At Rubicon Organics, our vision is to be the most trusted house of premium cannabis brands – creating elevated experiences for people everywhere. Our mission is to build brands people believe in by delivering elevated experiences in all we do. Through uncompromising quality, purposeful innovation, and trusted partnerships, we create products and relationships that enrich lives and help shape the future of cannabis.
The Senior Innovation Manager leads the end-to-end innovation pipeline across our cannabis portfolio, from consumer insight and concept development through commercialization and post-launch performance.This role sits within Marketing and drives cross-functional execution, ensuring innovation is consumer-led, commercially viable, and operationally executable in a regulated environment.We’re looking for someone who brings strong CPG innovation discipline, is comfortable operating in ambiguity, and knows how to move ideas from concept to market with both speed and rigor.
This role is ideally based out of our Delta and Downtown Vancouver offices, with an expectation of 2 days per week in Delta and 1 day downtown depending on business needs. This position reports directly to the Senior Director, Consumer & Corporate Marketing.
Key ResponsibilitiesInnovation Strategy & Pipeline Management-
Own and evolve the multi-year innovation roadmap aligned to business and brand strategy.
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Identify white space opportunities using consumer, market, and retail insights.
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Define the role of innovation across the portfolio (bankers, big bets, experiments).
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Prioritize the pipeline based on impact, feasibility, and commercial potential.
Consumer‑
Led Insight & Concept Development-
Translate quantitative and qualitative consumer insights into clear innovation territories, product concepts, and experience opportunities.
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Partner with Brand, Commercial, and Sales to validate consumer needs and ensure innovation ideas solve real problems or unlock new occasions.
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Lead concept testing, iteration, and refinement, balancing speed‑to‑market with quality of insight.
Cross‑
Functional Leadership & Delivery-
Act as the hub across Marketing, R&D / Product Development, Supply Chain, Operations, QA, Finance, and Sales to bring innovation to market.
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Lead cross‑functional innovation forums, stage‑gates, and decision points with clarity and structure.
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Ensure innovation concepts are translated into clear briefs for formulation, packaging, brand, and commercialization partners.
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Partner with Supply Chain and Operations to align innovation timing with capacity, S&OP, and regulatory considerations.
Commercialization & Launch Excellence-
Own innovation launch readiness, ensuring all aspects of brand, sales, education, and operations are aligned prior to launch.
- Define success metrics and actively track in‑market performance, learning, and optimization opportunities post‑launch.
Financial & Business Rigor-
Build innovation business cases, including volume, revenue, margin, and investment assumptions.
- Partner with Finance to assess ROI, manage budget, and ensure innovation contributes to both top‑line growth and margin health.
- Continuously evaluate innovation performance and recommend scale, iterate, or sunset decisions.
Regulated Market & Category Leadership-
Ensure all innovation is compliant with applicable cannabis regulations, while still delivering differentiated consumer experiences.
- Stay ahead of emerging trends in cannabis, adjacent CPG categories, and global innovation spaces to inform future opportunities.
- Serve as a thought partner to senior leadership on where the category is going and how the portfolio should evolve.
People Leadership & Capability Building-
Lead, coach, and develop direct reports, creating clarity on expectations, priorities, and development goals.
- Build a strong innovation culture rooted in consumer obsession, accountability, learning, and collaboration.
- Provide ongoing feedback, performance coaching, and career guidance to support individual and team growth.
- Establish clear ways of working, decision frameworks, and rhythms that enable teams to move quickly while maintaining rigor.
- Partner with Marketing leadership to help shape future innovation capabilities, resourcing needs, and talent development plans.
Experience & QualificationsRequired-
Minimum 7-10 years of experience in innovation, brand management, product marketing, or portfolio strategy within CPG or regulated categories
- Proven experience leading end‑to‑end innovation from insight through commercialization
- Strong understanding of consumer‑led design, stage‑gate processes, and commercialization rigor
- Demonstrated ability to influence cross‑functional teams without direct authority
- High comfort operating in fast‑moving, ambiguous, and regulated environments
- Experience working closely with supply chain, formulation, or product development teams
- Strong analytical mindset balanced with creative thinking
- Proven experience managing, coaching, and developing people, including setting objectives, providing feedback, and leading performance discussions.
- Demonstrated ability to build trust, motivate teams, and lead through influence in cross‑functional environments.
- Experience balancing hands‑on ownership with effective delegation in fast‑moving organizations.
- Experience in cannabis, alcohol, wellness, or other regulated CPG categories preferred
Why Rubicon?
- Salary of $105,000–$115,000 with 20% bonus potential and a monthly phone stipend.
- Flexible hybrid schedule (3 days in the office) and unlimited vacation.
- Dog-friendly office – because great teams include four-legged coworkers too.
- Medical and dental benefits after 3 months.
- Opportunities for learning, growth, and career development as the company continues to expand.
- Be part of a team that values quality, compliance, and doing things the right way.
- Join a publicly listed, mission-led company focused on sustainability and product excellence.
- Work in a collaborative environment with smart people who value initiative and curiosity.
We believe hiring should be a human process. Every application is reviewed by our team, and we do not use artificial intelligence or automated tools to screen, rank, or make decisions about candidates. We take a deliberate approach to evaluating each applicant based on their experience, skills, and potential, ensuring every candidate is considered thoughtfully and fairly.
