Job Description :
Job Title: Innovation Commercialization Manager
Location: Budapest
Contract terms: Permanent, full-time

ABOUT US

Our Sales team love building relationships, connecting with customers to sell our much-loved brands in new and vibrant markets where they can thrive. They help sell our iconic brands across 180 countries every year.
We’re operating across different markets, channels, and areas of expertise. Using your curiosity and passion, you’ll make the most of consumer insight and digital platforms, reaching new customers, markets, and celebrations to help us achieve our growth potential. We’ll support your learning and growth as you develop your career with us and work with people across our business to realise your fullest potential.
About the Function
Our Marketing team are creators, helping to build and nurture some of the world’s most loved brands. We craft amazing connections with people around the world to celebrate our brands’ legacies and reimagine them for the world today, and into the future.
Everything we do is underpinned by a deep understanding of our consumers, behaviours, trends, and technologies. Using our genius and creativity, we unlock our brands’ uniqueness, understand their purpose, and put them at the heart of celebrations everywhere. Together, we’re celebrating diversity and challenging stereotypes through our advertising and marketing. Wherever your talents lie, from Design to Consumer Planning, you’ll be celebrated and supported in our inclusive culture.
Our Innovation Ambition
We need to ensure a strong and supported pipeline into our region of 40+ countries driven by a distributor partner model, have a leading innovation commercialization function and a fully integrated innovation business across the broader market teams.
Whether brand extensions, new to world product launches or sustainable pack and format innovations to future proof our business, the innovation agenda is a high focus area within Eastern Europe, offering an opportunity to work in a fast-paced, varied and exciting team.
About the role
We are looking for a high-performing, commercially focused leader ready to take the next step in their career at Diageo. This role balances critical thinking with a keen eye for detail to ensure brilliant execution with customers and consumers.
As the primary owner of EE innovation performance, you will also play a key leadership role in the Europe Innovation team, bringing thought leadership and expertise to drive total regional EE innovation delivery. The ICM drives the innovation pipeline, owns the P&L for respective categories, and analyzes performance drivers to optimize outcomes.
Working in close partnership with commercial and marketing teams, you will deliver the annual operating plan in line with innovation and brand strategies. This role offers the opportunity to build a strong internal network across EE, Europe Innovation and Global Brand Teams.
The Innovation Commercialization Manager (ICM) role is accountable for translating the Eastern Europe innovation pipeline into a commercial reality through three main areas:
Innovation Development & Validation: ICM will partner with the European innovation team to bring projects to gate 3 approval (concept & design), ensuring EE-specific consumer and customer validation. Work alongside key partners across EE, Europe Innovation and Global brand teams to drive alignment and support. Commercialization & Execution: Lead cross-functional teams (commercial, customer marketing, brand, supply) to develop a 3-year launch plan and targets into gate 5. Inspire and engage the wider business to ensure seamless execution. Activation & Performance Monitoring: Oversee activation and results tracking through gate 6, driving interventions as needed. Engage partners to share takeaways refine for future innovation strategy.
The ICM will work closely with European Innovation and the Eastern Europe Commercial and Marketing teams throughout all stages, including collaboration with our distributor partners across EE.
Role Responsibilities

Top 3-5 Accountabilities

• Support the Eastern Europe innovation strategy by working with the EE LT and European innovation team to build a robust pipeline, ensuring alignment and buy-in across EE, Europe, and Global teams.
• Deliver best-in-class launches by leading a cross-functional team (Brand, Activation, Commercial, RGM) and engaging distributor partners to drive seamless execution, nurture, and exit plans
• Lead Innovation Performance Review by partnering with EE Marketing and Commercial teams to track success, address opportunities, and align on activation, distribution, pricing, and G5 targets.

Please refer the Job description for details