As a Product Development Manager you contribute to the development of a compelling strategy for the R&D Product Development organization that is in full support of the EU business goals and brand plans, linked to the overall global and regional strategy and executes accordingly.
Your main tasks & responsibilities:
Product Development
- Contributes to the formulation and implementation of a regional category integrated R&D Product Development strategy.
- Ensures product innovation and productivity efforts, bringing industry best practices and cutting edge technology into the team.
- Prepares yearly budget for R&D Product Development group with input from business and GR&D.
Partner Management
- Establishes business goals and builds alignment with other departments to achieve objectives within a highly matrix operating environment to accomplish regional goals
- Ensures broader integration of technologies, transition of work from R&D to production and alignment of future capabilities with strategic business plans.
- Assures effective and appropriate application of the development and execution of global and regional innovations by partnering with regional regulatory affairs and nutritional services.
- Manages the transition of global projects to regional R&D Product Development team for execution in the markets by partnering with global and regional R&D teams.
Continuous Improvement
- Leads the R&D Product Development organization and supports business objectives in the European region through implementation of innovation consistent with the global strategy.
- Proactively leads change by envisioning the future, planning change, and managing transitions to continuously adapt to a dynamic business environment.
- Builds a high performing R&D Product Development team with capabilities needed to execute the strategic business plans and provides input into technical career development and leveraging engineering talent across the regional teams.
Leadership
- Coordinates, coaches and motivates the team, plans and secures the personnel capacity to reach team goals.
- Executes Human Resource management of the team by using company instruments structurally, such as for absenteeism, acquisition, development and appraisals.
- Enhances and secures the quality of the team’s output and structurally leads and participates in meetings with the team and other directors.
- Analyses reached goals in relation to the set goals and the overall functioning of the team and reports this to the management.
- Sets team goals based on department goals, secures these and takes corrective actions if needed.
- Ensures the implementation of and working following stated guidelines, standards and methods.
Your profile is…
At least 10 years of experience with leading R&D teams within the (infant) nutrition industry or pharmacy.
Academic (Master) / PhD Degree in (Chemical) Engineering, Product Development or a comparable science field.
- Good communication skills, verbally and written, in English.
- Strong understanding of the global/regional business environment, customers and competition, organization structure and effective working styles.
- In depth understanding of product development, processing, packaging, distribution processes/systems and the impact of future changes within them.
- Sufficient knowledge of science-based nutrition/technology and regulatory requirements to judge feasibility of applying scientific discoveries to new products.
- Understanding of financial, marketing and operation business processes and their linkages to R&D.
- Knowledge of the development and implementation of multiple complex formulation/ engineering projects, from ideation to successful transition into manufacturing,
- Knowledge of human and organizational behavior dynamics.
You will love it, because…
You will get the opportunity to work with a diverse team in an agile environment and every day you will be given opportunities to grow and gain new experiences with the challenges presented to you. Next to that, we offer you an excellent salary and a yearly bonus, 25 days off (based on 40-hour work week) and a good pension scheme.
