R&D Manager - Product Development

Location: Paris, FR Lisbon, PT Bern, CH Turin, IT Singen, DE Copenhagen, DK Selestat, FR Dublin, IE South Africa, ZA Philippsburg, DE Munich, DE Novy Bydzov, CZ Florence, IT Zdzieszowice, PL Hardenberg, NL Dijon, FR Dumfries, GB Arenzano, IT Izmir, TR 35620 Montreuil Bellay, FR Cumbria, GB Horsens, DK Teningen, DE Arad, RO La Defense, FR Poznan, PL Chalon Sur Saone, FR Mareuil sur Ay, FR Ankara, TR Zele, BE Flint, GB Roeselare, BE Paisley, GB Liverpool, GB Cramlington, GB Madrid, ES Zutphen, NL Sligo, IE Naples, IT Burgdorf, CH Lille, FR Winterbourne, GB Leominster, GB Steinfeld, DE Ardeer, GB Malmo, SE Evesham, GB Milan, IT Saint Cesaire, CA Krakow, PL Venturina, IT Prague, CZ Burgos, ES CP 09001 Worcester, GB Helsinki, FI Valkeakoski, FI Cologne, DE Ledbury, GB Braga, PT Toulous, FR Bristol, GB Santiago De Chile, CL Saint Seurin, FR Rheinbach, DE Winsford, GB Zlotow, PL Rorschach, CH Istanbul, TR Piatra Neamt, RO Lezo, ES Espoo, FI Dax, FR Brussels, BE Alzira, ES Soliera, IT Sarrebourg, FR Gdansk, PL Prostejov, CZ Barbezieux, FR Glasgow, GB Seville, ES Lyon, FR Barcelona, ES Swansea, GB Alcacer do Sal, PT Heanor, GB Zurich, CH Kreuzlingen, CH Rhymney, GB Rome, IT Dijon, FR Froges, FR Lodz, PL Porto, PT Gent, BE Birmingham, GB Logrono, ES Lugo, IT Frankfurt, DE Bromborough, GB Wroclaw, PL American Canyon, US Mohammedia, MA Bologna, IT Warmley, GB

Department: R&D/Innovation Management

Full-time or Part-time: Full-Time

Job Type: Employee

Shift: Hybrid

Position Job Title

R&D Manager - Product Development

Function

Research and Development

Location

Open in Europe

Line Manager’s Job Title

Product Development Director

Contract Type

Permanent

Job Purpose and Dimensions

• Lead the Dairy Product Development team and own the dairy segment product and project portfolio. Partner with Sales to deliver innovative, market‑ready solutions; drive cost‑out through raw‑material optimization, value engineering, and simplification; and ensure business continuity by qualifying alternatives and adapting to regulatory and compliance requirements.
• Ensure efficient resource allocation and project execution aligned to business objectives, balancing short-, medium-, and long‑term priorities.
• Manage internal and external partners, with a strong focus on customer needs.
• Business partner to the Meat & Dairy BU, leading dairy product development across yoghurt, desserts, processed cheese, soft cheese, and dairy specialties.
• Part of the Global Protein Growth category.

Key Responsibilities

• Technical Specification and Product Development Portfolio:
  • Own the project portfolio, contributing to profitable growth through innovation and sustainability, simplification, compliance, and cost‑out initiatives aligned to the business strategy.
  • Lead the execution of the approved R&D pipeline through the Stage‑Gate process, delivering to committed timelines and enabling strong cross‑functional teamwork across multiple functions and sites.
  • Prioritize and allocate resources based on project complexity, value, and strategic importance.
  • Collaborate with cross‑functional teams to ensure successful delivery of key business initiatives.
  • Actively contribute to global Protein technical portfolio leverage.
  • Provide technical support for existing products.
  • Lead the deployment of Global and BG R&D programmes, KPIs, processes, and tools.
• Team and Culture:
  • Lead, coach, and develop a high‑performing team.
  • Cultivate a collaborative, innovative culture and ensure effective communication across regions, business units, functions, and markets.
  • Champion safety and customer focus.
  • Drive process management and compliance.
• Intellectual Property Management:
  • Manage IP strategy and confidentiality agreements.
  • Oversee the patent‑filing process in coordination with Legal.
  • Protect company innovations from competitive threats.

Key Challenges

• Translate diverse customer needs into commercially viable packaging solutions, and respectfully decline requests that are not viable.
• Build and lead cross‑customer project teams to deliver high‑impact results (end‑to‑end processes, raw‑material simplification, BCP, and portfolio management) across diverse regions and cultures.
• Balance short‑term and long‑term priorities through effective resource allocation and a strong drive for results.

  Qualifications/Requirements

  • Good scientific background, preferably Master’s Degree in chemistry, engineering, material science or equivalent.
  • Min 5 years’ experience in people leadership within product development environment, preferably in a matrixed B2B.
  • Project management experience in matrix organization.
  • Experience in innovation and competitiveness portfolio management, with strong data analytics understanding.
  • Proven customer engagement and stakeholder management.
  • Willingness to travel around 30% of time (primarily in Europe).

  Specific Skills and Abilities

  • Strong project and resource management skills.
  • Ability to coach and mentor.
  • Excellent interpersonal, negotiation, and presentation skills.
  • Solid understanding of market trends and customer dynamics.
  • Strong business acumen and strategic mindset.
  • Comfortable working in complex, matrixed organisations with global reach and interaction.