Senior Product Development Manager at Danone

About The Job

• Execute the NPD and Product Reformulation agenda, ensuring speed of execution, along with superior design quality and cost, to bring strong value to the business, from brief to final consumer-preferred design, for best-in-class finished products.

About You

KEY AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY

GENERAL

• Ensure timeous and consistent NPD execution through collaboration with cross-functional teams
• Develop a strong innovation mindset, that fiercely drives design superiority
• Develop a culture of curiosity and proactive anticipation of novel trends for the benefit of Danone

CBU NPD PIPELINE EXECUTION

• Ensure that key pipeline priorities are delivered on time in the right quality in design and cost.
• Own the superiority in design from the quality of raw materials to finished Product, compliant with regulation, customer and consumer expectations, at every step of the product life cycle
• Delivering, in line with consumer expectations (driving product attribute definition vs consumers expectations), timing and costs, a portfolio of projects for which s/he is responsible
• Delivering first-time-right on shelf products thanks to a robust technical risk assessment approach and strong collaboration with Supply Chain and Quality departments, as well as own technical know-how
• Own and drive technical feasibility studies in the case of potential breakthrough innovation projects
• Project management and leading through all phases from SELECT to CLOSURE
• Timeline creation with IRO
• Quality and Food Safety risk assessments with Quality
• Product design
• Product attributes with Marketing and UX (Sensory)
• Collaborate with Zone UX teams to ensure all NPD is consumer centric
• Keep up to speed with and apply latest consumer trends to support the building of Inno pipelines
• Recipe and prototype development with team and zone technical support teams
• Process requirements with Industrial and zone technical support teams
• Product upscaling and industrial implementation
• Specification management No Spec – No Product, No Spec - No Buy
• Secure the timely sourcing of the right raw materials in close partnership with Cycles & Procurement
• Utilize and manage suppliers for prototype development, new raw material and technology identification and trial stock supply to ensure timely delivery of NPD
• Collaborate with approved co-manufacturers to deliver the right quality NPD as per defined timelines
• Identify and develop new co-manufacturers to enable both simplified and diversified product manufacturing possibilities
• Ensure clarity of development briefs to facilitate clear and punctual execution thereof
• Timeously plan and execute NPD trials in line with agreed project timelines, in collaboration with the Industrial teams
• Understand the product Profit & Loss statement and dynamics to be able to influence it from a product perspective
• Conduct competitor benchmarks on existing KVIs before and after development of new products, ensuring that our designs are superior in cost and quality
• Maintain continuous collaboration with AMEA Zone centers of excellence and other global Danone networks to ensure optimal utilization of knowledge in the superior delivery of NPD

PRODUCTVITY AND BUSINESS CONTINUITY

• Drive continuous reformulation initiatives for DSA
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams (D2D) to better anticipate, prioritize and solve key material supply challenges to ensure business continuity

CROSS-FUNCTIONAL COLLABORATION AND SUPPORT

• Provide support to collaborative functions, during the development process and in general problem-solving, especially
• Industrial
• Quality
• Represent R&I in relevant project forums, securing alignment and prioritization

PEOPLE

• KPI definition and cross-functional alignment
• Identify, define and align NPD success factors and KPIs with own team as well as cross-functional teams
• Define success factors with suppliers in order measure actual performance during the delivery of new products
• Coach and guide subordinates
• Allocate resources to get the work done in a timeous, signed off process
• Foster an environment for people to grow and thrive, ensuring people development is top of mind.
• Review and maintain communication structures and procedures to ensure people are informed and equipped to contribute to R&I.

RESEARCH AND INNOVATION PROCEDURES

• Weekly PTM (Project Team Meeting) R&I representation along with R&I Technologists
• Monthly PST (Pre-LIM) Project presentation
• Monthly LIM (Local Innovation Meeting) Project presentation with Head of NPD
• Specification management (Raw Materials and Final Products)
• Trial management, tracking and reporting
• Continuous improvements of R&I processes and documents
• Ensure compliance with existing food regulations and internal nutrition standards.
• Budget trial cost planning and tracking

Key Requirements Of The Job

Qualification(s)

• BSc Food Science Degree or National Diploma in Food Science or Technology or higher qualification

Experience And Skills

• Minimum 10 years’ experience within food manufacturing, ideally in NPD. Minimum 5 years leadership/management experience, having delivered tangible results within an integrated, cross-functional team context.
• Very good knowledge of the applicable ingredient science, processing, regulatory, nutrition and product development and innovation processes, including design thinking.
• A proven track record in product development and reformulation/productivity projects management is as essential as excellent presentation and people management skills.