Director Activity Management - Innovation Process & Governance (f/m/d)

Freudenberg Sealing Technologies S.a.s. di Externa Italia S.r.l.u.; Weinheim; On-site; EUR 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Freudenberg Group in Germany seeks a senior governance leader to establish and own an independent quality governance function for the Stage-Gate process. You will drive governance, risk management and decision processes across projects, ensuring alignment with business goals.

You will design and implement Stage-Gate frameworks and tools (including AI), optimize portfolio investments, and provide oversight on gate readiness and post-launch learnings.

Qualifications

• Establish and lead an independent quality governance function for the Stage-Gate process.
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Responsibilities

• Establish and lead an independent quality governance function for the Stage-Gate process, including structured Quality Reviews and standardized criteria.
• Own and continuously develop the Stage-Gate framework and supporting tools (incl. AI).
• Design and implement standardized risk and scope-change management frameworks with clear roles and escalation.
• Drive Strategic Portfolio Management aligning the portfolio with business strategy and growth targets.
• Provide independent oversight and portfolio transparency on gate readiness, risks and process health.

Skills

Stage-Gate governance

PMO governance

Portfolio management

Risk management

Quality frameworks

Facilitation skills

Strategic analysis

Stakeholder management

English fluency

Decision making

Education

University degree (Business/Admin/Engineering/Economics)

MBA (advantage)

Job description

Working at Freudenberg: We will wow your world!

Responsibilities:

• Establish and lead an independent quality governance function for the Stage-Gate process, including structured Quality Reviews, standardized criteria and effective gatekeeping.
• Own and continuously develop the Stage-Gate framework and supporting tools (incl. AI), combining clear governance standards with the flexibility required for different project types.
• Design and implement standardized risk and scope-change management frameworks, including clear roles, evaluation criteria, escalation processes and transparent decision-making.
• Drive Strategic Portfolio Management by aligning the portfolio with business strategy, optimizing investments and resource allocation, and ensuring a strong innovation pipeline delivering against regional and category growth targets.
• Provide independent oversight and portfolio transparency on gate readiness, key risks and overall process health, enabling sound go/hold/stop decisions while ensuring continuous improvement based on post-launch reviews.

Qualifications:

• University degree in Business Administration, Engineering, Economics or a related field; an MBA is an advantage.
• 3+ years of experience at senior manager level in process governance, PMO, portfolio management, innovation management or a comparable function, ideally within FMCG or a similar environment.
• Proven track record in designing and implementing Stage-Gate/NPD governance, risk management and quality frameworks.
• Strong ability to provide independent guidance and challenge senior stakeholders, combined with excellent facilitation and decision-making skills.
• Strategic and analytical mindset with the ability to translate complex risks and processes into clear, actionable recommendations.
• Fluent English; additional languages are an advantage.

The Freudenberg Group is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to diversity and inclusion. Employment opportunities are available to all applicants and associates without regard to race, color, religion, creed, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or related medical conditions), gender identity or expression, national origin, ancestry, age, mental or physical disability, genetic information, marital status, familial status, sexual orientation, protected military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

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