Director - Food Ingredient Excellence - Research & Development

DESCRIPTION : 

The Head of Ingredient Excellence will lead applied research as well as provide ongoing support and technical solutions on a global basis to various packaged food operations. This role plans, directs and protects applied research in the area of Ingredient Excellence and is considered the senior corporate expert in the area of Food Science and Ingredient Functionality.

Responsibilities:

- Builds ingredient excellence function

- Drives cross category productivity initiatives resulting in significant cost savings

- Enables new products & platforms with insights on unique ingredient usage and delivery

- Provide technical leadership, vision and consultation for the product development team

- Initiate and manage technical programs to enhance Packaged food capabilities in key technology areas

- Provide innovative problem solving and technical support to meet product development, commercialization, and operation's needs

- Initiate and maintain communication with internal customers to align Ingredient excellence activities to internal customer's needs and update them on new developments

- Perform managerial duties of budgeting, budget control, performance reviews, employee development planning, and staff planning

- Collaborate on research programs with other Scientists and internal stakeholders within company

- Participate externally in professional societies and publications

Minimum Requisites:

- PhD or advanced degree in any of the following - Food Science, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering or Food Engineering

- Minimum 18 years experience in Food Research & Development, including the below :

- Minimum 13+ years of experience in the food industry (post PhD)

- Minimum 5 years experience managing professional level (scientists, engineers, etc.) direct reports and large R&D collaboration projects

- Demonstrated excellence in project management

- Strong working knowledge of current and emerging ingredient and process technologies as well as process engineering and unit operations

- Experience providing high level technical direction to leadership and diverse technical areas within a company, as well as professional societies, governmental bodies, and customers

- Intimate working knowledge of the food and beverage industry

- Proven ability to effectively lead teams of employees

- Proven excellence in oral and written communications and strong presentation skills

- Demonstrated ability to successfully collaborate and influence various internal stakeholders, including, but not limited to, product development, sensory science, operations, quality assurance and regulatory

Mandatory Requisites:

- A PhD in Food Technology/Science - Can consider Grain Science as well.

- Should have extensive experience in a globally renowned Food company in the R&D area where the person must have supervised over a team of Scientists.

- Experience in US or Europe in a renowned food company is needed as the degree of R&D in these countries it at the most advanced levels.