About the Role
PepsiCo is seeking a Commercialization Associate Manager to join its team in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. This role is a key part of the Innovation & Commercialization function, supporting PepsiCo's growth strategy. The position will focus on portfolio transformation, innovation pipeline management, and commercialization excellence within Saudi Arabia, contributing to both short-term performance and long-term portfolio direction. The role also has the potential to influence innovation agendas across the Middle East and globally.
PepsiCo's portfolio of beverages and convenient foods is consumed globally, with iconic brands such as LAY’S®, DORITOS®, CHEETOS®, GATORADE®, PEPSI®, and QUAKER®. The company's vision is to be a global leader by focusing on sustainability and human capital through its pep+ strategic transformation.
Key Responsibilities
- Provide leadership across desirability, feasibility, and viability assessments for innovation initiatives at project and pipeline levels, ensuring strategic alignment and affordability.
- Ensure that pep+ principles are integrated into all innovation efforts.
- Identify and scale successful innovations within the market unit by utilizing PepsiCo's digitalized innovation Hopper and collaborating with functional peers.
- Support desirability assessments with marketing teams, drive feasibility and viability evaluations, and develop comprehensive roll-out plans and associated capability investments.
- Define and shape the role of innovation within the KSA growth strategy, impacting business performance, incrementality, and portfolio mix.
- Drive key PepsiCo innovation KPIs, including profitable growth, pipeline sufficiency, launch stickability, and simplification.
- Collaborate with Marketing, R&D, and Supply Chain to develop the market unit's Innovation Hopper, focusing on sufficiency, scalability, capability investments, and trade-offs.
- Enable calendar development for KSA across innovation, Positive Choices, Planet Positive, and PPA, ensuring alignment with strategic priorities, growth, and profitability targets.
- Ensure commercialization readiness of calendars for annual operating plans and customer engagement, providing pre- and post-launch governance for critical projects.
- Drive calendar execution by assessing readiness, identifying risks, and engaging with Sales to ensure project focus.
- Optimize execution plans to minimize cost and complexity, and focus on the sustained success of previous launches.
- Lead the end-to-end delivery of transformation initiatives, managing scope, milestones, risks, and cross-functional alignment.
- Coordinate across Marketing, Sales, R&D, Supply Chain, and Finance to ensure projects are delivered on scope, budget, and time.
- Proactively manage risks and opportunities pre- and post-launch to maximize project scale and success.
- Oversee Business Unit Innovation governance and the Stage Gate decision-making process to ensure cross-functional alignment and strategic trade-offs.
- Lead performance reviews and integrate learnings into future projects and calendars.
- Drive portfolio transformation in partnership with key functions, building an innovation hopper and pipeline aligned with Saudi growth priorities and global strategy.
- Champion key platforms such as Oven Baked, Functional Snacking via Sun, and Sweevory, translating strategy into scalable, commercially viable propositions.
- Govern the MyInnovations portal, ensuring a continuously updated innovation hopper and pipeline aligned with global priorities.
- Maintain high standards for data accuracy, completeness, and timeliness within MyInnovations.
- Establish discipline around milestone tracking to ensure proactive management of project timelines.
- Serve as the primary point of accountability for pipeline visibility, enabling data-driven leadership decisions.
- Embed end-to-end excellence across the innovation lifecycle, from ideation to commercialization, ensuring cross-functional coordination and delivery rigor.
Qualifications and Requirements
- Minimum of 9+ years of business experience, preferably in consumer, commercial, or supply chain roles.
- Minimum Bachelor's Degree, ideally in business studies, engineering, or finance.
- High level of business acumen, demonstrating commercial and organizational understanding, and financial astuteness.
- Understanding of the end-to-end innovation process, including P&L fundamentals, Supply Chain, and Go-to-Market strategies is advantageous.
- Results-oriented with a high degree of personal initiative and leadership, capable of operating effectively in a fast-paced, cross-functional environment with limited resources.
- Strong self-driven leadership with effective communication and collaboration skills.
- Ability to influence at all levels and manage conflict effectively.
- Proven commercial project leadership and management skills, with the ability to manage complex functional interdependencies in project timelines.
- Strong process thinking committed to driving efficiency.
- Proficiency in data analysis and interpretation to develop business recommendations.
- Strong analytical thinking to comprehend potential challenges and propose feasible solutions.
- Ability to articulate a compelling vision and inspire others.
- Effectively influences others to align on key business issues using various skills and approaches.
- Takes action and supports the team in delivering quality results with appropriate urgency.
- Demonstrates perseverance in achieving goals while managing competing priorities.
- Engages and collaborates with individuals and teams across the organization to enhance business results.
- Builds trusting relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
- Actively listens and ensures others feel their concerns and ideas are heard.
Required Skills
- Commercial Project Leadership
- Data Analysis
- Analytical Thinking
- Communication
- Collaboration
- Leadership
- Influencing
- Conflict Management
Work Environment
This is a full-time position located in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The role requires 5-10 years of experience.
PepsiCo is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity and inclusion. The company complies with global human rights policies and equality laws, and does not discriminate based on age, pregnancy or marital/civil partnerships, religion or belief, gender, or disability. PepsiCo is Mowaamah-GOLD certified in Saudi Arabia.