Category Ops Innovation Manager (gn)

Kurz zusammengefasst

The Category Ops Innovation Manager (gn) role sits within the Operations team of The Quality Group (TQG), a fast‑growing provider of sports nutrition and healthy food brands such as ESN and More Nutrition. Based in Hamburg on a hybrid schedule, the position reports directly to the Director of Strategy & Transformation and works across the company's product portfolio, including bars, protein powders and vitamins, to embed operational insight from the earliest concept stages. On a day‑to‑day basis you will act as the primary Operations liaison for your assigned category, guiding projects from Gate 1 through Gate 3. Responsibilities include running feasibility and capacity assessments with internal teams and external manufacturers, monitoring supplier risk and capacity together with Procurement, and exercising veto rights alongside Product when operational readiness is lacking. You will also hand over projects to Supply & Demand Planning before Gate 3 and ensure clear communication across all stakeholders. The role requires a solid academic background and relevant professional experience. Candidates must hold a degree in supply chain, business or a comparable field, and bring roughly four to seven years of planning experience within the food or consumer‑goods sector. Proven experience with internal and external production or co‑manufacturing, as well as the ability to make sound make‑or‑buy decisions, is essential. Strong communication skills are needed to influence without formal authority, and fluency in both German and English is mandatory. TQG offers a dynamic, inclusive environment with more than 1,600 employees and a culture that blends sport, health and technology. Employees benefit from flexible working hours, remote‑work options, generous vacation, employee discounts, a subsidised E‑gym Wellpass, work‑ation possibilities and a range of corporate benefits. The company's German locations, including Hamburg, Elmshorn, Kaltenkirchen/Nützen and Elsdorf, are complemented by international offices in London, Amsterdam and Zug, providing ample opportunities for cross‑border collaboration and career growth. What the role asks for: - Degree in supply chain, business or similar - 4–7 years planning experience in food or consumer goods - Experience with internal and external production or co‑manufacturing - Sound judgment on make‑or‑buy decisions - Strong communicator who influences without authority - Fluent German (professional level) - Fluent English (professional level)