Product, Platform Leader, Blue Buffalo

OVERVIEW BLUE Buffalo makes the best pet food products in the market and is experience strong double digit growth! The Product Platform Manager is responsible for ensuring we continue to deliver superior products that bring joy to pet parents. Working under the direction of the Sr. Product Platform Manager, the PPM's primary responsibility is to lead the Product portion of the 4P’s - overseeing all consumer-facing projects (innovation, renovation, HMM, SRM and internalization as necessary) to deliver on the business objectives. This role sits within Brand Management and serves as the product arm of the marketing team, demonstrating differentiated leadership on our products and platforms, and prioritizing and orchestrating all projects on the Dry food platform. A holistic understanding of the business and strong cross-functional team leadership while managing multiple projects concurrently is a must. This role can be located in Minneapolis or Wilton. When the world returns to safe travel, the ideal candidate will be able to travel 20% of the time. KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES Product Expertise: Differentiated product is the cornerstone of the BLUE brand. This role will serve as the leader for delivering superior product to bring joy to pet parents. They must understand the consumer and business goals and drive product commercialization activity to make products pet parents love. They are the gatekeeper to the product, ensuring our standards remain higher than anyone else in the industry. Platform Leadership: The Product Platform team is the gatekeepers of all BLUE Buffalo’s dry, wet and treat products. They will drive the execution of all projects on the Dry, Wet and Treat platforms, inclusive of innovation, renovation, HMM, SRM and internalization as necessary. They must orchestrate & prioritize projects on the platform, with strong collaboration with the business team and supply chain, to deliver business objectives. There is high visibility as the project owner and team leader through the Stage Gate process with the Herd Leadership Team. Cross-Functional Leadership: This role will be the marketing leader of the core project teams. They must proactively drive project milestones, troubleshoot risks and drive the team to deliver creative solutions that result in successful project launches. They must leverage their own marketing mindset to drive recommendations and decisions across the team and up to the leadership team. Key drivers include: Own project end to end starting with up-front planning through launch Present project status, including escalation of risks and decisions with recommendations at leadership meetings Build trust, set expectations and encourage productive discourse within cross-functional team Project Management: This role is responsible for leading all projects within the Dry Platform. Key tasks include: Drive project scope definition and success criteria at project start, and lead the project advancement according to those defined principles Provide clear communication to core team, extended team, and leadership, driving content for all meetings, inclusive of leadership updates Manage risks for all projects, understand impact to projects across entire platform & escalate to senior team members when necessary Manage timeline milestones for all platform projects to allocate focus to appropriate projects that meet business objectives Pro-forma P&L Development: Partner with Brand Finance to develop project P&L's and drive cross functional team collaboration to improve margins to meet business thresholds Manage the budget for the Platform in coordination with the Finance and Supply Chain departments, inclusive of developing the budget for fiscal year, allocating funds as projects evolve and working closely with the team to ensure timely submission of plate invoices Responsible for exceptional project execution according to the systems in place while looking to improve as needed Share best practices with other Product and Platform Leaders Creative Problem Solving, Process Leadership & Continuous Improvement: Be the leader of our Project Management processes at BLUE by leading Continuous Improvement work inclusive of process improvement, structure/org design, tool development, and change management. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS 10+ years of experience in brand marketing in a consumer centric brand company Background in marketing - must have business perspective with technical capabilities a plus Ability to lead others in execution excellence, results-driven, strong attention to detail Demonstrated ability to manage multiple projects and timelines Critical thinking and strong creative problem solving Proficiency with Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, Project and Smartsheet required Bachelor's degree in business or related field PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS MBA or Project management certification is a plus Business acumen Outstanding organizational and planning skills Project risk management Conflict resolution within team and across broader stakeholders Adaptability and quick learning agility Ability to excel in a fast-paced environment Must be able to work in an environment with free-roaming companion pets COMPANY OVERVIEW 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.