Strategy & Health Category Excellence Director

Lesaffre; Desio; On-site; EUR 100,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Smart-working after probation

International environment

Growing company

Job summary

Lesaffre, Desio (Italy), is seeking a Strategy & Health Category Excellence Director to shape the BU's long-term vision and drive strategic initiatives across R&D, marketing, regulatory and operations. You will partner with senior leaders to translate strategy into measurable action and oversee health category excellence program development.

The role requires strong cross-functional leadership, 15+ years in consumer health or strategic planning, and a track record of transforming strategy into

Qualifications

• 15+ years of experience in consumer health, B2B/B2C category management, or strategic planning.
• Bachelor’s degree in business, Marketing, Healthcare Management, or related field; MBA or advanced degree preferred.
• Strong leadership of cross-functional teams (R&D, marketing, regulatory, operations).

Responsibilities

• Shape the 3–10 year strategic vision aligned with corporate strategy.
• Bridge strategy and execution with cross-functional leaders to deliver measurable results.
• Define and implement a Health Category Excellence framework across the BU.
• Lead transformation initiatives with the Leadership Team and allocate resources accordingly.

Skills

Strategy leadership

Cross-functional leadership

Market analysis

Stakeholder management

Education

Bachelor’s degree in business/marketing/healthcare

MBA or advanced degree preferred

Tools

Tableau

Power BI

Job description

Strategy & Health Category Excellence Director

• Full-time
• Years of experience: +10 years
• Contract type: Permanent Contract
• Compensation: EUR 100,000 - EUR 120,000 - yearly

Gnosis by Lesaffre aims to raise the standard of human health and build a world where proactive health solutions empower people to live longer, happier lives.

By exploring the world of microorganisms, we tap into nature’s biological processes to develop solutions that address pressing health challenges while promoting positive impact on both human and planetary health.

Together with nutraceutical and pharmaceutical brands, we develop revolutionary products that help their customers thrive.

Our vision is a future where health is proactive, solutions are sustainable, and the timeless wisdom of nature guides every step forward.

Think like Nature to Raise human health.

As Strategy & Health Category Excellence Director, you are the architect of the business unit's future. This role is not just about planning, it is about making strategy real: anticipating health category trends, driving timely strategic discussions with senior leaders inside and outside the BU, and being a key driver of change in how Gnosis competes and wins.

You will:

Shape Gnosis’ 3–10-year strategic vision, ensuring alignment with corporate strategy and goals and industries or market opportunities.

Bridge strategy and execution with cross-functional leaders (R&D, marketing, regulatory, operations and more), turning plans into measurable results.

Define and implement a world-class health category excellence framework that improves customer experience and BU performance.

You join the extended leadership team and work closely with the Global Head of Strategy & Innovation.

1. BU Strategic Leadership and Execution Driver (~70%)

Vision & Roadmap:

Develop and refine the short-term and long-term strategic plans, take the BU strategy through into the Lesaffre Group strategy ensuring they align with the company's mission, values, and growth ambitions.

In close collaboration with Corporate and BU Strategic Competitive Intelligence, Lesaffre Knowledge Center and Economic Intelligence, and Gnosis Product and Solutions teams and SOAs (Strategic Opportunity Areas) leaders, run deep-dive market, competitive, and industry analyses to ensure continuous differentiation as well as identify emerging opportunities, risks, and white spaces.

Turn insights into actionable strategies, including BU portfolio optimization, and partner with M&A and BD team to fuel growth.

Decision-Making Frameworks:

Design models, tools, and KPIs to evaluate business decisions (e.g., prioritization matrices, scenario planning, ROI), monitor strategy performance (e.g., market share, revenue growth, innovation success rates) and recommend course corrections.

Develop mitigation strategies for external risks such as major regulatory changes, competitive threats.

Strategy in Motion – Execution

Oversee the transformation initiatives assigned by the Leadership Team, delivered on time, within budget and with measurable impact, and allocate resources and budgets to strategic priorities.

