Job Description

The Innovation Insights Manager plays a critical role in defining the long-term future landscape (5+ years) for Barilla’s categories and brands. This role will leverage foresight, predictive analytics, and emerging trend analysis to identify what’s next for food, lifestyle, and consumer behaviour – from macro societal shifts to micro innovation signals.
By integrating external foresight, trend tracking, and future consumer behaviour modelling, this position ensures that Barilla not only reacts to change but actively shapes the future. It is pivotal in enabling forward-looking innovation pipelines and in embedding a future-focused mindset across the 
organisation.

Key Responsibilities

•    Foresight & Trend Leadership: Lead global foresight efforts to identify 5+ year consumer, food, and lifestyle trends, ensuring they translate into actionable business opportunities.
•    Innovation Pipeline Support: Provide insight to fuel disruptive and incremental innovation pipelines, identifying white spaces and future category growth drivers.
•    Signals & Weak Trends Mapping: Maintain a “signals of change” monitoring system covering food technology, sustainability, wellness, societal values, and emerging lifestyle behaviours.
•    Future Consumer Segmentation: Leverage predictive analytics and emerging consumer research methodologies to define evolving consumer archetypes and needs.
•    Strategic Alignment: Translate foresights into clear opportunity platforms that inform R&D, strategy, marketing, and corporate sustainability roadmaps.
•    Thought Leadership: Inspire the organisation by sharing foresight narratives, publishing future outlook reports, and embedding long-term thinking in strategic planning.
•    AI & Data Integration: Utilise AI-driven trend analytics and predictive models to accelerate foresight generation and scenario planning.
•    Scenario Planning & Workshops: Design and facilitate future scenario workshops with senior leadership to align on future innovation platforms and investment priorities.

Accountabilities

•    Manage our  5–10 year foresight view to inform corporate and category strategies.
•    Be the key partner to R&D, Growth, Strategy, and Marketing in defining future growth platforms.
•    Support the Observatory to track and share global foresights regularly.
•    Inspire cross-functional teams and leadership with clear, provocative narratives about the future of food and consumer behaviour.
•    Ensure innovation pipeline concepts are future-proof and based on robust external insight.
•    Continuously evolve research methodologies, incorporating AI and advanced analytics for predictive modelling.
•    Build internal capability in future-focused insight generation and storytelling.

Background

•    At least 5 years of experience in CPG sector
•    Significant track record in insight delivery at strategic level
•    Solid experience in resource management
•    Excellent interpersonal attitude and communication vibe with the ability to interface with diverse stakeholders
•    Familiarity with AI and digital insight tools an advantage.
Passion for understanding cultural shifts, emerging consumer behaviours, and disruptive innovation trends.