Innovation Project Management - AMEA

Opella, the Consumer Healthcare business unit of Sanofi, is the purest and third-largest player globally in the Over-The-Counter (OTC) & Vitamins, Minerals & Supplements (VMS) market. We have an unshakable belief in the power of self-care and the role it can play in creating a healthier society and a healthier planet. That’s why we want to make self-care as simple as it should be by being consumer-led always, with science at our core.

Through our unique and balanced portfolio of more than 100 loved brands, including 15 global and local high-growth challengers such as: Allegra, Dulcolax and Buscopan, we deliver our mission: helping more than half a billion consumers worldwide take their health in their hands.

This mission is brought to life by an 11,000-strong team, 13 best-in-class manufacturing sites, and 4 specialized science and innovation development centers.  We are also proud to be the 1st major fast-moving consumer healthcare company to achieve B Corp certification. 

Join us on our mission. Health. In your hands

Job Purpose

As the Innovation Project Manager – AMEA, you will drive end to end innovation initiatives across the consumer healthcare portfolio to drive growth & fuel the region’s innovation ambition.  This role plays a critical part in translating consumer insights and business opportunities into commercially viable solutions with speed and precision.    

You will collaborate cross-functionally to shape innovation pipelines, manage project execution, and ensure timely market delivery. This role demands an outcome-obsessed mindset, strategic influencing, agility, and the courage to challenge convention in pursuit of competitive advantage.

You are expected to drive measurable business outcomes, enhance consumer relevance, and enable long-term brand and category growth across diverse AMEA markets.

Key Accountabilities

 Descriptions

• Lead cross-functional project teams to drive innovation initiatives from concept to launch, with full accountability for scope, timeline, budget, and value creation.

• Define and drive project strategies aligned with business objectives and functional input, ensuring consumer relevance and commercial viability.

• Manage the full project lifecycle, including scope, schedules, risks, resources, and financials, applying agile and outcome-focused methodologies.

• Facilitate project alignment through structured kick-off, planning workshops, and recurring team meetings to monitor progress, resolve issues, and enable fast decision-making.

• Present the project to the relevant Innovation Committee for gate submissions, status updates, major project changes and escalation of decisions and issues, and make recommendations for critical decision.

• Perform risk management strategies as required and take necessary risk mitigation steps.

• Provide project updates, KPIs and business impact metric with stakeholders.,

• Support post-launch reviews and champion continuous improvement by capturing learnings and embedding best practices.

• Actively contribute to the innovation project management community by sharing knowledge, tools, and standards across teams and regions.

Job requirements

• Preferably with 8+yr experience in innovation, project management or product development in the consumer healthcare, OTC, personal care, food, FMCG industries.

• Experience in delivering or supporting innovation projects end-to-end, with measurable business impact (e.g. sales growth, speed-to-market, consumer engagement).

• Understanding of various functions related to innovation process

• Strong analytical skills, possess the ability to proactively analyses issues, identify key challenges and develop strategic and tactical solutions and design metrics to measure business impacts.

• Prior experience in managing cross – functional teams across multiple geographies.

• Excellent communication & influencing skill.

• Strong stakeholder management and ability to interact with senior leaders.

• Outcome obsessed mindset, comfortable with ambiguity.