Lead, Shopper Insights - HDM at Heinz in Chicago, IL

Lead, Shopper Insights - HDM Location: Chicago, IL Job Description Job Description Why Join Kraft Heinz? Few companies can match the impact, heritage, and household presence of the Kraft Heinz family of brands. Within our Taste Elevation portfolio—spanning condiments, spoonables, and salad dressings—we power everyday meals with products that consumers reach for instinctively, from adding flavor to enhancing occasions. As we continue to evolve these iconic categories, we’re seeking a bold, insight-driven leader who can deeply understand how shoppers make decisions in these highly competitive, high-frequency categories—and turn that understanding into growth. Role Summary The Shopper Insights Lead for Taste Elevation is a senior strategic leader responsible for shaping the Shopper Insights agenda across Kraft Heinz’s condiments, spoonables, and salad dressings businesses. This role will define how the organization understands and wins with shoppers in high-penetration, highly substitutable categories where brand, price, promotion, and shelf visibility play critical roles. The Lead will influence enterprise strategy, drive category and customer growth, and embed shopper-centric thinking across all commercial decisions. Key Responsibilities Taste Elevation Shopper Strategy Leadership Define and lead the shopper insights strategy for the Taste Elevation portfolio, ensuring alignment with category growth ambitions. Develop deep expertise in condiment, spoonable, and dressing shopper behavior—including repertoire buying, brand switching, promotion sensitivity, and usage occasions. Identify key growth levers such as trade-up, basket expansion, flavor trends, and cross-category pairing opportunities. Shape strategic narratives that position Kraft Heinz as a category leader in flavor enhancement and condiments. Executive Influence & Business Impact Act as a trusted advisor to senior leadership across Marketing, Commercial, and Category teams focused on Taste Elevation. Translate complex shopper data into clear, compelling stories that influence decisions on pricing, promotion, assortment, and innovation. Drive insight-led strategies that win in highly competitive shelf environments and increase household penetration, loyalty, and buy rate. Lead development of frameworks that quantify the role of brand, value, and visibility in shopper decision-making. Customer & Retailer Thought Partnership Elevate retailer engagement with best-in-class, insight-led category stories tailored to Taste Elevation categories. Partner with Customer Development and Category Leadership to shape joint growth strategies grounded in shopper behavior. Identify opportunities across merchandising (secondary placement, cross-merchandising), retail media, and omnichannel activation. Bring forward-thinking perspectives on how shoppers navigate condiment and meal-enhancement aisles both in-store and online. Advanced Analytics & Insight Integration Integrate diverse data sources (panel, POS, loyalty, digital, and behavioral data) to build a comprehensive view of the Taste Elevation shopper. Lead advanced analytics efforts such as shopper segmentation, decision trees, basket analysis, and trip mission identification. Develop forward-looking insights on flavor trends, health perceptions, private label dynamics, and promotional elasticity. Ensure the organization stays ahead of shifts in how shoppers discover, choose, and use condiments and dressings. Team Leadership & Capability Building Lead and develop a high-performing shopper insights team supporting Taste Elevation. Build organizational capability in understanding high-frequency, impulse-driven, and habit-based shopper behaviors. Establish scalable tools and frameworks that improve speed and consistency of insight delivery. Foster a culture of curiosity, agility, and strong business partnership. Innovation & Future-Focused Thinking Partner with Innovation teams to ensure new products are rooted in unmet shopper needs and emerging flavor trends. Anticipate shifts in food culture, at-home meal behaviors, and health considerations impacting Taste Elevation categories. Identify whitespace opportunities for premiumization, convenience, and new usage occasions. Bring external trends and disruptive thinking into category and brand strategy. Qualifications Required Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Business, Behavioral Science, Statistics, or related field. 