Director of New Business Development

About the Role

We’re looking for a bold, entrepreneurial leader to serve as the Director of New Business Development at Spindrift Ventures, our innovation and growth incubator. This future-focused role is responsible for identifying, developing, and piloting new initiatives that drive long-term growth and position Spindrift as a leader in beverage innovation.

Reporting to the SVP of Spindrift Ventures, you will manage a small team of project managers and product developers. You’ll build and manage a pipeline of breakthrough opportunities—ranging from emerging categories and white space products to unconventional partnerships and market expansions. The ideal candidate is equal parts strategist, operator, and builder.

Mission of the Team

Spindrift Ventures explores emerging trends, untapped markets, and transformative product concepts. Operating as an agile, cross-functional unit, we experiment rapidly, validate ideas with data, and collaborate with internal teams and external partners to chart the company’s next growth horizon.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic Planning
• Identify and evaluate new growth opportunities aligned with Spindrift’s long-term vision
• Build a robust opportunity pipeline that leverages Spindrift’s core strengths but expands the potential consumer base and/or usage occasions
• Analysis
• Leverage consumer insights, market data, and trend analysis to understand the size of potential opportunities and assess Spindrift’s opportunity for differentiation
• Evaluate in-market performance and recommend a go-forward strategy (grow, maintain, exit)
• Build frameworks for experimentation, KPI tracking, and decision-making in areas where there is pre-defined definition of success
• Collaboration
• Lead cross-functional initiatives—from discovery through pilot launch—to validate ideas for product-market-fit
• Team Leadership
• Lead a small team consisting of product management and research & development

Requirements

• 8+ years of experience in business development, innovation, strategy, or venture building
• Proven success in launching new products, entering new markets, or developing strategic partnerships
• 5+ years in fast-moving CPG, preferably in the beverage space
• Strong commercial acumen paired with creativity and experimentation mindset
• Comfortable working in ambiguity with the ability to bring structure and clarity
• Excellent communication and storytelling skills to influence and align stakeholders
• Strong analytical skills; data-driven decision-making
• Experience working with cross-functional teams and external collaborators
• An understanding that many ideas/initiatives will not meet the criteria for success and will be abandoned

Working Conditions

• Willing and able to work from our Newton, MA office 4 days a week
• Potential domestic travel, up to 20%

Benefits

In addition to the salary range for this position ($140,000 - $175,000), Spindrift offers the following compensation and benefits:

• Short-term incentive programs specific to level and department
• Medical, dental and vision insurance, with a current employer contribution rate of 80% towards monthly premiums, regardless of plan type selected
• Company-paid life insurance and a 401k employer contribution
• Monthly cell phone allowance
• Annual allowances for personal use of Spindrift product, health and wellness, professional development and social justice education
• Voluntary life, short-term disability and long-term disability insurance
• In addition to any paid leave benefits required by regulation, the company provides paid parental leave, vacation, sick, personal, bereavement, community service, and holiday time