Global Head of Product Innovation

The position will report directly within R&D to the Director - Breakthrough Product. It is expected that the incumbent will work very closely with their counterparts in Global Growth Commercial and Supply Chain to effectively deliver the joint growth and transformation agenda and ensure balanced focus on the productivity and sustainability deliverables.

pladis works in highly competitive, fast-moving markets where it is crucial to maintain and extend market share through profitable branded growth. It also has an exciting growth plan for emerging markets where offering the right value proposition is critical! Innovation through product development, continuous value improvement, and consumer perceived Quality superiority versus competition are critical and key to delivering the business targets. This role will support in challenging and pushing the boundaries of conventional development to deliver differentiated product ideas.

Principle Accountabilities

The Global Head of Innovation’s key responsibilities include:

Functional Excellence

• Utilize consumer, customer, and competitor knowledge to develop a robust (sufficiency & readiness) innovation growth funnel for your portfolio, alongside marketing partners.
• Drive the successful delivery of global breakthrough projects in their category(s).
• Define and deliver the technology roadmap to ensure early identification of technology-based opportunities that align with longer-term business and consumer needs in their category(s).
• Ensure delivery of at least 1 breakthrough project per year in their category(s) with a clear path to commercialization and market launch, not limited to proof-of-concept.
• Lead a team of scientists and engineers ensuring effective resource management and development in line with business needs.

Partnership excellence

• Work with Growth and FEI (front-end-innovation) team to co-develop effective development briefs that clearly articulate the needs of both the business and the consumer and the development jobs to be done.
• Collaborate with Global Procurement to ensure effective supplier innovation management across all ingredients and process OEMs.
• Build strong partnerships with suppliers and constantly be assessing new ingredients and technology to deliver innovation to your category. Ensure strong collaborative partnerships with key suppliers to benefit pipeline creation and delivery for both growth and productivity.
• Build excellent cross-functional partnerships to ensure successful delivery of plans, appropriate and timely resource allocation, collaborative ways of working, and seamless handovers.
• Actively assess and pilot external technologies, ingredients, and formats (including start-ups, scale-ups, and emerging technology providers) to strengthen the breakthrough innovation pipeline.
• Work closely with internal open innovation and external partnership programs to translate novel solutions into scalable, pladis-ready applications.

Execution excellence

• Ensure technical rigor in project delivery consulting with appropriate SMEs in peer review processes.
• Ensure project portfolio is delivered with effective risk management and mitigation processes and follows the Global gating and New Technology Development processes.
• Manage the delivery of a portfolio of (highly) technically complex projects with new to pladis / breakthrough technologies.
• Monitor trends and developments in the external world.
• Sponsor projects and authorize key stages within the technical change process. Oversee the end-to-end NPD process and highlight potential for growth.
• Follow market and competitor moves while collaborating closely with marketing and consumer insight team to have a robust understanding of consumers, consumption occasions, and evolving consumer needs.
• Ensure a robust understanding of the key competitor portfolios and constantly be assessing opportunities for improvement to the core products in your portfolio.
• Ensure new products are launched with robust specifications and quality standards, which are aligned and reviewed post-launch.
• Lead the team by setting and exhibiting high work ethics, standards of delivery, and by role-modelling resilience, curiosity, and accountability in the face of challenge. Be a visible and living example of pladis’ values and culture. Be an ambassador for R&D in the business.
• Ensure a deep understanding of the team’s capabilities and ensure clear plans are in place to upskill against the areas of technical competency required to deliver your growth, productivity, and improvement pipeline.
• Lead delivery of technically complex, high-uncertainty projects, adapting plans rapidly in response to learning, setbacks, and regional feedback.

Business Excellence

• Understand the process and operational capability of relevant lines across the fleet appropriate for each active project and ensure development reflect the capabilities of existing or potential new lines.
• Build understanding of the global demand framework across the team and ensure product development is in line with the identified demand space requirements and ideal attribute matrix.
• Manage cost centers with appropriate reporting.
• Actively support the creation of a cost-saving program for your portfolio and be accountable for the delivery of the projects. Establish clear requirements for product characteristics distinguishing between those that are essential for consumer delight and those that are less defining. Review and agree project charters. Make recommendations for product changes that will yield improved profitability.
• In line with AOP processes, build a robust budget ensuring effective resourcing and OPEX requirements for their category(s).

Equal Opportunity Employer

pladis is an Equal Opportunity Employer, committed to hiring a diverse workforce. All openings will be filled based on qualifications without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, marital status, veteran status, disability, age, religion, or any other classification protected by law.

We operate a strict Preferred Supplier List. If you are a recruitment agency and wish to submit a candidate to be considered for this vacancy, you must have agreed to, and signed, our terms of business. We will not accept CVs from any other sources other than those currently on our PSL. We will not pay a fee for any candidate that has not been represented by a provider on our PSL.