Senior Bakery R&D Leader — Innovation & Growth

Puratos; Parma; On-site; EUR 55,000 - 65,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual performance bonus

Welfare and benefits package

Training and development opportunities

Exposure to global innovation projects

Career growth opportunities

Dynamic, collaborative environment

Flexible working arrangements

Job summary

Puratos Italy is seeking a Senior R&D Manager Bakery to lead the local bakery R&D strategy from our Parma headquarters. You will build and mentor a high-performing team and collaborate across Sales, Marketing, Operations, Quality, and Supply Chain to drive customer-focused innovation.

You will travel ~70% to visit customers, develop products, and engage with markets, while safeguarding formulas and documentation and advancing digital, data-driven approaches to accelerate innovation.

Qualifications

• Degree in Food Science, Food Technology, Food Engineering, or a related discipline.
• Minimum 8–10 years of experience in R&D within the food manufacturing industry.
• Solid knowledge of bakery technologies, ingredients, and product development processes.
• Proven experience leading, coaching, and developing technical teams.
• Strong business acumen with ability to translate priorities into actionable R&D strategies.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute the local Bakery R&D strategy aligned with business objectives.
• Build and maintain strong customer relationships and promote co-creation with Key Account Managers.
• Lead, coach, and develop the Bakery R&D team for engagement and growth.
• Collaborate with Sales, Marketing, Operations, Quality, and Supply Chain on projects.
• Identify market trends, ingredients, technologies, and consumer needs to drive innovation.
• Manage the Bakery innovation pipeline with prioritization and timely execution.
• Define and monitor Bakery R&D KPIs and ensure regulatory compliance including BRC.
• Protect formulas and technical documentation; safeguard data integrity and confidentiality.
• Promote digital tools and data-driven decision-making across R&D activities.
• Lead product and technology initiatives to support business growth and customer success.
• Adapt and optimize products for market demands and customer expectations.
• Drive formulation development, recipe optimization, and value engineering.
• Support Operations, QA, and QC during industrialization and scale-up.
• Conduct benchmarking studies to identify best practices and opportunities.
• Deliver outstanding technical support to customers and commercial teams.
• Collaborate with Global and Regional Bakery R&D teams to accelerate innovation.
• Develop partnerships with universities, suppliers, and external networks.

Skills

Leadership

Project management

Stakeholder management

Communication

Team development

Education

Bachelor's/Master's in Food Science or related

Job description

Puratos Italy is seeking a Senior R&D Manager Bakery to lead the local bakery R&D strategy from our Parma headquarters. You will build and mentor a high-performing team and collaborate across Sales, Marketing, Operations, Quality, and Supply Chain to drive customer-focused innovation.

You will travel ~70% to visit customers, develop products, and engage with markets, while safeguarding formulas and documentation and advancing digital, data-driven approaches to accelerate innovation.