Job Purpose / Overview

The Central Innovation Technology Hubs play a key role in contributing to the delivery of business growth ambitions through innovation projects spanning multiple brands. The scope of these projects varies in complexity and typically encompasses innovation and renovation, covering different ingredients, processes, packaging, product designs, and claim technologies. The associate in this role is expected to serve as technical project leader and contribute to the development of superior propositions based on consumer insights. They will work in close partnership with relevant marketing, supply chain, brand boards, and research and development functional teams to ensure the technical robustness and validation of product design.

Key Responsibilities

Serve as technical project lead for central product innovation projects, representing all research and development functions as part of the core project team and leading the technical project team to ensure the development and validation of superior propositions based on consumer insights and robust technical deliveries.
Accountable for technical delivery of medium to high complexity innovation projects or sub-projects, ensuring compliance with relevant business processes, such as global innovation process, quality and efficiency standards, and design for vertical start-up of product and packaging. This includes effectively managing delivery on time, cost, and quality while working with and influencing key stakeholders.
Lead the technical project team with a risk and opportunity management mindset. Accountable for delivering robust risk assessments and timely communication to the core project team and key stakeholders at each project stage. This includes both written and verbal high-quality communications of project status, breakthroughs, and findings.
Ensure product solutions deliver to agreed business models that consistently meet project critical success factors and targets, such as nutrition standards, palatability, digestibility, recipe cost, carbon intensity, shelf-life, and claims. Apply regulatory and legal requirements, quality standards, and food and people safety considerations to development.
Leverage internal and external resources to build relevant competitor landscapes and identify insights on product design, claims, ingredients, and more.
Generate and maintain relevant product project deliverables across all stage gates in the business process, such as product briefs, technical project time plans, product key quality attributes, central product specifications, technical readiness reviews, and product innovation blueprints.
Work seamlessly with central and local marketing, process and packaging innovation, regional and site research and development, commercial, consumer market insights, and supply chain teams to establish product targets and key routes to implementation.
Build functional excellence in product development by staying informed of technological, innovation, and business trends, competitive set, trade customers, equipment suppliers, and applying this knowledge to development projects.
Proactively manage intellectual property risks and opportunities.
Provide training and support to other associates within the product development field.

Context and Scope

High degree of self-autonomy within a pre-defined area of responsibility and within the agreed business strategy and processes.
Leading global innovation projects within the central innovation program requires a high level of independence and self-responsibility.
Executing central innovation projects in this role involves multiple dimensions and medium to high scope and complexity across functional, technical, people, and organizational aspects. Delivery across food technologies is extensive from raw material, recipe, product format and function, and manufacturing or processing perspectives. Implementation of product or process solutions at sites in multiple regions requires understanding of how challenges to scale-up and implementation may vary by region.
Continuously build and improve deep knowledge of consumer insights, recipe development, technology, technical project leadership, and product or material development.
Develop relevant solutions for central innovation projects, targeting the intersection of desirability, viability, feasibility, and sustainability.
Knowledgeable of business processes and able to identify implications for key markets while partnering with deployment teams for blueprints and global rollout plans. Able to effectively navigate complex challenges and change management initiatives.
Build close collaborative relationships cross-functionally, including marketing, consumer market insights, supply chain functions, research and development teams, commercial, and activity management.
Plan and execute line trials at both pilot and production scale, including designing early prototypes, trial risk assessments, completing paperwork associated with pack outs, analytical testing requests, shelf-life studies, purchasing materials, and more.
Partner with the technical project team to build robust project time plans considering risks and opportunities to establish relevant scenarios, define resource requirements (full-time equivalent, budget), and proactively request necessary approvals.
Provide technical coaching and mentoring to other associates.

Job Specifications / Qualifications

Education & Professional Qualifications

Minimum requirement is a graduate degree in food science, technology, engineering, chemical engineering, or a similar field, with at least six years of product development or product innovation experience.

Knowledge / Experience

Excellent communication skills in English (written and verbal).
At least six years of product development or product innovation experience required in the food-related industry.
Experience leading technical project teams.
Experience translating insights into product execution (from idea to concept to execution).
Proven ability to work in a multi-disciplinary and multi-cultural environment.
Technical project management experience and expertise.

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