Collaborate with cross-functional teams (e.g. innovation, product and solutions, market insights, operational marketing, regulatory, scientific and medical affairs, operations, R&D) to ensure seamless execution of initiatives at global level and appropriate allocation of resources and budgets effectively to support strategic priorities.

Design the strategy office to monitor health category performance and drive data-based continuous improvement.

Stakeholder Engagement:

Communicate the vision to BU and Group executive teams, securing buy-in and alignment, and advise the Global Head of Strategy & Innovation on critical decisions.

Represent Gnosis in external forums (conferences, partnerships, investor meetings) to showcase thought leadership in health category excellence at BU strategic levels.

• Aligned decks for the Quarterly Business Reviews and the bi-annual Leadership Team strategy review: progress against KPIs (revenues, gross margin, customer NPS, innovation success, competitive positions) and risk mitigation plans.
• 100% of strategic initiatives tracked, with clear owners and timelines, and, with the communication teams, a health strategy report at least annually.

2. Health Category Excellence (20%)

- Build a uniform framework for the health categories: category plans, innovation cycles, market and segment development, B2B2C pricing approach, performance metrics, claims and risks assessment tools and processes.

- Keep the BU ahead of competition: work with product & solutions, Innovation SOA and strategic business intelligence to identify and address gaps in the BU portfolio. Recommend opportunity areas that meet customer needs and optimize performance at industry/market and Health Category overarching levels using sales data, customer feedback and market intelligence.

- Be the subject matter expert and main contact for health category excellence, supporting cross-functional teams.

• In the first 3 to 6 months, a macro market analysis, from nutrition through nutraceuticals to pharma, with segmentation, competition, customer typologies and regions.
• An updated BU roadmap (18-months and 3/5-years) with prioritization criteria, gap analysis and proposals for new investments or divestments.
• A Health Category Excellence Playbook with templates for category planning, pricing, claims and performance metrics

3- Culture and Operating Model (10%)

• Be a constructive collaborative culture ambassador inside and outside the BU.
• Foster a B2B2C approach by supporting cross-functional processes, governance and the operating model, for example a global claims process and ways of working for segmentation and health categories.
• Help in transformation and connect the regions and global stakeholders, and help establish the Bring-to-Market (B2M) / Go-To-Market (G2M)

Key deliverables

Operating Model Program Management timelines, budget and targeted outcome tracked and updated.

- Bachelor's degree in business, Marketing, Healthcare Management, or a related field; MBA or advanced degree strongly preferred.

- 15+ years of experience in consumer health, B2B/B2C category management, or strategic planning, with a proven track record of driving growth.

- Demonstrated expertise in the nutraceuticals, health and wellness industry, with a deep understanding of market trends, consumer behavior, regulatory and competitive landscape.

Skills & Mindset

Strategic and Analytical:

You turn complex market, financial and operational data into clear strategy, using frameworks such as SWOT and Porter's Five Forces, strong financial modelling and business cases, and analytics tools such as Tableau or Power BI.

Leadership & Influence:

Executive presence at C‑suite and Board level. You lead cross functionally with R&D, marketing, sales and regulatory teams, drive adoption of new strategies, and constructively challenge the regions. Experienced in change management and ability to drive adoption of new strategies across the organization.

Communication & Collaboration:

Exceptional storytelling that simplifies complex ideas for diverse audiences. You negotiate, influence, build consensus and represent Gnosis at industry events, with partners and in the media.

Enhanced Adaptability:

Forward-thinking and agile, staying ahead of health trends and competitive moves. Hands‑on as well as strategic, customer‑centric, and a good listener.

• The job is based in Desio (MB) - Italy
• Permanent Contract, Full-Time
• Possible Smart-Working after Probation Period
• Be part of agrowing company
• Work in adynamic international environment
• We promote a sense of fulfilment with a genuine mission: nourish and protect the planet, and Raise Human Health.
• An opportunity to work in a real international environment.

At Lesaffre, diversity is a strength that enriches our culture and our teams. We are committed to offering you a work environment where you can thrive, regardless of your background, gender, age or abilities. We encourage all applications, as we believe that diverse perspectives strengthen our ability to innovate and meet the challenges of tomorrow.