Regional Head of Innovations China

Nutreco; Netherlands; On-site; EUR 115,000 - 153,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation support

Job summary

Nutreco, via its Trouw Nutrition unit, is building a flagship China open-innovation hub in Hangzhou. We are seeking a Regional Head of Innovations China to lead the agenda on the ground, shaping omics, sensors and AI data strategies, and coordinating university and industry partnerships.

You will report to the Managing Director of Global Innovation, drive trials and governance, manage budgets and timelines, and represent Nutreco with academia, government, and industry partners.

Qualifications

• PhD in animal nutrition, animal science, veterinary medicine, or a related life-science discipline.
• Fluency in Mandarin Chinese and English, spoken and written.
• Willingness and ability to relocate to the Hangzhou area.
• 10+ years of relevant experience across industry R&D and/or academia–industry collaboration.
• Proven record of building partnerships and leading cross-functional, cross-cultural work.

Responsibilities

• Lead strategy and leadership for China’s precision livestock nutrition innovation agenda and coordinate the open innovation hub anchored at Westlake University.
• Act as the senior on-the-ground representative of Global Innovation, translating global strategy into local delivery.
• Build and deepen relationships with academic and industry partners and manage calls for proposals anchored at Westlake.
• Shape the local omics, sensor, and AI/big-data strategy in collaboration with global leads and internal laboratories.
• Oversee design and execution of animal efficacy and product-registration trials and validation-farm studies with partners.
• Lead technology and start-up scouting in China; organize pitch meetings and evaluate collaboration or investment opportunities.
• Bridge China and global R&D teams, ensuring alignment, knowledge flow, and governance; manage budgets, timelines, and reporting.

Education

PhD in animal nutrition / life sciences

Job description

Job Description

Regional Head of Innovations China
Innovation and R&D
Hangzhou, China
Full-time

Why join us
Trouw Nutrition, a Nutreco company, is a global leader in animal nutrition with the shared purpose of Feeding the Future. We have the ambition to combine its deep nutritional science with data, sensors, and AI to advance precision livestock nutrition. We are establishing an open innovation hub in China, in partnership with leading universities and industry, to translate science into validated, field-proven nutritional solutions.
We are seeking a Regional Innovation Director for China to lead this agenda on the ground. Reporting to the Managing Director, Global Innovation, you will be the senior local leader who builds our academic and industry partnerships, shapes the local omics, sensor, and AI data and trials programme, and brings the pieces together into a coherent, world-class innovation effort. This is a rare opportunity to build and lead a flagship initiative from its foundations.

What you'll do
Strategy and leadership

• Lead Trouw Nutrition's precision livestock nutrition innovation agenda in China and coordinate the open innovation hub anchored at Westlake University.
• Act as the senior on-the-ground representative of Global Innovation, translating global strategy into local delivery.

Partnerships and stakeholders

• Build and deepen relationships with academic partners (e.g. Westlake University, Zhejiang University) and industry partners (genetics companies, commercial producers, and technology providers).
• Manage the call for proposals anchored at Westlake, pairing university and commercial partners around high-impact research.
• Support the translation of our Memoranda of Understanding into definitive
• agreements.
• Represent Trouw Nutrition with senior academic, industry, and government stakeholders.

Science and programme delivery

• Shape the local omics, sensor, and AI/big-data strategy in close collaboration with global species leads and internal laboratories.
• Oversee the design and execution of animal efficacy and product-registration trials and validation-farm studies with partners.

Scouting and ecosystem

• Lead technology and start-up scouting in China; organize pitch meetings and company visits; and evaluate opportunities for collaboration or investment.

Coordination and governance

• Bridge the China and global R&D teams, ensuring alignment, knowledge flow, and sound governance; manage budgets, timelines, and reporting.

Who we're looking for
Essential

• PhD in animal nutrition, animal science, veterinary medicine, or a related life-science discipline.
• Fluency in both Mandarin Chinese and English, spoken and written.
• Willingness and ability to relocate to the Hangzhou area.
• 10+ years of relevant experience across industry R&D and/or academia–industry collaboration.
• A proven record of building partnerships and leading cross-functional, cross-cultural work.

Desirable

• Familiarity with precision nutrition and with omics, sensors, and AI/big data in animal or agricultural science.
• An established network within China's academic, agricultural, and regulatory ecosystem.
• Experience with animal trial design and product registration in China.
• Prior leadership of an R&D team, programme, or partnership.

How you work

• You are strategic yet hands-on, entrepreneurial, and comfortable building something new amid ambiguity. You are a natural bridge-builder — culturally fluent across Chinese and international settings, an excellent communicator, and someone who earns trust with senior scientists, executives, and officials alike.

What you'll receive
As part of Nutreco, you'll be a member of the SHV family, a diverse group of companies with global footprint. Join us and you'll gain access to a wide network of expertise and global career paths. You'll also benefit from the backing of one of the world's largest privately owned businesses, known for its stability and long-term focus.
In addition, you'll receive:

• A visible leadership role shaping a flagship China innovation initiative from the ground up.
• A global platform and close collaboration with world-class scientific and industry partners.
• A competitive compensation and benefits package, with relocation support.