Growth Strategy & Intelligence Manager

About Us:

At Ajinomoto Health & Nutrition, we are making significant advances in food and health with new ideas and innovative technologies. We are seeking candidates with energy and enthusiasm to be part of our growing team throughout North America. As an Ajinomoto Health & Nutrition employee, you are part of a diverse, innovative, and collaborative community committed to enhancing lives through nutrition and health. Our team is committed to providing amino acid-based solutions that create better lives for all.

We do not use AI to screen applications. Applications and resumes of qualified applicants are reviewed by a real person because we value your time and believe each qualified applicant deserves thoughtful, human consideration. It’s an old‑fashioned approach—done with purpose.

Why Join Us:

Our people are the key ingredient to our success. We offer a collaborative, innovative environment where you can grow your career and make an impact on global food and health solutions.

We provide a comprehensive and competitive total rewards package, including:

Competitive Pay and Annual Bonus Opportunity

401(k) with Company Contributions

Medical, Dental, and Vision — Effective Day 1

Paid Time Off, Company Holidays, and Floating Holidays

Paid Parental Leave

Wellness Programs and Yearly Wellness Reimbursement

Work Flexibility

Company-Paid Life and Disability Insurance

Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

Tuition Reimbursement Opportunities

Career Growth and Development within a Global Organization

Company-Provided Mental Health and Caregiving support

Overview:

Ajinomoto Health & Nutrition North America, Inc. is seeking a Manager, Growth Strategy & Intelligence to join the Innovation Strategy Department (ISD) in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

The Innovation Strategy Department supports Ajinomoto’s long-term growth agenda through a combination of strategic intelligence, market insight, and new business opportunity development. This role will play a key part in identifying, evaluating, and shaping growth opportunities, with primary focus areas in healthcare (e.g., cell and gene therapy) and ICT / advanced materials, while supporting broader corporate priorities as needed.

This is a highly hands-on role requiring both strategic judgment and personal execution. The successful candidate will be expected to independently frame strategic questions, scope and lead intelligence efforts, conduct rigorous primary and secondary research, synthesize complex findings, and translate insights into clear recommendations for senior leadership. The role will also directly contribute to strategy development, portfolio prioritization, and decision support for emerging growth initiatives.

Reporting to the Director of Growth Strategy within the ISD, this role partners closely with strategy leaders, R&D teams, business leaders, Ajinomoto’s Corporate Venture Capital (CVC) function, and global stakeholders across the United States and Japan. The successful candidate will help strengthen scalable, repeatable approaches to strategic insight, planning, and innovation strategy development across the Ajinomoto Group.

Qualifications:

EDUCATION, CERTIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE:

Bachelor’s degree required in a scientific, engineering, or technical discipline, such as biology, chemistry, biochemistry, chemical engineering, biomedical engineering, materials science, or a related field.

Master’s degree or PhD preferred, particularly where it supports strong scientific literacy and comfort engaging with complex technical topics.

Five or more years of relevant experience, ideally including some combination of:

Strategy consulting or similarly rigorous analytical problem-solving experience

Corporate strategy, innovation, market insight, business development, or growth roles within a science- or technology-driven organization.

Demonstrated experience leading analytical workstreams involving market assessment, competitive analysis, research synthesis, and strategic recommendation development.

Proven ability to communicate complex technical or market topics clearly to business and senior leadership audiences.

Experience operating effectively in fast-paced, ambiguous, and evolving environments.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

Market and technology intelligence: Ability to identify, synthesize, and interpret signals across markets, technologies, competitors, and scientific domains.

Growth strategy and innovation planning: Strong understanding of how intelligence informs long-term growth strategy, portfolio choices, and innovation decision-making.

Strategic problem solving: Ability to independently structure ambiguous problems, frame key questions, develop hypotheses, and translate analysis into strategic implications.

Analytical rigor: Comfort working with incomplete information, making assumptions, evaluating evidence, framing scenarios, and assessing multiple future states.

Scientific and technical literacy: Ability to engage credibly with scientific and technical concepts and translate them into business-relevant insights.

Synthesis and communication: Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to produce executive-ready materials and communicate recommendations clearly to senior stakeholders.

Stakeholder engagement and influence: Ability to work effectively with diverse stakeholders across strategy, R&D, venture, and business teams to build alignment and drive progress.

Workshop design and facilitation: Ability to structure and lead productive working sessions, strategy discussions, and cross-functional workshops that clarify decisions and next steps.

Judgment and prioritization: Ability to focus on decision-relevant insight while balancing speed, rigor, and practical business impact.

Ownership and delivery: Ability to operate autonomously, prioritize across competing demands, and drive workstreams from scoping through analysis, recommendation, and implementation support.

Working Conditions / Physical Requirements:

WORKING CONDITIONS:

Hybrid role requiring approximately three days per week onsite in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Domestic and occasional international travel estimated at 10–15 percent.

Ability to participate in virtual and in-person meetings across global time zones as needed.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

Ability to remain in a stationary position for extended periods while working.

Ability to operate a computer and standard office equipment.

Ability to communicate effectively in person and virtually.

Ability to travel domestically and internationally if required.

Responsibilities:

1. Strategic Intelligence & Market Insight

Identify and prioritize strategic questions relevant to Ajinomoto’s growth agenda, particularly in healthcare and ICT-related domains

Independently scope, design, and execute market, competitive, customer, ecosystem, and technology intelligence efforts

Conduct primary and secondary research using expert interviews, literature review, databases, public sources, and external networks

Monitor emerging market trends, disruptive technologies, and competitive developments to identify opportunities and risks

Translate incomplete or complex information into clear hypotheses, scenarios, and strategic implications

Personally lead rigorous analytical workstreams from problem definition through synthesis and recommendation.

2. Strategy Development & Decision Support

Convert intelligence outputs into strategic recommendations regarding where to play, how to win, partnerships, investments, and capability priorities.

Prepare executive-ready presentations, memos, and decision materials for leadership audiences

Lead analyses supporting portfolio prioritization, investment planning, and resource allocation discussions across growth initiatives.

Contribute directly to long-range planning and strategic roadmap development.

Support evaluation of new business opportunities, partnerships, and adjacent growth platforms.

3. Stakeholder Engagement & Cross-Functional Collaboration

Partner directly with business leaders, technical teams, and senior stakeholders to refine problem statements and align around decision needs.

Design and facilitate workshops, working sessions, and cross-functional strategy discussions when appropriate.

Build alignment across diverse stakeholders by surfacing assumptions, risks, and tradeoffs constructively.

Collaborate effectively across functions, cultures, and geographies, including regular engagement with colleagues in Japan.

Translate differing stakeholder perspectives into clear next-step decisions and aligned action plans.

4. Department & Capability Development

Build practical tools, templates, and processes for insight generation, strategic planning, and opportunity evaluation.

Contribute to the continued development of a high-performing internal strategy capability within ISD

Improve the speed, quality, and repeatability of strategic decision support across priority growth domains.

Support additional strategic initiatives and special projects as assigned.