Jobs at Kinisla (Now Hiring) — 14 open

About the role

We are seeking an ambitious and experienced Senior Insights Manager to lead and deliver the insights agenda for some of the UK and Europe’s most loved brands — including our iconic cheese snacking brand, Strings & Things.

Our consumer dairy business has relaunched as Kinisla, marking a new phase of ambition and growth as we focus on developing future-fit dairy brands, created with consumers at their heart.

In line with Kinisla’s renewed ambition, this is a newly created role within an expanding function, focused on delivering insights that unlock new growth opportunities for the portfolio.

Reporting to the Insights Lead, the Senior Insights Manager will be responsible for creating and owning a consumer-centric insights programme that will help unlock new growth opportunities for the portfolio.

Insights leadership is identified as a key driver of commercial growth, and this role will play a pivotal part in advancing Kinisla’s ambition through best-in-class consumer and insights centricity.

This is a hybrid role, with 2 days per week in our Staines offices (Tuesday & Wednesday) and requires occasional travel to our partners in London and our sites across Ireland and the UK.

We will consider someone based out of our Naas offices in Ireland, however it would require significant travel to the UK on a regular basis.

About Kinisla

Kinisla is a vertically integrated farm-to-fork business with a very substantial consumer foods presence and a leading nutritional and dairy ingredients division, delivering high-quality dairy solutions with a focus on sustainability and innovation. From partnering with local family farms to producing world-class dairy products, we ensure every step of our value chain reflects our commitment to excellence.

With over 50 years’ experience in milk processing, dairy and nutritional technology advancement, and product innovation, we are a key stakeholder in the global food industry and creators of a strong portfolio of market leading dairy brands including Cheestrings, Charleville and Coleraine Cheese, Dairygold, Golden Cow and our new SMUG range. Our from food, for food culture and deep-rooted connection to our 2,800 milk suppliers differentiates our business and offers captivating opportunities for our customers and consumers.

Our dairy comes from some of the world’s richest grazing land and is produced by a network of Irish family farms that have one of the lowest carbon footprints in the world. Through a combination of expertise, innovation, and sustainability, Kinisla is proud to shape the future of dairy while meeting the diverse needs of our farmers, customers, and communities.

Headquartered in Tralee, Co. Kerry, we operate multiple manufacturing facilities in the southwest of Ireland, including Listowel, Charleville, Newmarket, and Farranfore. Additionally, we manage 29 Farm & Home stores throughout the region, ensuring comprehensive coverage and service. In Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom, our presence extends to key locations in Portadown, Coleraine, and Ossett.

Globally, Kinisla employs over 1,600 dedicated professionals across Ireland, Northern Ireland, the UK, USA, Netherlands, Spain, Germany, and China. In 2024, we achieved a turnover of approximately €1.3 billion, reflecting our commitment to excellence and growth.

What you’ll be doing

Insights Leadership to drive business growth

• International markets across Europe and beyond will be a key focus, alongside identifying innovation-led growth spaces across dairy categories.
• Own and lead the insights strategy for existing international markets and identify future expansion opportunities
• Ensure the innovation strategy is based on a relentless consumer-first mindset
• Leverage emerging trends to identify new opportunity spaces – new markets/categories/products/ consumers
• Deliver insights that translate into commercial success across multiple markets and innovation initiatives

Consumer centricity

• Champion the voice of the consumer across the organisation, influencing stakeholders at all levels
• Demonstrate resilience, assertiveness and conviction to ensure the consumer voice remains central to decision-making alongside other business priorities
• Continually showcase the impact and value of consumer centricity through day-to-day engagement & formal presentations

Commercial and brand impact

• Translate commercial challenges into clear, strategic insight briefs
• Apply strong commercial acumen to devise insight programmes that deliver tangible commercial answers
• Balance assertiveness with collaboration to maintain a consumer-first focus within a commercially driven environment
• Be a catalyst for innovation success thanks to agile and pragmatic insight solutions

Thought leadership and capability

• Articulate complex or ambiguous business challenges into clear, strategically robust insight briefs with defined KPIs and stakeholder alignment
• Live and breathe a genuine appetite for new trends, methodologies and ways of working to continuously enhance the impact of the insights function
• Proactively embed consumer centricity across functions, collaborating closely with commercial and R&D teams
• Continually appraise & challenge ways of working to elevate insights capability, visibility and impact
• Leverage systems and technologies such as AI to supercharge insights delivery and dissemination

Success criteria

• Insight programmes that shape strategy and execution
• Reduction of commercial risk in investment and launch plans
• Insights that unlock new growth spaces and market entry opportunities
• Strong stakeholder confidence and alignment to insights’ agenda
• Increased impact and visibility of the insights function

What you can bring to the role

• Significant experience in a consumer insights role with a proven track record of delivering actionable insights that drive commercial growth
• Experience in working across geographies: Europe, US and Asia ideally
• Experience of driving and supporting innovation from ideation to launch
• Strong analytical rigour across a broad range of research methodologies, both quantitative and qualitative, including self-serve and agency management
• Knowledge of leveraging AI and technology to drive efficiency and effectiveness
• Background in branded FMCG, ideally within dairy or chilled categories
• Strategic thinker with the ability to simplify complexity
• Influential with strong gravitas across functions and leadership teams
• Highly autonomous and driven, with the ability to operate at pace
• Comfortable with ambiguity; able to set direction where it does not yet exist
• Collaborative team player, decisive and outcome-focused
• Agile thinker, able to adapt and pivot within a fast-paced environment
• Willing to challenge the status quo and take initiative
• Demonstrates curiosity, resilience and a strong drive to learn and grow

What we can offer

At Kinisla, we believe in giving talented, curious people the opportunity to make a difference. We work as a team, searching for the best ways to inspire food and nourish life.

We are a community of innovators, working across disciplines to solve global food challenges with a fresh approach. We want you to achieve whatever you put your mind to.

We also offer:

• 25 days annual leave (excluding bank holidays)
• Health Care
• Matched pension scheme
• Benefits platform offering discounts and cashback on major retailers.

Get in touch today!

In Kinisla we benefit from the knowledge of our colleagues who bring a diverse range of cultures, backgrounds, lifestyles and experiences. One team fostering an inclusive culture that, above all, inspires food and nourishes life. One culture where everyone brings their unique perspectives and experiences to help make us better, together. We are committed to nurturing an environment of positivity and inclusiveness, where everyone can be at their best, both personally and professionally.

Our recruitment, selection and assessment process are based on the skills and competencies of the specific roles and based entirely on merit. We are committed to and value Diversity and Inclusion in all recruitment processes within Kinisla and do not discriminate based on gender, race, class, economic status, ethnic background, sexual orientation, age, political beliefs, veteran status, marital status or any other protected characteristic.

Please note: We do not accept CVs or candidate profiles from recruitment agencies where Kinisla terms of business have not been signed. Additionally, we will not consider or agree to payment of any recruiter fee under these circumstances. This also applies to CVs or candidate profiles sent directly to any Kinisla Hiring Managers.