Aspire Bakeries is a North American baking company with a leadership position in specialty frozen baked goods. Formed from leading bakery companies, its innovative food portfolio includes breads, artisan breads, buns, cookies, donuts, muffins and pastries from beloved brands like La Brea Bakery®, Otis Spunkmeyer®, and Oakrun Farm Bakery®. With 13 bakeries in North America, we are committed to driving innovation, predicting upcoming consumer trends and flavors, and exceeding our customers’ expectations. Aspire Bakeries champions the values of Integrity, Ownership, Customer Focus, Creativity and Care to help us deliver on People Safety, Food Safety, Quality and Collaboration.
As a Commercialization Manager, you will drive the end-to-end project management of new food product launches, ensuring seamless execution from initial concept through market rollout. You will lead cross-functional teams, foster collaboration, and ensure projects are delivered on time, within budget, and in line with business objectives. Your role will be instrumental in translating ideas into successful commercial products through strategic planning, stakeholder engagement, and operational excellence.
Key Responsibilities
- Oversee Full Project Lifecycle: Manage the commercialization process for new food products, from business brief kickoff to final sign-off and launch.
- Lead Cross-Functional Teams: Inspire, guide, and coordinate teams across R&D, marketing, operations, supply chain, and external partners to achieve project goals.
- Develop and Execute Project Plans: Create detailed project plans, establish timelines, allocate resources, and drive accountability to ensure milestones are met.
- Stakeholder Communication: Serve as the primary point of contact, maintaining clear and consistent communication with business leads, internal sponsors, management, and clients.
- Monitor Progress and Costs: Track project budgets, timelines, and deliverables; proactively identify and address risks, issues, and changes.
- Studio Art Management: Oversee the development and release of studio art and packaging assets, ensuring alignment with brand and regulatory requirements.
- Status Reporting: Prepare and deliver accurate status reports, risk assessments, and resource requests to keep all stakeholders informed.
- Thought Leadership: Champion best practices in commercialization, driving continuous improvement and innovation in project execution.
- Project Tracking: Maintain up-to-date project trackers with weekly updates on tasks, deadlines, and deliverables.
- Multi-Project Management: Efficiently manage multiple concurrent projects within a complex, matrixed organizational environment.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Business, Food Science, Project Management, or related field.
- 5+ years of project management experience, preferably in food manufacturing or CPG.
- Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams and manage multiple projects simultaneously.
- Strong organizational, communication, and problem-solving skills.
- Proficiency with project management tools and Microsoft Office Suite.
- Experience with commercialization processes and studio art/packaging development is a plus.
Salary Range: $90,000 - $120,000
We thank each applicant for taking the time and effort to submit your resume, however, only candidates to be interviewed will be contacted. Our organization is committed to promoting the independence, dignity, integration, and equality of opportunity of persons with disabilities by ensuring the accessibility of our facilities and services. Accommodations are available for all parts of the recruitment and selection process. Applicants need to make their required accommodations known in advance.
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