Senior Team Leader Product Development, Factories Powder

Danone; Utrecht; On-site; EUR 98,000 - 125,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual bonus

Health care

Pension

Flexible leave

Job summary

Danone’s Specialized Nutrition R&I unit in Utrecht seeks a Senior Team Leader Product Development, Factories Powder to drive innovation and scalable product launches. You will steer a high-performing team across global supply points, coordinating with Operations, Quality, Procurement and R&I to deliver impactful nutrition solutions.

You will mentor engineers and scientists, manage projects from feasibility to launch, and ensure designs meet regulatory, safety, sensory and performance criteria

Qualifications

• MSc/PhD in Food Technology or Chemical Engineering.
• 8+ years in Product Design/Development, Quality, or Innovation.
• Strong powder formula nutrition know-how.
• Continuous improvement mindset; Green/Black Belt Six Sigma a plus.
• Stakeholder management and cross-functional influence.
• Experience leading teams in R&D/Quality/Operations.

Responsibilities

• Lead a large team of (Senior) Product Development Managers across global supply points.
• Ensure the team links global R&I with the factory on product and improvement topics.
• Lead project management: feasibility studies, risk assessment, qualification plans to product launch.
• Ensure product compliance with regulatory, food safety, nutritional, sensory and physical/chemical standards.
• Guarantee producibility of new/reformulated products with performance and efficiency targets.
• Collaborate with Center of Excellence on Product Design and Specification.
• Coach and mentor team members on challenging development projects.
• Inspire growth, excellence and business-minded execution within the team.
• Define strategic resource planning between Inno, F4G and capability projects.
• Act as the F4G SPOC for all Categories.
• Grow team expertise to deliver tangible outcomes and milestones with high quality.

Skills

Team leadership

Cross-functional collaboration

Project management

Stakeholder management

Communication skills

Education

MSc/PhD in Food Technology / Food Science

Chemical engineering

Tools

Six Sigma (Green/Black Belt)

Job description

Research & Innovation

Senior Team Leader Product Development, Factories Powder

For the Specialized Nutrition R&I (SN R&I) division we are looking for a Senior Team Leader Product Development, Factories Powder, located at Utrecht.

As Senior Team Leader Product Development Factories, you will lead the development and implementation of products across our global manufacturing network. You will work closely with Operations, Quality, Procurement, and R&I teams to deliver innovation, drive continuous improvement, and build strong technical capabilities.

In this position you will be reporting into the Category Director and you will have the following accountabilities and responsibilities:

• Leading a large team of (Senior) Product Development Managers located over different supply points within the Global SN Network in a demanding and high paced cross-functional setting.
• Ensuring the team acts as linking pin between global R&I and the factory, regarding product & continuous improvement related topics.
• Key member in project management including feasibility study, risk assessment, and building and delivering qualification plan till product launch.
• Ensuring that all development guaranty Product compliance with regulatory, food safety, nutritional, sensory, physical and chemical requirements, keeping the consumer’s voice at the heart of our activities; Ensure Design principles are fully deployed across the team.
• Ensuring new and reformulated products can be implemented in production scale and that targeted product performance as well as operational efficiencies are achieved.
• Working closely with the Center of Excellence team on Product Design and Specification principles.
• Coaching and mentoring team members, in various challenging product development projects in multidisciplinary teams with colleagues from R&I, operations, procurement and quality.
• Inspiring the team to co-create a team atmosphere with a continuous drive for growth, excellence and effectiveness with a business mindset.
• Defining strategic resources planning for optimal efficiency, between Inno, Fuel For Growth (F4G) and capability projects.
• Acting as the F4G SPOC for all Categories.
• Engaging and growing team members by focusing their expertise to deliver tangible outcomes & milestones, with a high focus on quality in execution, safe guarding SN R&I fundamental role.

The Senior Team Leader Product Development, Factories Powder is a member of the Early Life Nutrition Category, reporting into the Category Director.

About you

The Senior Team Leader position is an opportunity to lead a high-performing team, drive for Category growth, and make a tangible impact on the lives of our consumers. We invite dedicated professionals with a passion for innovation and excellence to join us in this exciting journey.

Your profile:

• Confident & positive personality, with ability to engage others in a complex multi-disciplinary setting.
• Driven & resilient to face and overcome challenges in a dynamic and demanding environment.
• Capable of working in cross-functional project teams with challenging deliverables and deadlines.
• Comfortable managing a remote team in an international & dynamic organization, with various disciplines at several locations.
• Result driven, problem solving, entrepreneurial mindset.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills.

Your expertise:

• MSc/PhD degree in Food Technology/Food Science, Chemical engineering.
• At least 8 years of experience in Product Design and Development, Quality, or Innovation Management. Experience in operational environment is a plus.
• Strong technological background in Specialized Nutrition know-how, especially for Powder Formula.
• Methodic and having Continuous Improvement and Excellence in Execution mindset. Green Belt / Black Belt Six-Sigma would be a plus.
• Stakeholder Management/Influence & Engagement.
• Experience in Team management and development in R&D, Quality or Operations environment.

Your vision:

• Lead a high performing Product Design and Development Team.
• Design and Develop consumer centric innovations that truly reflect the mission of the category.
• Setting rigorous benchmarks to ensure Right by Design.

About Danone

At Danone we are working together to make sure that our brands, like Nutricia and Nutrilon, create real benefits for people, communities and the planet. You will be part of one of the largest Certified B Corps in the world. Being B Corp means to be part of a select movement of companies verified to be meeting the highest standards of social and environmental criteria and using business as a force for good.

We offer:

All Danoners receive a complete package of benefits. This includes a competitive salary and yearly bonus, a premium free pension, 30 days of annual leave (with the opportunity to purchase more) and you will receive a monthly health care allowance. In addition, you can get discount on your gym membership, and we offer initiatives focused on nutrition, physical, and mental health. We provide continuous learning opportunities through workshops, online courses and training sessions.