Head of R&D Commercialization

at  Flora Food Group

ABOUT FLORA FOOD GROUP

We offer consumers a compelling choice in four growing categories: butters and spreads, creams, liquids and cheeses. We hold leadership positions in many of the 100 countries we operate in, with iconic brands including Flora, Becel+ProActiv, Blue Band, Country Crock, I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter, Rama, and Violife, together with our local brands and Professional business.
Global branded food champion Flora Food Group, offers the next generation of delicious, natural, nutritious food. Our products are more affordable and more sustainable than their dairy equivalents.
Location: Wageningen
Hybrid

ABOUT THE POSITION

The Head of R&D Commercialization for Developed Markets at Upfield is a strategically vital position, responsible for driving market growth and ensuring seamless business continuity within the EU and North America region. With a total business value of G3.3 billion, of which developed markets account for >60%, we are looking for a seasoned R&D lead.
Reports to: Chief R&D Officer, location Wageningen / NL (hybrid)
The objective of this role is two-fold:
You are the R&D owner for the powerbrands that are most prominent in these markets and therefore co-own the product portfolio and innovation pipeline. This means you are responsible for landing the short-term portfolio changes, whilst building a 3-year pipeline per each relevant powerbrand.

At the same time you ensure the successful commercialization from an R&D perspective in these markets for the products which have been designed at global level. This means that you take responsibility for successfully launching new products by

• Driving the decision-making process
• Taking ownership for product performance
• Close partnering with marketing and sales for all “Go to Market” elements, whilst ensuring “big bet thinking”, driving alignment on formulations and propositions across countries
• Effectively and efficiently managing the interfaces between Global Product Design, Quality, Planning and Logistics for creating alignment across the technical functions
• Ensuring clarity on consumer and competitor insights which translate into claims and benefits
• Preparing the sales forces with content and knowledge
• Ensuring compliance
• Reviewing & sharing learnings from past projects
• Building a path to portfolio superiority

You will successfully navigate through the Upfield R&D organisation to create the portfolio plans, and for this you will lead a small team of technical experts that deliver projects and create the technical insights required. You will also set the direction for the relevant R&D communities of colleagues from the various capabilities and keep them informed of the Developed Markets Growth strategies and priorities.

This means:

• You are R&D business partner to the CMOs and marketing teams for Flora, Becel, Proactiv, ICBINB, Country Crock, co-responsible for pipeline creation and
• You establish and manage business partnerships with key members of the COO LT and ELT / NALT
• You feed brand needs into the global tech agenda and use global tech roadmaps to feed brand thinking
• You translate consumer needs and insights into technical product / pack requirements and benefits / claims
• You define the channel strategies for Food Service, Industrial Sales, and Private Label, in partnership with commercial teams; and translate this into relevant projects and actions
• You create a regional roadmap that builds on the global tech strategy to ensure competitive advantages and a “superior vs competition” portfolio in developed markets
• You are a member of the global RDLT, driving a performance culture in R&D, linked to output / delivery thinking
• You bring a data-first mindset — using data for decision making and proactively shaping the way we do R&D for the future
• You strongly drive Operational Excellence: Translating R&D innovations into commercial strategies, focusing on delivery and value creation

• Strong track record in delivering business impact (measurable)
• Strong track record in leading teams towards high performance, and elevating skills and competencies
• Strong background in the food industry, with proven leadership experience in R&D or related functions
• Demonstrated ability to drive portfolio evolution, challenge the status quo, and deliver results in a fast-paced, dynamic environment
• Demonstrated ability to build a strong business mindset and ownership mentality within the (regional R&D commercialization) teams
• Forge strong relationships with key stakeholders to facilitate seamless tech discovery and implementation
• Experience in managing diverse teams and fostering a culture of collaboration
• Cultural fit, stamina, and ability to defend R&D against marketing