Senior Category Manager Culinary, Europe

International Flavors & Fragrances Inc.; Netherlands; On-site; EUR 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

IFF is seeking a Category Marketing Manager to lead our Culinary category across Europe. You will drive a three-year growth strategy, translate priorities into marketing initiatives, and collaborate with Sales, Innovation, Insights and Communications to deliver measurable business results.

The role requires a strategic thinker with 10+ years of marketing experience, excellent communication, and the ability to lead cross-functional teams in a matrix organization.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of business experience in marketing, sales, or related fields.
• Strong communication, listening, analytical and influencing skills.
• Ability to translate insights into marketing initiatives and drive cross-functional collaboration.
• Experience leading category growth plans in a matrix organization.
• Proficient in English; additional European languages are a plus.
• Willingness to travel 30-40% across the region.

Responsibilities

• Lead the category growth strategy and develop a three-year plan.
• Translate priorities into impactful marketing initiatives and tactics.
• Collaborate with Sales, Innovation, Creation & Design, and Communications.
• Monitor progress, report results to EUROPE leadership, and drive milestones.
• Support key customer engagements and leverage external/internal insights.

Skills

Strong communication skills

Analytical thinking

Influencing skills

Project management

English language proficiency

Cross-functional collaboration

Strategic marketing

PowerPoint proficiency

Excel proficiency

Education

Bachelor's or Master's in Marketing, Business, Food Science, or related field

Tools

PowerPoint

Excel

Job description

Job Summary

Job Summary Can you bring together diverse teams, inspire action, and translate category strategies into measurable business results? IFF is a global leader in flavors, fragrances, food ingredients and health & biosciences. We deliver sustainable innovations that elevate everyday products. Taste: Crafting unique, technology-enabled flavor designs that define the identity of food and beverage brands, shape trends in flavor creation, and fuel market success. This is a hybrid role that can be based in the following locations – Hilversum, Netherlands; Barcelona, Spain; Dijon, France; Haverhill, UK; Milan, Italy or Oberhausen, Germany. Join a collaborative, innovative, and solution-oriented team where your expertise contributes to meaningful products used around the world. Your potential is our inspiration.

Where You’ll Make a Difference

The Taste Europe Marketing team at IFF is seeking a Category Marketing Manager to lead our Culinary category. In this highly visible individual contributor role, you will drive cross-functional collaboration to develop and execute a three-year category growth strategy that accelerates sales and strengthens IFF's position in the market. You will be responsible for translating strategic priorities into impactful marketing initiatives and tactics aligned with the broader Taste commercial strategy. This role requires a strategic thinker and influential partner who can effectively engage stakeholders across Sales, Innovation, Creation & Design, Consumer Insights, and Communications. Success in this position depends on your ability to build alignment, inspire action, and turn strategic plans into measurable business outcomes. You will also play a key role in creating compelling, insight-driven marketing content that resonates with customers and supports commercial growth. While positioned within the Taste business, the role offers broad exposure and collaboration across multiple business units. The Category Marketing Manager reports directly to the Regional Marketing Director, EAME. Lead the Multidisciplinary Culinary Category Team in the development of a Category plan. Build on industry insights, business strategies and overall capabilities to define key initiatives, tactics and resources required to grow and defend IFF business in the categories. Own the growth of the categories in the region, connecting with relevant stakeholders and different areas in the organization to lead and/or execute the Category plan actions. Align and drive the roll-out of the Category plan with sales and technical teams in EUROPE. Work with the other function within Marketing, IC&D and Product experience to define key priorities for Culinary in the region. Monitor and report on the execution of the category plan to the EUROPE leadership teams on a monthly basis. Track progress against category financials targets, opportunity pipeline targets and milestones for key initiatives. Highlight corrective actions required and decisions to be made. Support key customer engagements. Leverage interaction with external and internal stakeholders to collect industry insights, derive implications for the business and recommend actions to support our growth ambitions in the Culinary Category.

What Makes You the Right Fit

• Minimum 10+ years of business experience (marketing, sales, business development) in B2C or B2B environments, preferably in the Culinary market.
• Strong communication skills.
• Proven ability to develop and deliver impactful marketing communications to customers.
• Excellent listening, analytical and influencing skills.
• Demonstrated ability to collect insights (qualitative/quantitative), generate conclusions and drive discussions with key stakeholders to develop and implement appropriate solutions.
• Capability to digest marketing information from numerous sources as well as data sources, create logical arguments and apply it relevantly, to determine direction and future idea focus.
• Demonstrate engagement, leadership and high-level of energy with the ability to work effectively in a matrix organization and drive cross-functional project teams.
• Strong project management skills with a track record of leading initiatives from strategy through execution.
• Strong knowledge of strategic and operational marketing fundamentals, with the ability to create compelling communications that support business objectives and drive strategy.
• Strong interpersonal skills to connect people from different part of the organization, foster collaboration and manage potential conflicts to move things forward and drive execution.
• Highly developed written and verbal communication in English, other languages are a plus, along with advanced proficiency in PowerPoint and Excel.

How Would You Stand Out?

• Strong understanding of the flavors industry and experience within the food ingredients sector, with a proven track record of developing and executing marketing plans that drive business growth.
• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Marketing, Business, Food Science, or a related field.
• Professional fluency in English (written and spoken); additional European language skills are an advantage.
• Willingness to travel 30-40% across the region.

Why Choose Us?

Shape the future of the Culinary category by playing a pivotal role in defining and executing the growth strategy that influences both regional priorities and customer success.

Strong emphasis on career development, internal mobility, and career progression at IFF. Enjoy attractive compensation and benefits designed to promote your well-being.

We are a global leader in taste, scent, and nutrition, offering our customers a broader range of natural solutions and accelerating our growth strategy.

At IFF, we believe that your uniqueness unleashes our potential. We value the diverse mosaic of the ethnicity, national origin, race, age, sex, or veteran status. We strive for an inclusive workplace that allows each of our colleagues to bring their authentic self to work regardless of their religion, gender identity & expression, sexual orientation, or disability.

Visit IFF.com/careers/workplace-diversity-and-inclusion to learn more.

At IFF, we make joy through science, creativity and heart. As the global leader in flavors, fragrances, food ingredients, health and biosciences, we deliver groundbreaking, sustainable innovations that elevate everyday products – advancing wellness, delighting the senses and enhancing the human experience. We value an inclusive, creative workplace where all individuals can thrive and do their best work.

We consider all qualified candidates equally and based on merit, without regard to religion, ethnicity, national origin, race, age, veteran status, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation or disability.