Global Product Manager - Operations & Innovation

Job description

WHO WE ARE At Avolta (SIX: AVOL), our people are at the driving force behind our success. With a team of over 76,000 individuals representing more than 150 nationalities, we are a truly global company driven by passion, innovation, and excellence. Avolta is the leading global travel retail and food & beverage player, placing the traveler at the heart of everything we do. By combining travel retail, convenience and F&B, we create integrated and innovative experiences across the traveler’s journey. Our 77,000 team members deliver these experiences every day across more than 5,100 outlets in around 1,000 locations, including airports, motorways and other travel destinations, in over 70 countries. PURPOSE OF THE ROLE The Global Product Manager, Operations & Innovation is responsible for transforming validated innovations into globally adopted capabilities that deliver measurable business impact across Avolta. Combining product leadership, transformation expertise, and operational execution, this role ensures that new technologies and ways of working are successfully embedded into day-to-day operations at scale. This role sits within Avolta NEXT, Avolta's innovation and transformation engine. Supporting the Group's strategic roadmap, Avolta NEXT identifies, validates, and scales solutions that enhance business performance, customer experience, and operational excellence. Working closely with markets, functions, and business leaders, Avolta NEXT bridges the gap between innovation and execution across Avolta's global organization. The Global Product Manager owns the critical stage where proven concepts become repeatable, scalable capabilities. From successful pilots through to global deployment, the role drives adoption, aligns stakeholders, and establishes the frameworks needed to turn innovation into sustainable business value. Through this work, the role helps shape the future operating model of one of the world's leading travel experience companies. The position reports to the Managing Director of Avolta Next and is based in Basel until Q1 2027, with an expected relocation to the Zurich Airport office thereafter. RESPONSIBILITIES Lead the global scale-up of strategic products, operational capabilities, and innovation initiatives Own product roadmaps, deployment plans, adoption strategies, and value realization Translate business priorities, operational needs, and user insights into clear product requirements and priorities Drive organizational adoption across global, regional, and local teams, ensuring sustainable behavioral and process change Establish scalable governance frameworks and execution cadences that balance accountability, alignment, and agility Identify successful practices and innovations and replicate them across markets and business units Monitor adoption, business impact, and performance outcomes across commercial, operational, and productivity measures Partner with senior leaders and cross-functional teams, including Operations, Data & Analytics, IT, HR, and external technology providers Contribute to broader Avolta NEXT initiatives that help shape the future of travel retail and hospitality WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR Bachelor's degree in Business, Engineering, Technology, Operations, or a related field; Master's degree preferred 8-12+ years of experience in Product Management, Innovation, Operational Excellence, Digital Transformation, or Management Consulting Proven track record of leading complex, multi-country transformation, product, technology, or operational initiatives from concept through large-scale deployment Strong experience translating business challenges and operational needs into scalable solutions that deliver measurable business value Demonstrated success driving adoption, change management, and stakeholder alignment across complex, matrix organizations Experience working within retail, F&B, hospitality, consumer-facing, or other multi-site operational environments is highly desirable Strong analytical and commercial acumen, with the ability to make data-driven decisions and prioritize for impact Proven ability to influence and build credibility with stakeholders at all levels, including frontline teams, functional leaders, and senior executives Excellent program and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to navigate ambiguity, manage competing priorities, and drive execution Fluent in English and willing to travel internationally as required Due to certain email system settings, some of our messages may occasionally land in your junk or spam folder. To ensure you don’t miss any important updates regarding your application, please check these folders regularly and mark our emails as ‘Not Spam’ if needed. We look forward to connecting with you soon!