Vice President Innovation

Bimbo Bakeries
$211,600 - $296,200
paid time off, 401(k)
United States, Texas, Irving
1735 North Story Road (Show on map)
Feb 09, 2026
Have you ever enjoyed Arnold, Brownberry or Oroweat bread? A Thomas' English muffin or bagel? Or perhaps snacked on a Sara Lee, Entenmann's or Marinela cake or donut? If the answer is yes, then you know Bimbo Bakeries USA! More than 20,000 associates in bakeries, sales centers, offices and on sales routes work to ensure our consumers have the freshest products at every meal. In addition to competitive pay and benefits, we provide a safe and inclusive work environment that appreciates diversity, promotes development and allows our associates to be their authentic selves. *#LI-SO1* Come join the largest baking company in the world and our family of 20,000 associates nationwide! Top Reasons to Work at Bimbo Bakeries USA: Salary Range: $211,600 - $296,200 Annual Bonus Eligibility Comprehensive Benefits Package Paid Time Off 401k & Company Match Position Summary: Innovation plays a key role in the strategy of the business by positioning our portfolio to evolve with consumer's tastes and interest and to tap into new areas of opportunity to help the business meet its growth aspirations. This role will lead our efforts on developing innovation that are either line extensions (T1), new to our categories (T2) or helps create new categories (T3) of products by directing the activities of the innovation team and through working closely with our Brand Teams, R&D, Technical Services, Engineering, Packaging, and Sales teams to support the goals and strategies of our branded businesses. The Vice President of Innovation will focus primarily on meeting the needs of our DSD business covering Bread, Buns, Rolls, Sweet Baked Goods and Breakfast products. They and their team will be consistently building a pipeline of future innovation while also driving forward the development of innovation already in the pipeline. Success will be defined by consistently growing the innovation index to meet our long-term ambitions. The VP of Innovation will work closely with counterparts from across Grupo Bimbo to identify innovation opportunities or to share ideas for what has been done in the US. They will also be a member of the Growth Leadership Team contributing to the development of cross functional plans to achieve our growth ambitions. The individual in this position will need to demonstrate consumer empathy, superior collaboration, financial acumen, results orientation, excellent verbal and written communication skills, people leadership skills, effective organization, and project management skills. Exposure to a variety of market research techniques and experience in data analysis are also important. We are looking for candidates who are passionate about food and food trends and who enjoy the work of creating new things. An understanding of modern Innovation methodologies including Design Thinking, Jobs to Be Done and Lean Process will be important for the candidate to fill this role. The VP is expected to spend time in the marketplace and participate in meetings with functions from across the organization including visiting bakeries and co-manufacturers. This position reports to the Sr. VP Marketing. Key Job Responsibilities: Participate in and direct the efforts of their team to develop a robust pipeline of future innovation opportunities. Collaborate closely with the category VPs to identify the best innovation opportunities for development. With their team and cross functional partners develop a strategy for commercializing each innovation opportunity. Systematically evaluate ideas to select high potential opportunities for further testing and/or feasibility analysis. With their team, works cross functionally on the detailed plans to ensure innovation is developed across the expected timeline. Work with financial teams and cross functional partners to build business cases for any necessary innovation. Work collaboratively with category leaders and other functional partners on the plans to successfully execute innovations. Mine trend and consumer data to map where the consumer is going and generate compelling product ideas that meet their needs. Collaborate with internal research partner to design innovation testing (concept, prototype, in-store etc.) to best prove out innovation viability with consumers. Develop strong, collaborative relationships with cross-functional teams (Brand Teams, RGM, R&D, Manufacturing Operations, and Sales) to ensure collaboration and alignment of direction at all stages of development and launch. Work collaboratively with agency and research partners. Must be agile in creating and reading data analysis to generate business insights. Key Behavioral Competencies: Ability to influence and communicate with the senior level in the organization. Be a team player and strong collaborator working effectively across functions, to give and take direction, to establish priorities and to create excitement and focus with those not in his/her direct line of responsibility. Ability to sell ideas up, down, and sideways to keep team and stakeholders motivated and focused. Self-starter, ability to work independently. Energy, enthusiasm, commitment, courage, and entrepreneurial excitement. Innovative problem solver. Open mindset. Tenacious. Results oriented. Learning enthusiast, intellectual curiosity. Excellent organizational and communication (written and oral) skills. Leadership Competencies: Challenges and aligns - Challenges Grupo Bimbo to get better results aligned with the Business Plan. Drives vision and purpose - Paints a compelling picture of the vision and strategy that motivates others to action. Manages ambiguity - Operates effectively, even when things are not certain, or the way forward is not clear. Strategic mindset - Sees ahead to future possibilities and translates them into breakthrough strategies. Education and Work History: Bachelor's degree in marketing, Food Science or a related field required. A relevant Masters' Degree is preferred. 10+years of experience leading innovation and new product development teams, CPG preferred. Excellent organizational and communication skills, both written and oral. Computer skills and proficiency with MS Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Ability to learn and be proficient at other analytical tools and data sources. Experience with syndicated data such as IRI or Nielsen. Experience with consumer research and concept/prototype testing. Ability and willingness to travel 30% of the time. Proficiency in Spanish is a plus but not required. The position is based on Irving, TX at BBU's company HQ. Physical Demands: The physical and mental demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an associate to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be requested to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Bimbo Bakeries USA is an equal opportunity employer with a policy that provides equal employment opportunity for applicants and employees regardless of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, or gender identity), national origin, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, veteran status, any other classification protected by law. It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability. >