Personal Care Innovation Planner - Unilever International

JOB TITLE: PERSONAL CARE INNOVATION PLANNER - UNILEVER INTERNATIONAL

FUNCTION: SUPPLY CHAIN

MAIN PURPOSE OF THE ROLE

The Innovation Planner is responsible for delivering innovation, renovation and portfolio maintenance projects across Unilever International's Personal Care business. Acting as the control tower, the role orchestrates cross-functional teams to ensure new product launches, product changes and regulatory-driven updates are delivered on time, in full and in compliance with all business and market requirements.

The role supports North Asia and Southeast Asia sourced Personal Care portfolio representing approximately €200 million annual turnover of UI Personal Care business €600M, making it critical to both growth delivery and business continuity.

Working at the intersection of Marketing, R&D, Regulatory Affairs, Procurement, Manufacturing, Quality, Finance and Supply Chain, the Innovation Planner ensures successful execution of innovation projects from concept development through launch and post-launch performance management.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

1. End-to-End Innovation Project Leadership

• Lead innovation, renovation and portfolio maintenance projects across Personal Care categories including Deodorants, Oral Care, Fragrance and Skin Cleansing.

• Develop and manage end-to-end project networks and timelines to ensure successful delivery.

• Facilitate project kick-offs and align cross-functional teams on key milestones, deliverables and dependencies.

• Drive on-time and in-full (OTIF) delivery of innovation projects across global markets.

• Monitor project health and proactively identify, mitigate and escalate risks.

2. Portfolio Maintenance & Regulatory Compliance

• Lead implementation of mandatory product changes required to maintain market compliance and business continuity.

• Drive cross-functional projects related to global and local regulatory requirements.

• Manage specification, formulation, packaging and artwork changes required to meet evolving regulatory standards.

• Lead implementation of compliance-driven initiatives including ingredient and fragrance transitions such as CMR-free requirements.

• Ensure compliant and uninterrupted supply of Personal Care products across all relevant markets.

3. Cross-Functional Leadership

• Act as the single point of integration across Marketing, R&D, Regulatory, Procurement, Manufacturing, Quality, Finance and Supply Chain.

• Influence and align stakeholders without direct authority to achieve project objectives.

• Lead project governance meetings and provide transparency on timelines, risks and mitigation plans.

• Build strong working relationships across global, regional and local teams.

4. Supply Readiness & Commercialization

• Partner with manufacturing sites and suppliers to ensure readiness for innovation launches and product transitions.

• Coordinate implementation activities across sourcing units and markets.

• Support supply planning and inventory transition strategies to minimize waste and ensure service continuity.

• Drive successful product commercialization from development through market launch.

5. Risk Management & Governance

• Proactively identify execution, compliance, supply and business risks.

• Establish mitigation plans and escalation pathways for critical issues.

• Ensure strong project governance and decision-making discipline.

• Support leadership reviews with clear reporting and recommendations.

6. Digital Transformation & Business Performance

• Utilize digital tools including Power BI and project management systems to improve visibility and decision-making.

• Develop project dashboards and performance reporting.

• Track launch readiness, project milestones and post-launch performance.

• Support ongoing process simplification and continuous improvement initiatives.

**The roles of duties are not exhaustive and may change according to business requirements. 

EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS REQUIRED

Essential

• Bachelor's Degree in Supply Chain, Engineering, Operations, Business, Analytics or related discipline.

• Experience in project management, innovation planning, supply chain, product development or business operations.

• Strong analytical and problem-solving capability.

• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills.

• Ability to work effectively across multiple functions, geographies and cultures.

• Strong planning, prioritization and organizational skills.

• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint.

Preferred

• Experience within FMCG, consumer goods or manufacturing environments.

• Understanding of product development and commercialization processes.

• Exposure to regulatory compliance and product change management.

• Experience using Power BI or similar reporting tools.

• APICS or project management certification.

Unilever is an organisation committed to equity, inclusion and diversity to drive our business results and create a better future, every day, for our diverse employees, global consumers, partners, and communities. We believe a diverse workforce allows us to match our growth ambitions and drive inclusion across the business. At Unilever we are interested in every individual bringing their ‘Whole Self’ to work and this includes you! Thus if you require any support or access requirements, we encourage you to advise us at the time of your application so that we can support you through your recruitment journey.

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