Senior Project Manager (Innovation)

Who We Are

At Freshpet, our goal is to change the way people nourish their pets forever.  We strive to strengthen the bond between people and our pets so that we both live longer, healthier, and happier lives while being kind to the planet. We believe that if we can create fresh, real foods that pets love and help them live healthier lives, that their pet parents will also enjoy the many benefits of a rich life shared with a pet.  IT’S AMAZING WHAT CAN HAPPEN WHEN YOU START COMPLETELY FRESH!

What You Will Do

The (Sr. Project Manager./Director??) will be responsible for leading high-impact, cross-functional projects that support the strategic goals of the Innovation & Marketing department. This role requires a strategic thinker with exceptional organizational, communication, and leadership skills to manage complex initiatives from concept to completion.

They will support the growth of a project management culture within the organization, modeling structured, collaborative, and forward-looking ways of working.

The ideal candidate is an experienced CPG (ideally food/beverage) Project Leader who thrives in an innovative, fast-paced environment and excels at aligning project outcomes with business objectives.

This is a hybrid position with 3 days per week in the office in Bedminster, NJ and more when necessary.

Key Responsibilities:

Project Leadership, Execution, Process Ownership & Optimization

• Lead the end-to-end management of marketing-related projects, ensuring delivery on time, within scope and an awareness of interdependencies and resource needs.
• Develop detailed project plans, timelines, and resource allocations aligned with marketing and business strategies.
• Facilitate project meetings, including status updates, action tracking, and risk escalation, to enable effective decision-making.
• Identify potential risks and implement effective mitigation strategies to ensure successful outcomes.
• Foster collaborative relationships with cross-functional teams to ensure alignment on project priorities and execution.
• Monitor and report on project milestones and deliverables, keeping key stakeholders informed, acting as a key liaison between functions (Marketing, R&D, Procurement, Quality, Manufacturing, etc.) to ensure clear alignment on project deliverables, risks, and issues.
• Drive alignment, make the conversation meaningful, hold people accountable, drive for clarity, key takeaways and next steps.

• Build the project management mindset and tools that benefit the cross functional teams. 
• Champion and own the management of the Stage Gate Process, guiding project leads/teams through the process from Charter to Post-Launch.
• Provide broader exposure and training on the Stage Gate process – encouraging cross functional understanding and adherence to the process to ensure proper resource allocation and prioritization.
• Help define how projects are planned, executed, and managed within the organization, ensuring consistency and efficiency. 
• Drive operational excellence and best practices in project management.
• Identify process improvement opportunities and propose solutions to simplify ways of working or improve timelines.

How You Will Make an Impact

• Proven leadership in steering cross-functional teams, managing complex projects and delivering measurable results.
• Excellent stakeholder management, communication, facilitation, and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a dynamic and deadline-driven setting.
• Excellent analytical, organizational, and problem-solving capabilities.

• Results-oriented and adaptable - Ability to drive results, proactively shifting efforts as trends and business variables change.
• Inquisitive with a history of seeking out best practices and successfully integrating them into the organization.
• Champion a problem-solving mindset, fostering agility and structured thinking in overcoming roadblocks.
• Challenge assumptions, a strategic thinker asking the right questions, steering answers towards the right execution
• Collaborative, ability to deliver cross functional cooperation throughout the organization and externally.  Invoking trust, shared accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Self-starter with demonstrated track record of problem solving and priority setting with a high bias for execution and activation.
• A hands-on, solutions-oriented approach and ability to operate with agility in a growth-focused entrepreneurial environment.
• A continuous improvement mindset and ability to identify process enhancements that improve project efficiency and quality.

What You Will Bring

A passion for executional excellence, collaboration, and business impact.

• 7-10 years of project management, commercialization, innovation, or a similar role within a fast-paced CPG environment (preferably Food & Bev).  

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Marketing, Operations, Supply Chain Management, or a related field required.
  • Master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA), or related discipline preferred.
• Project Management Professional (PMP), Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM), or other relevant certification preferred.
• Expertise in project management software
• Familiarity with Agile, Scrum, or Waterfall methodologies (certification a plus).

What We Offer

At Freshpet, we offer a competitive salary and an excellent benefits package, including medical, dental and vision insurance, basic and optional life insurance, short- and long-term disability protection, flexible spending accounts, and a 401(k) plan with company match, paid parental leave, pet insurance, tuition assistance, a generous PTO plan and so much more!

Our Commitment to a Diverse Workforce:

Freshpet is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All employment decisions are made without regards to race, color, national origin, religion, creed, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, marital or domestic/civil partnership status, genetic information, citizenship status (although applicants and employees must be legally authorized to work in the United States), uniformed service member or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law (“protected characteristics”).

Disclaimers

The salary range provided above is the range of the wages that we will pay for the listed position.  A final determination on the wages within this range is based on a number of non-discriminatory factors, including but not limited to the required work location, previous work experience, skill set, and wage rates for comparable positions.

Freshpet is not accepting unsolicited assistance from search firms for this employment opportunity. Please, no phone calls or emails. All resumes submitted by search firms to any employee at Freshpet via-email, the Internet or in any form and/or method without a valid written search agreement in place for this position will be deemed the sole property of Freshpet. No fee will be paid in the event the candidate is hired by Freshpet as a result of the referral or through other means.

We are interested in every qualified candidate who is eligible to work in the United States. However, we are not able to sponsor visas.