Senior Lead, Innovation Strategy & Product Planning
Newell Brands · Atlanta
Job ID: 17301
Newell Brands is a leading consumer products company with a portfolio of iconic brands like Graco®, Coleman®, Oster®, Rubbermaid®, Sharpie® and Yankee Candle® - and 24,000 talented teammates around the world. Our culture is built on values in action: Integrity, Teamwork, Passion for Winning, Ownership, and Leadership. We work together to win, grow, and make a real impact—supported by a high-performing, inclusive, and collaborative environment where you can be your best, every day.
The Front-End Innovation (FEI) Senior Lead, Product Planning plays a key role within the business FEI team. Working collaboratively with multi-functional POD partners, this individual owns both the viability work and the project management of early-stage product and growth initiatives, serving as the analytical and operational backbone of the POD. They develop business cases, market assessments, financial models, and commercial viability analyses informed by consumer, market, technical, and business inputs, while also owning the project structure, workstream coordination, and decision-ready materials that keep initiatives moving toward investment milestones.
Essential Functions & Duties
Functions and duties of this role include, but are not limited to:
- Lead business case development, opportunity sizing, and viability evaluation for early-stage innovation initiatives, including revenue scenarios, financial models, and market and competitive assessments
- Develop and maintain project plans, key assumptions, risk logs, and action trackers that keep workstreams aligned to learning objectives and timelines
- Coordinate cross-functional viability workstreams by tracking actions, dependencies, decisions, and deliverables across Insights, Design Research, R&D, Brand, Finance, Marketing, and external partners
- Synthesize consumer, market, technical, and business inputs into opportunity assessments, business cases, and executive-ready materials that support investment and portfolio decisions
- Support cross-functional working sessions and workshops through agenda development, synthesis, documentation, and follow-up
- Manage external agencies, consultants, and innovation partners through project sprints, keeping work focused on defined learning objectives and decision needs
- Work closed with the FEI Pod Leader to ensure projects have the structure, information, and materials required to advance through investment discussions
Qualifications
The successful candidate will have the following qualifications:
- 8+ years in Product Planning, Product Development, Innovation, Product Management, Consulting, or related disciplines; new product or growth innovation experience preferred
- Proven ability to operate across strategic opportunity development and hands-on execution, with comfort creating structure in ambiguous, early-stage environments
- Demonstrated experience developing business cases, market sizing, revenue scenarios, and financial models for new product or growth opportunities
- Strong analytical skills with the ability to work with structured and unstructured data, pressure-test assumptions, and translate findings into product and business implications
- Ability to synthesize consumer, market, technical, and business inputs into opportunity assessments and executive-level communications
- Exceptional PowerPoint and executive storytelling skills, with proven ability to build decision-ready materials for senior leadership
- Experience facilitating workshops and cross-functional reviews that move teams from discussion to action
- Experience managing agencies, consultants, and external innovation partners through project sprints
- Familiarity with value proposition development, GTM planning, and commercialization considerations preferred
- Curious, agile, and "whole-brain" mindset -- balancing strategic thinking, analytical rigor, creative problem solving, and practical execution.
WORK ENVIRONMENT
A collaborative, small, dedicated innovation team comprised of multi-functional experts. Co-located with POD members in Atlanta.
Newell Brands (NASDAQ: NWL) is a leading global consumer goods company with a strong portfolio of well-known brands, including Rubbermaid, Sharpie, Graco, Coleman, Rubbermaid Commercial Products, Yankee Candle, Paper Mate, FoodSaver, Dymo, EXPO, Elmer’s, Oster, NUK, Spontex and Campingaz. We are focused on delighting consumers by lighting up everyday moments. Newell Brands and its subsidiaries are Equal Opportunity Employers and comply with applicable employment laws. EOE/M/F/Vet/Disabled are encouraged to apply.