Manager, Product Innovation, R&D

Barry Callebaut Manufacturing Iberica SA.; Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 130,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

MyFlex PTO

Hybrid environment

Paid holidays

Diversity & Inclusion

Job summary

Barry Callebaut is seeking a Global Product Innovation Manager to drive initiatives under the Compounds & Global Compound Centre of Excellence. You will ensure technical excellence and collaborate across functions to accelerate product innovation impact.

Requirements include a Master/PhD in science or engineering (Food Science & Technology preferred), 10+ years in a related role with leadership experience, and fluent English. Travel about 20% is expected in a hybrid environment.

Qualifications

• Master or PhD in Science or Engineering, preferably Food Science & Technology.
• 10+ years in a relevant role; leadership experience preferred.
• Fluent in English; additional languages a plus.

Responsibilities

• Lead and deliver initiatives under global strategy for Cacao Coatings & Fillings.
• Engage leadership across functions to secure project support.
• Plan and manage resources to deliver initiatives.
• Consolidate knowledge within CI&TS and share learnings with stakeholders.
• Document and communicate product innovation learnings to boost impact.

Skills

Leadership

English fluency

Cross-functional collaboration

Travel readiness

Education

Master or PhD in Science/Engineering (Food Science & Technology preferred)

Job description

At Barry Callebaut, we are on a journey to transform the cocoa and chocolate industry. As the world’s leading manufacturer of high-quality chocolate and cocoa products, our actions truly shape the future of our industry. We are a business‑to‑business company, serving the entire food sector, from the cocoa bean to the finest chocolate product. We are a company with a purpose, we believe in doing well by doing good and reinvesting in the communities we operate. We have a long‑standing commitment to sustainability and our goal is to shape a sustainable cocoa and chocolate future. We are headquartered in Zurich, and have more than 12,000 passionate employees working in more than 40 countries worldwide. We are very proud of who we are and what we do and are always looking for talented people to help us have a positive impact on our industry and beyond!

About the Role

Manager, Product Innovation is responsible to drive and deliver initiatives under the global strategy of Compounds & Global Compound Centre of Excellence under the guidance of the Director, Product Innovation and Business Development. The Global Product Innovation Manager ensures technical excellence in execution of product innovation objectives and liaises with the key managers cross‑functionally to generate solutions for an accelerated product innovation impact.

Job Responsibilities

Lead & deliver initiatives under global strategy of Cacao Coatings & Fillings (100%)

• Leads & delivers initiatives under global strategy for corresponding regions, to support business growth in the compounds product category.
• Engages the leadership team in business and functions to gain the required support during project execution.
• Plans and manages required resources to deliver the initiatives.
• Acts as the heart and mind of the CI&TS function by consolidating and fostering knowledge gained internally or externally.
• Amplifies product innovation impact by thoroughly documenting learnings and generously sharing them with the relevant teams and stakeholders as per the business needs.

About You

• Master or PhD degree level in a Science or Engineering discipline, or equivalent, preferably in Food Science & Technology
• 10 or more years of experience in a relevant role; experience in a leadership role will be preferred.
• Fluent in English. Additional spoken languages are a plus.
• An experienced expert in the chocolate and/or cocoa category, with good knowledge of product application, formulation, processing and ingredients. Experience with compounds and vegetable fats is a plus.
• Good business acumen in regional markets such as NAM, LATAM, WEU, CEE, and AMEA.
• Able to travel a minimum of 20% of the time.

What you can expect from Barry Callebaut

• Salary Range of $130,000 - $150,000, depending on factors such as experience and location, plus annual bonus and our comprehensive benefits package
• MyFlex PTO (unlimited!) and Paid Holidays
• Environment that welcomes workplace flexibility and hybrid environment
• An atmosphere where diversity is embraced, and inclusivity is second nature.
• Ability to grow personally and professionally within an organization that values development and internal career growth

We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive team and encourage all qualified candidates to apply.

We are committed to Diversity & Inclusion. United by our strong values, we thrive on the diversity of who we are, where we come from, what we’ve experienced and how we think.