Director, Marketing & Innovation Finance

Company Description

Simple Mills is on a mission to transform the way food is made, creating nourishing products with astounding ingredients and amazing taste. Founded in 2012 by Katlin Smith, our brand has redefined center-aisle grocery by delivering better-for-you products made with unique, nutrient-dense ingredients. Today, we’re a category leader and the #1 natural brand in multiple segments, with distribution in over 30,000 stores nationwide.

Now, as part of Flowers Foods, we’re entering an exciting new phase of growth—expanding our reach, accelerating innovation, and amplifying brand awareness, all while preserving the integrity of what makes Simple Mills special. Our commitment to using simple, high-quality ingredients ensures that every bite is both delicious and nutritious. Whether it’s watermelon seed flour in our cookies or butternut squash in our crackers, we craft our products with innovative, wholesome ingredients that deliver extraordinary taste.

Our work has been recognized by Fast Company as a Brand That Matters and a Most Innovative Company, and has been featured in Vogue, Forbes, Women’s Health, and NPR’s How I Built This. In 2024, Inc. named us one of its Best Workplaces, reflecting our dedication to fostering an inspiring and inclusive environment where passionate individuals can make a difference.

Join us as we shape the future of food. Learn more at www.simplemills.com.

Requirements

Role Description

The Director, Marketing & Innovation Finance is a critical finance leadership role responsible for driving profitable growth, shaping investment strategy, and improving business performance across the company’s brand, category, and innovation agenda.

Serving as the lead finance partner to Marketing, Innovation, and R&D, this individual will influence key decisions related to portfolio strategy, marketing investment, innovation prioritization, and long-range growth planning. The role requires a commercially minded finance leader with strong strategic judgment, analytical rigor, and executive presence.

As the organization continues to scale, this leader will help strengthen planning rigor, elevate decision quality, and bring structure and financial discipline to an increasingly complex business environment. The ideal candidate is agile, collaborative, and comfortable operating through ambiguity while balancing strategic leadership with hands-on execution. The position will report to the VP, Finance and responsibilities will include:

Strategic Finance Leadership & Cross Functional Influence

• Lead category and brand planning processes, including forecast development, annual operating plan, and long-range planning (LRP), ensuring assumptions, risks, and growth expectations are financially grounded and aligned to business objectives.
• Drive financial analysis that generates actionable insights on key business performance drivers (revenue, profitability, pricing, mix, marketing effectiveness, and innovation performance) to inform business decisions.
• Build and leverage financial models to evaluate growth opportunities, pricing actions, innovation launches, and resource allocation decisions, including sensitivity analysis tied to volume, margin, spend, and profitability assumptions.
• Challenge and validate business assumptions by partnering with cross-functional leaders to identify risks, gaps, and performance dependencies before decisions are finalized.
• Translate analysis into clear recommendations that guide prioritization, trade-offs, and improved business outcomes
• Drive financial discipline and performance management by strengthening planning rigor, accountability, forecast accuracy, and timely risk identification in a dynamic environment
• Operate effectively within a fast-moving environment, balancing strategic thinking with hands-on execution and responsiveness to evolving business needs.

Brand & Category Finance

• Lead category and brand performance reviews, analyzing drivers of variances across revenue, gross margin, pricing, mix, promotional activity, and profitability versus forecast, plan, and prior year.
• Diagnose business performance trends and translate findings into actionable recommendations to improve profitability, strengthen brand performance, and address emerging risks.
• Evaluate pricing strategies, promotional plans, and growth initiatives to quantify financial impact, margin implications, and expected return prior to execution.
• Identify opportunities to optimize spend, improve resource allocation, and increase return across category, marketing, and growth initiatives.
• Develop reporting and business insights that help leadership teams identify performance gaps, understand underlying business drivers, and make informed operating decisions tied to growth and profitability objectives.
• Perform scenario analysis tied to category strategy, portfolio changes, and growth initiatives to support prioritization, resource allocation, and business planning decisions.
• Analyze marketing spend effectiveness to identify opportunities to improve return on investment, optimize allocation across initiatives, and increase efficiency of brand and promotional spending.
• Lead budgeting, forecasting, accrual management, and ongoing financial oversight of marketing spend across brands, campaigns, and growth initiatives.

