Innovation Program Manager

Build your career at Sazerac! With almost 400 years of rich history, Sazerac Company has thrived as an independent, American family-owned company with operations in the United States and around the world. Since the 2000s, Sazerac has averaged double digit growth every year! Sazerac Company produces and markets the most award-winning bourbons and whiskeys in the world, including Buffalo Trace, Pappy Van Winkle, Eagle Rare, Blanton’s, and Sazerac Rye. Additionally, Sazerac owns many popular brands across a range of spirits, including Fireball, Southern Comfort, Seagram’s V.O., Myers’s, Goldschläger, Parrot Bay, 99 Brand, and Platinum Vodka. 

We’re proud of our award-winning culture and distilleries. Our Louisville office has been named one of the “Best Places to Work in Kentucky” four times, and our Buffalo Trace Distillery has earned the title of “world’s most award-winning distillery” through the dedication of our craftsmen for well over 200 years. Whether you’re a recent graduate or an experienced professional, Sazerac provides extraordinary opportunities for growth with competitive salaries and benefits in an exciting, entrepreneurial industry.

As the Innovation Program Manager for North America, you will be in instrumental in the successful delivery of innovation that is critical to delivering on Sazerac's growth plans. You will oversee multiple North America innovation programs, hire and staff Innovation Leaders and Coordinators for each Brand, enable and execute the innovation process and systems to ensure clear risk assessments, leadership engagement, progress through gates and on time delivery of innovation projects and total programs. This will encompass growth, maintenance, optimization and refresh projects across multiple Brands including new Brands for Sazerac. 

What You’ll Do:

• Improve processes and systems as these efforts can seek "incremental" improvement over time or "breakthrough" improvement all at once – all are evaluated in the light of their efficiency, effectiveness and flexibility.
• Maintain a prioritized list of new initiatives and ensure projects are communicated and managed in order to achieve target ship dates and volumes.
• Grow sales volume, manage and optimize cost of goods and overheads - while delivering highest quality products - priority brands will grow in volume and profit at a faster rate than the total business and will comprise more than 65%.
• Working with Brand to execute strategic plans, annual plans and activities that support and achieve the long-term goals.

Required:

• Bachelor's degree
• 10 years experience in a fast-paced project/innovation environment
• Ability to communicate with leadership and all levels of the organization
• Experience in process design, implementation and improvement with proven track record of developing strategic partnerships with various client groups, including internal and external groups

Preferred:

• PMP certification
• Ability to work in all MS office software systems including PowerBI

Culture and Benefits:

Sazerac offers a comprehensive compensation and benefits package that includes medical, dental, vision, 401K, paid time off, and more. These benefits may vary depending on location and work type. Learn more about how we support our employees here.

The annual salary range for this role is $126,000 - $190,000. Final compensation will be based on relevant experience, qualifications, geographic location, and internal pay equity considerations.

Sazerac is committed to equality of opportunity without regard to race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, veteran status, age, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, genetic information, physical or mental disability or any other legally protected status.

What’s Next:

After you apply, a recruiter will review your application and reach out to qualified candidates. Selected candidates will follow our interview process, which may include a phone screen, hiring manager interview, and panel interviews with business leaders. There may be additional steps or assessments throughout the process dependent on the position. Applicants who are not selected to move through the process, at any stage, will be notified via email.

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