Samyang America, Inc. · 15 hours ago
Director, Consumer Strategy, Innovation & Intelligence
Brea, CA
Full-time
Onsite
Director/Executive
$140K/yr - $165K/yr
10+ years expSamyang America, Inc. is the #1 Gen Z brand in food culture, known for its innovative flavors and brand experiences. They are seeking a Director of Consumer Strategy, Innovation & Intelligence to lead consumer understanding and drive innovation through insights and strategic foresight.
Food & Beverages
Responsibilities
Lead enterprise-wide consumer understanding across Americas and sometimes, global markets
Own trend, cultural, and behavioral intelligence—integrating social listening, cultural analysis, desk research, and emerging signals
Translate macro and micro trends into foresight frameworks that inform long-term strategy and innovation pipelines
Serve as the authority on why consumers behave as they do and where future growth will come from
Lead the design and refresh of consumer, need-state, and occasion-based segmentations
Develop demand space and Jobs-to-be-Done (JTBD) frameworks to identify whitespace opportunities
Ensure segmentation is actionable—embedded into brand strategy, innovation briefs, portfolio architecture, and go-to-market decisions
Partner with Strategy and Analytics leaders to connect segments to sizing, prioritization, and investment decisions
Own the consumer intelligence agenda supporting innovation—from early ideation to post-launch optimization
Lead concept development, screening, and refinement using both qualitative and quantitative methods
Guide innovation pipelines with clear consumer-backed rationale, trade-offs, and success criteria
Partner with R&D, Brand, and Commercial teams to ensure innovation is both desirable, differentiated, and scalable
Establish systems for ongoing in-market learning—tracking brand health, communication effectiveness, and innovation performance
Integrate post-launch insights to refine positioning, claims, and execution
Ensure learning loops are fast, actionable, and directly inform course correction
Balance rigor with agility, enabling 'test-and-learn' cultures across brands and markets
Set standards for research quality, innovation, and relevance across quantitative and qualitative methods
Oversee the design and execution of foundational and ad hoc research (U&A, segmentation, brand health, pricing, innovation)
Champion modern approaches including social intelligence, behavioral science, and hybrid qual–quant-AI methods
Manage internal capabilities, relationships with research vendors, platforms, and partners to ensure best-in-class delivery
Lead, mentor, and develop a team of consumer insights and innovation intelligence professionals (as applicable)
Build a culture of curiosity, rigor, and strategic impact
Partner with other Directors within Strategy & Intelligence to ensure seamless integration of consumer insight, analytics, and commercial strategy
Act as a visible thought leader internally, elevating how the organization understands and applies consumer insight
Serve as a trusted advisor to senior leadership on consumer-led growth and innovation decisions
Present insights and foresight clearly to executive audiences, shaping strategic alignment
Facilitate workshops and strategic sessions to translate insight into action
Ensure Strategy & Intelligence is viewed as a growth partner, not a research service
Qualification
Required
Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Business, Psychology, Anthropology, Economics, or related field (Master's, MBA, or PhD equivalent preferred)
10–15+ years of experience in Consumer Insights, Strategy, Innovation, or related leadership roles within CPG or consumer-driven industries
Proven experience leading foundational consumer understanding, segmentation, and innovation intelligence
Strong command of qualitative and quantitative research methodologies
Experience embedding consumer insight into brand strategy, innovation pipelines, and portfolio decisions
Demonstrated ability to influence senior leaders with insight-backed recommendations
Comfort operating at enterprise scale and across global markets
Preferred
Experience with breadth of insights, and human-centric strategy frameworks
US Multi-National and International experience across Americas or global markets
Experience leading and developing insights teams
Background in food & beverage, snacks, or culturally driven categories
Experience modernizing insights functions or standing up new capabilities
Benefits
Annual incentive bonus
Medical/dental/vision insurance
Life insurance
PTO/FTO
401(k) plan with company match
Company
Samyang America, Inc.
SAMYANG AMERICA, INC.
51-200 employees
Funding
Current Stage
Growth StageLeadership Team
Youngsik Shin
Chief Executive Officer
Company data provided by crunchbase