Innovation Manager

About the role

Kinisla is seeking a commercially sharp and proactive Innovation Manager to help shape the branded innovation programme within its Dairy Consumer Foods business. In this position, you will report to the Senior Innovation Manager and help build a strong flow of innovation for well-known brands across the UK and Europe, including the flagship Strings & Things brand, aligned to strategic growth pillars and key brand objectives.

The role focuses on developing consumer-led innovation that is both viable in the market and capable of supporting growth in the short, medium, and long term. You will guide projects from idea generation through the stage-and-gate process to launch readiness, helping create a pipeline of propositions that are attractive to consumers and commercially sound.

This is a fast-moving, collaborative environment where ownership is encouraged, ideas are valued, and professional development is ongoing. The position is hybrid, with two days each week in the Staines office on Tuesday and Wednesday, plus occasional travel to partners in London and to sites across Ireland and the UK.

About Kinisla

Kinisla is a vertically integrated farm-to-fork dairy and consumer foods business with a major presence in nutrition and dairy ingredients. The company delivers high-quality dairy products with a strong focus on sustainability and innovation, working closely with local family farms and covering every stage of the value chain.

With more than 50 years of experience in milk processing, dairy technology, and product innovation, Kinisla plays an important role in the global food sector. Its portfolio includes market-leading brands such as Cheestrings, Charleville and Coleraine Cheese, Dairygold, Golden Cow, and the newer SMUG range. The company’s food-for-food culture and long-standing relationships with 2,800 milk suppliers create distinctive opportunities for customers and consumers.

The business sources dairy from grazing land known for low carbon intensity and works through Irish family farms. By combining technical expertise, innovation, and sustainability, Kinisla aims to shape the future of dairy while supporting farmers, customers, and communities.

Headquartered in Tralee, County Kerry, the company operates several manufacturing sites in southwest Ireland, including Listowel, Charleville, Newmarket, and Farranfore. It also runs 29 Farm & Home stores across the region and has operations in Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom, including Portadown, Coleraine, Ossett, and Staines-Upon-Thames. Globally, Kinisla employs more than 1,600 people across Ireland, Northern Ireland, the UK, the USA, the Netherlands, Spain, Germany, and China. In 2024, the business reported turnover of around €1.3 billion.

What you will do

• Take ownership of selected innovation projects and manage them through the stage-and-gate process until they are ready for launch.
• Keep the consumer perspective central throughout the innovation journey and encourage a consumer-first mindset across the team.
• Promote curiosity, speed, and constructive challenge as part of the way the team works.
• Help strengthen innovation capability, confidence, and ways of working across the wider organisation.
• Run innovation forums with clear gate discipline, timely decision-making, and high-quality governance.
• Ensure projects move smoothly from concept to launch readiness while balancing ambition, feasibility, and commercial value.
• Maintain an active pipeline so both immediate and longer-term brand needs are covered.
• Support process discipline and compliance through regular innovation reviews and meetings.
• Influence stakeholders across functions to back the innovation agenda and improve the success rate of branded new product concepts in market.
• Contribute to innovation pipeline development and identify opportunities that support business strategy and growth ambitions for priority brands.
• Assist in shaping innovation strategy and the innovation funnel across key brands.
• Make sure innovation strengthens brand equity and delivers against commercial performance targets.
• Support launch planning by clarifying responsibilities across brand, innovation, and activation teams.
• Monitor market performance and use the learning to improve future pipelines.
• Work closely with Insights, Brand, Category, R&D, Finance, Commercial teams, and agency partners to move propositions from idea to launch.

What success looks like

• A stronger innovation pipeline across short-, medium-, and long-term horizons.
• Higher in-market success for new innovation launches.
• Clear contribution from innovation toward growth goals.
• Strong stakeholder confidence and alignment behind the innovation agenda.
• A more capable innovation culture and mindset across the organisation.

What you will bring

• Experience in brand or innovation roles, ideally within FMCG, with practical knowledge of stage-and-gate processes from insight gathering through to launch readiness.
• Strong project management skills, including the ability to organise, prioritise, and coordinate work, people, and resources effectively.
• Understanding of concept development, proposition building, and the new product development journey, supported by examples of successful launches.
• Commercial judgement, including experience preparing and assessing business cases.
• A consumer-led, insight-driven, and commercially grounded mindset.
• A collaborative, decisive approach with a focus on delivering outcomes.
• Curiosity and ambition to keep learning, developing, and pushing boundaries.
• Ability to influence colleagues, external partners, and leadership teams across functions.

What the company offers

Kinisla offers the chance to contribute to meaningful work in a team-focused environment that values innovation and fresh thinking. The company aims to support people who want to make a difference and develop their potential.

• 25 days of annual leave, excluding bank holidays
• Healthcare cover
• Matched pension scheme
• Discount and cashback platform for major retailers

Additional information

Kinisla values a diverse workforce and promotes an inclusive workplace where different cultures, backgrounds, lifestyles, and experiences are welcomed. The company is committed to a positive environment where people can do their best work and feel supported both personally and professionally.

Recruitment decisions are made on the basis of skills and competencies and are intended to be merit-based. Kinisla states that it does not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, class, economic status, ethnic background, sexual orientation, age, political beliefs, veteran status, marital status, or any other protected characteristic.

The company also notes that it does not accept CVs or candidate profiles from recruitment agencies unless terms of business have been signed. It will not pay recruiter fees in cases where that condition has not been met, including direct submissions sent to hiring managers.

Work arrangement

This is a hybrid position based in Staines-Upon-Thames, with two in-office days each week on Tuesday and Wednesday. The role also involves occasional travel to London partners and to company sites across Ireland and the UK.