Sr. Innovation Manager

Smalls is seeking a highly skilled and experienced Senior Manager to lead our Innovation Pipeline and ensure Smalls stays at the forefront of the cat space through new product development. This role will be instrumental in refining and maintaining a scalable innovation process, conducting market research, ensuring cross-functional collaboration and alignment, and managing projects from concept to launch. The right candidate will blend strategic thinking with hands-on execution and thrive in a fast-paced start-up environment.

What You'll Do

• Manage the Smalls Innovation Process:

  • Own the development of a multi-year innovation pipeline and associated timelines and budgets.

  • Establish continuous feedback loops leveraging customer insights and competitive analysis.

  • Refine the innovation process by seeking feedback from cross-functional key stakeholders

• Drive Innovation Through Project Management:

  • Lead and facilitate regular cross-functional innovation meetings.

  • Keep all innovation projects moving forward with clear next steps and stakeholder accountability.

  • Ensure alignment across teams to hit aggressive launch timelines and mange the high level timelines.

• Product Development Insights:

  • Leverage market research and an understanding of the category space to feed the pipeline and determine the overall objectives.

  • Support in crafting product briefs and conducting feasibility

  • Collect and analyze customer feedback to inform product decisions.

What We’ll Love About You

• You have worked 4+ years in product marketing, innovation or brand management. Huge plus if you have CPG experience.

• You have a proven track record of developing and launching new products with real business impact.

• You can work cross-functionally with stakeholders at all levels and communicate effectively.

• You are highly organized and your attention to detail makes you a strong project manager.

• You bring a strong point of view while remaining open to input—keeping the team grounded in process and data.

• You are relentlessly curious and product focused are are passionate about building new and better products.

• You’re a strategic thinker and a tactical doer, equally comfortable leading a brainstorm or writing a detailed product spec.

What you’ll love about us:

• Mission-Driven Company: We love cats and we're here to make nine lives ten.

• People-Driven Company: We treat our people like people; we're committed to Smalls, and we work hard but also respect everyone’s lives outside of work.

• Data-Driven Culture: We love using data to guide decision-making where appropriate, but we also know when to move quickly and go with our gut.

• Competitive Salary: Make some $$$.

• Very Competitive Benefits: Fully paid Health, Vision, and Dental insurance. 4-day work week. Unlimited PTO.

• Fully Remote Office & Culture: Our team is spread across the US day to day, but we travel for department & company off-sites and retreats.

• Free Product: Free cat food every month.