Regional R&D Leader - Bakery Innovation (CEE)

Vandemoortele; Łódź; On-site; PLN 260,000 - 360,000; Full time

Job summary

Vandemoortele in Poland seeks an experienced R&D leader to head the local R&D team focused on bakery products. You will drive development, reformulations, and product improvements, aligning with market needs and the central R&D roadmap.

You will build a robust innovation pipeline, coordinate prioritization with central R&D, and collaborate across Sales, Marketing, Manufacturing, and Supply Chain to maximize time-to-market and commercial impact.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in Food Technology or related field.
• At least 8 years of relevant experience in the food industry, bakery products preferred.
• Minimum 5 years in a people-management role with cross-functional R&D leadership.
• Experience with multinational customers and proven co-creation partnerships.
• Strong business mindset with decision-making and stakeholder influence.

Responsibilities

• Lead the local R&D team to deliver new products, reformulations, and improvements aligned with market needs and central R&D roadmap.
• Build and manage an innovation pipeline combining local initiatives with central R&D projects.
• Identify opportunities to optimize ingredients and processes to reduce costs while preserving quality.
• Develop and coach the local R&D team and foster an innovative, accountable culture.
• Collaborate with Commercial, Marketing, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, and Bakery Products Business Line; support customer meetings as regional technical partner.

Skills

Master's degree

Food industry exp

People management

Cross-functional R&D

Customer co-creation

Multinational customers

Decision making

Polish-English

Education

Master's degree in Food Technology

Job description

Vandemoortele in Poland seeks an experienced R&D leader to head the local R&D team focused on bakery products. You will drive development, reformulations, and product improvements, aligning with market needs and the central R&D roadmap.

You will build a robust innovation pipeline, coordinate prioritization with central R&D, and collaborate across Sales, Marketing, Manufacturing, and Supply Chain to maximize time-to-market and commercial impact.