Director, Innovation & Training Center

Why Choose Us?

Novolex is a leading manufacturer of food, beverage, and specialty packaging that supports multiple industries including food service, restaurant delivery and carryout, food processing, grocery and retail, and industrial sectors. Novolex manufacturing and sourcing expertise spans a diverse range of substrates including resin, paper, molded fiber, aluminum and more. We provide customers a broad array of stock and customized solutions with 120 product categories, 250 brands and over 39,000 SKUs.

The Novolex sustainability vision is built upon three pillars: our products, our operations and our people. Each is critically important to our growth and future as a business. These pillars form the foundation of our company-wide commitment to sustainability, helping us achieve our ambitious goals through our wide-ranging initiatives.

Job Description

The Director, Innovation & Training Center is responsible for the strategic leadership and execution of the Innovation & Training Center, serving as a commercial enablement hub for external customers and internal Sales teams. This role owns the design and delivery of sales-focused innovation and product training experiences that strengthen customer confidence, accelerate sales effectiveness, and differentiate the company in the marketplace.

With a strong background in Sales and Sales Training, this leader ensures the Innovation Center directly supports go-to-market strategy, pipeline growth, and sales readiness. The Director partners cross-functionally with Business Units, Innovation, Sustainability, Marketing, Sales, Talent Management and R&D to deliver high-impact, customer-facing experiences. This role also provides leadership for Center operations and the Media Content Manager.

Sales-Focused Innovation & Training Leadership

• Lead and facilitate sales-driven innovation workshops, customer engagements, and product training in partnership with Innovation Directors, Category Management and Product Management.
• Translate product innovation and technical features into compelling sales narratives.
• Partner with Sales Leadership and Commercial Excellence on sales strategy alignment.
• Establish standards for facilitation quality and commercial impact.

Innovation & Training Center Operations

• Own the operating model for the Innovation & Training Center.
• Oversee room setups, product displays, AV capabilities, and experiential elements.
• Develop scalable workflows and best practices.

Customer Engagement & Commercial Collaboration

• Serve as the primary commercial liaison for customer visits.
• Partner cross-functionally to ensure market-relevant content.
• Align programming with VOC insights and commercial priorities.

Team & Capability Leadership

• Lead and develop the Media Content Manager.
• Oversee development of sales training materials and demonstrations.
• Build team capability around sales facilitation and storytelling.

Governance, Scheduling & Resource Management

• Own the master schedule across customer visits and training.
• Establish governance and readiness processes.
• Manage budgets, vendors, and Center investments.

• Bachelor’s degree in business, Operations, Marketing, Engineering, or related field.
• 8–12+ years in sales, sales training, sales enablement, innovation, customer engagement, or product development (packaging experience preferred).
• Skilled facilitator with strong customer-facing presence.
• Strong executive presence and customer credibility.
• Ability to translate technical concepts into value-based sales messaging.
• Proven cross-functional leadership.
• Deep understanding of food service packaging and sustainability trends a plus.
• Exceptional organizational, communication, and leadership abilities.

• Customer & stakeholder engagement
• Innovation & facilitation skills
• Strategic planning & execution
• Presentation & communication skills
• Sales enablement & commercial effectiveness
• Cross-functional leadership
• Operational excellence

What You'll Get From Us

With safety as our top priority and a commitment to employee well-being an important focus, we offer comprehensive and…