10–12+ years of experience in shopper insights, consumer insights, category leadership, or related CPG roles. Strong experience in food & beverage, ideally within center-store or high-frequency categories. Demonstrated ability to influence senior executives and shape enterprise-level strategy. Deep expertise in both qualitative and quantitative research, as well as advanced analytics. Strong experience working with major U.S. retailers across omnichannel environments. Exceptional storytelling, communication, and leadership skills. Preferred Master’s degree (MBA, MS in Marketing Research, or similar). Experience in condiments, sauces, dressings, or other food categories. Proven track record of building and leading high-performing teams. Experience driving transformation or building new insights capabilities. What Success Looks Like A clearly defined shopper strategy that strengthens Kraft Heinz’s leadership in condiments, spoonables, and salad dressings. Measurable business impact through improved penetration, loyalty, and category growth. Strong influence on pricing, promotion, merchandising, and innovation decisions within Taste Elevation. Elevated retailer partnerships through best-in-class category and shopper storytelling. A high-performing team and a deeply embedded shopper-first mindset across the business. Our Total Rewards philosophy is to provide a meaningful and flexible spectrum of programs that equitably support our diverse workforce and their families and complement Kraft Heinz’ strategy and values. New Hire Base Salary Range: $141,500.00 - $176,900.00Bonus: This position is eligible for a performance-based bonus as provided by the plan terms and governing documents. The compensation offered will take into account internal equity and may vary depending on the candidate's geographic region, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience among other factors Benefits: Coverage for employees (and their eligible dependents) through affordable access to healthcare, protection, and saving for the future, we offer plans tailored to meet you and your family’s needs. Coverage for benefits will be in accordance with the terms and conditions of the applicable plans and associated governing plan documents. Wellbeing: We offer events, resources, and learning opportunities that inspire a physical, social, emotional, and financial well-being lifestyle for our employees and their families. You’ll be able to participate in a variety of benefits and wellbeing programs that may vary by role, country, region, union status, and other employment status factors, for example: Physical - Medical, Prescription Drug, Dental, Vision, Screenings/Assessments Social - Paid Time Off, Company Holidays, Leave of Absence, Flexible Work Arrangements, Recognition, Training Emotional – Employee Assistance Program , Wellbeing Programs, Family Support Programs Financial – 401k, Life, Accidental Death & Dismemberment, Disability Location(s) Employee's Home - National Kraft Heinz is an Equal Opportunity Employer – Underrepresented Ethnic Minority Groups/Women/Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity and other protected classes. In order to ensure reasonable accommodation for protected individuals, applicants that require accommodation in the job application process may contact NAZTAOps@kraftheinz.com for assistance. Our Total Rewards philosophy is to provide a meaningful and flexible spectrum of programs that equitably support our diverse workforce and their families and complement Kraft Heinz’ strategy and values. New Hire Base Salary Range: $141,500.00 - $176,900.00 Bonus: This position is eligible for a performance-based bonus as provided by the plan terms and governing documents. The compensation offered will take into account internal equity and may vary depending on the candidate's geographic region, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience among other factors Benefits: Coverage for employees (and their eligible dependents) through affordable access to healthcare, protection, and saving for the future, we offer plans tailored to meet you and your family’s needs. Coverage for benefits will be in accordance with the terms and conditions of the applicable plans and associated governing plan documents. Wellbeing: We offer events, resources, and learning opportunities that inspire a physical, social, emotional, and financial well-being lifestyle for our employees and their families. You’ll be able to participate in a variety of benefits and wellbeing programs that may vary by role, country, region, union status, and other employment status factors, for example: Physical - Medical, Prescription Drug, Dental, Vision, Screenings/Assessments Social - Paid Time Off, Company Holidays, Leave of Absence, Flexible Work Arrangements, Recognition, Training Emotional – Employee Assistance Program , Wellbeing Programs, Family Support Programs Financial – 401k, Life, Accidental Death & Dismemberment, Disability Location(s) Chicago/Aon Center Kraft Heinz is an Equal Opportunity Employer – Underrepresented Ethnic Minority Groups/Women/Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity and other protected classes. In order to ensure reasonable accommodation for protected individuals, applicants that require accommodation in the job application process may contactNAZTAOps@kraftheinz.comfor assistance.