Job Title: Ingredient Solutions Director, Europe
We are seeking a dynamic Ingredient Solutions Director for our European operations, dedicated to securing and enhancing our portfolio of ingredients and formulas. This role ensures seamless delivery to our customers throughout the region.
Based at our modern Innovation Center in Kemptthal, Switzerland, and reporting directly to the Head of Regional Innovation Europe, you will lead our Ingredient & Formula (I&F) and IPLC teams, shaping the ingredient palette of tomorrow while ensuring operational continuity today.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Leadership
- Set direction: Define and lead the strategy for ingredient and formula optimization across our diverse product portfolio, ensuring we offer the best possible palette to meet both current and future market demands.
- Safeguard continuity: Implement processes and risk-management frameworks to protect supply, mitigate challenges, and reduce complexity without compromising quality.
- Champion I&F's role: Elevate the profile of ingredient and formula management within the organization as a critical enabler for customer satisfaction and margin realization.
Innovation & Development
- Guide creative problem-solving: Introduce market-leading tools and methodologies for proactive and reactive formula optimization.
- Refresh and future-proof: Evaluate and refine ingredient palettes to enhance performance, comply with evolving regulatory guidelines, and align with key consumer trends such as natural, clean label, and sustainable sourcing.
- Harness digitalization: Leverage AI and digital tools to anticipate ingredient challenges and opportunities, identifying gaps before they escalate into operational issues.
Execution Excellence & Customer Focus
- Champion delivery: Lead the validation and execution of formula changes, ensuring smooth rollouts to both manufacturing and customer supply chains.
- Maximize value: Develop launch plans that directly enhance business and customer outcomes, such as improving delivery efficiency or reducing lead times through formula optimization.
- Connect innovation to improve: Align ingredient and formula expertise closely with commercial goals, delivering tailored, high-value solutions for our customers.
Knowledge, Systems and Compliance
- Remain a trusted expert: Stay current with regulatory developments in EU food, flavoring, and additive compliance, translating these into practical business practices.
- Use systems for speed: Lead processes associated with formula change and industrialization, utilizing data and KPIs to ensure speed, accuracy, and transparency.
People and Talent Leadership
- Inspire and develop: Build, coach, and empower teams across Europe, nurturing expertise and fostering a pipeline of future talent.
- Cultivate collaboration: Promote connections between vital internal communities, ranging from Flavorists to Issue Management teams, encouraging best practice sharing and mutual support.
Your Professional Profile
- Degree in Food Science, Chemistry, Food Technology, or a similar technical discipline.
- 15+ years of leadership experience in formulation, ingredient or flavor technology, product development, or related fields.
- Proven expertise in ingredient delivery systems, scale-up, and industrialization.
- Experience with supplier management, procurement, and financial accountability.
- In-depth knowledge of EU food regulations, labeling, allergens, and compliance regimes (REACH, Novel Foods).
- Experience in R&D pipelines, trend translation, and transforming innovations from concept to market.
- Demonstrated success in cross-functional leadership and talent development.
- Business fluency in English; additional languages are advantageous.
Our Benefits in Kemptthal
- Excellent opportunities for progressive learning and development.
- Flexible working model with a 40-hour work week.
- Additional paid days off and favorable pension fund contributions.
- Subsidized meals in the staff restaurant and discounted catering offers.
- Access to a sport and leisure club with amenities on-site.
- Discounts at the company shop and free staff parking.
- Subsidized REKA vouchers and SBB half-fare travel card.
- Complimentary beverages (tea, coffee, water) at all locations.
- Worldwide private accident coverage with the free choice of hospital.
Apply online using the form below. Only applications matching the job profile will be considered.