Innovation Finance

• Lead financial evaluation of innovation initiatives, including business case development, pricing assumptions, launch forecasts, commercialization economics, and post-launch performance analysis.
• Assess innovation pipeline opportunities through financial modeling focused on volume expectations, margin contribution, launch investment requirements, and long-term profitability potential.
• Monitor innovation and growth initiative performance against financial assumptions, identify drivers of underperformance, and recommend actions needed to improve outcomes, mitigate risk, or adjust expectations.
• Partner with Marketing, Innovation, and R&D leadership to ensure growth initiatives are supported by sound financial assumptions, measurable performance expectations, and clear success metrics.
• Performs other projects as assigned

Position Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in finance, Accounting, Economics, or related field required
• 10+ years of progressive finance experience within CPG, food & beverage, or related consumer industries.
• Proven commercial finance leadership experience supporting Marketing, Brand, Category, or Innovation within growth-oriented CPG organizations
• Strong strategic planning, forecasting, annual operating plan, and long-range planning (LRP) capabilities with advanced proficiency in Excel and financial planning systems.
• Deep financial acumen across marketing investment, pricing, mix, profitability, category economics, and innovation commercialization.
• Strong financial modeling, scenario analysis, and business performance management capabilities with the ability to translate insights into action.
• Executive presence with the ability to influence, challenge, and align cross-functional stakeholders while building credibility and strong partnerships across functions and leadership levels.
• Agile and adaptable leader comfortable operating through ambiguity, shifting priorities, and increasing organizational complexity.
• Proven ability to strengthen processes, improve planning rigor, and bring greater structure and accountability within fast-moving environments.
• Strong communication, judgment, and problem-solving capabilities with the ability to balance speed, pragmatism, and financial rigor.

Benefits

Working at Simple Mills

At Simple Mills, we’re not just building a brand, we’re leading a movement that’s transforming how food is made and enjoyed. If you’re passionate about purpose-driven work and crave a role where you can have a meaningful impact, this is your chance to be part of something bigger.

Why Join Us?

• Be a Change-Maker Play a key role in redefining the food industry, crafting products that nourish people and contribute to a healthier planet.
• Thrive in a Mission-Driven Community Work alongside a dynamic team of innovators and food lovers who are committed to positive change and bold ideas.
• A Workplace Where You Belong We foster an environment where every voice is heard, valued, and empowered. Inclusion and belonging are at the heart of our culture, ensuring that everyone can thrive.
• A Culture of Integrity and Impact We don’t just talk about doing good, we live it. Our team is committed to ethical practices, responsible sourcing, and making decisions that drive real, positive change.
• Grow with People-First Leadership Our supportive leadership team is dedicated to mentorship, collaboration, and your long-term success.
• Continuous Learning & Development Whether through hands-on training, innovative learning platforms, or career growth opportunities, we invest in your professional development.

At Simple Mills, you’ll have the chance to make an impact while working in a collaborative and inspiring environment. If you’re ready to shape the future of food, let’s talk.

Benefits

We recognize that our people are our greatest asset. That’s why we offer a highly competitive total rewards package designed to support your financial well-being, health, and overall quality of life.

• Competitive Compensation: This role offers a salary range of $145,000 to $170,000
• Annual Bonus Opportunity: Eligible for an annual bonus as part of our commitment to recognizing team contributions and company success.
• Holistic Benefits: A variety of health, financial, and wellness programs to help you feel your best and plan for the future.
• Time to Recharge: We believe your best work comes when you have space to rest, refocus, and show up fully—our time off approach is built with that in mind.
• Everyday Well-Being: From lifestyle perks to innovation shipments, we find meaningful ways to support you in living simply and feeling well.

We’re committed to taking care of our people—so you can focus on making an impact.

Work Model at Simple Mills

Our work model is role-dependent and team focused. With remote, hybrid, or in-office positions, each role is classified by what best supports the needs of the team.

• This position will be hybrid: a balance of in-person and virtual work. Hybrid employees will work from our Chicago, IL office at least once per week. When working remotely, employees must work from a designated location in the United States (the new hire’s permanent residence, as documented in our HR System, Rippling) with sufficient internet access to support video conferencing. Safety protocols in accordance with CDC recommendations are followed.

At Simple Mills, we are committed to providing an environment of mutual respect and inclusion. Equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants and teammates without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, past or present military service, physical or mental disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics. All aspects of employment are decided on the basis of business need, job requirements, and individual qualifications. #LI-DNI

Simple Mills is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, Simple Mills will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and/or to receive other benefits and privileges of employment, please contact [email protected].