodic planning meetings
  • Own internal and external tastings for allocated innovation projects in collaboration with R&D
• Support the liquid development process in collaboration with R&D
• Support commercial teams in key range reviews and innovation sessions for allocated projects
• Partner with the Group Innovation Manager on Global Brand House and Global Innovation updates
• Collaborate with the Group Innovation Manager and Brand teams in the development of innovation as part of Growth/Annual plans
• Support innovation pipeline updates for Australia and New Zealand
• Collaborate with the Group Innovation Manager on Innovation Gemba from a local competitor and industry standpoint
• Own internal Liquid Gemba sessions
• Own reporting of the monthly pipeline status with input from Commercialization

Competencies

• Tertiary qualifications, preferably in Commerce or Business with a Marketing major
• Liquor/beverage industry experience is valued but not essential
• 6+ years of experience in consumer marketing, brand management, innovation, or consumer strategy development
• Strong understanding of consumer and brand marketing philosophies and practices, including brand marketing experience
• Research, insights, and strategy development experience preferred
• Experience briefing and evaluating innovation concepts and packaging designs aligned to the consumer Job to Be Done
• Strong project management skills
• Strong communication, time management, and organizational skills
• Ability to analyze data and generate actionable insights
• Broad, creative thinking and strong problem-solving abilities