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Head of R&D

Malta

Reporting to the Managing Director, the head of R&D is leading the R&D department and outlining the R&D strategy which supports the company’s overall business strategy. The main task is the development of successful new products which reflect the local taste preferences of consumers.

Key Accountabilities

Strategy setting

• Set the R&D strategy which supports the Company’s overall business strategy by identifying new concepts, innovation projects in liaison with other business units
• Manage project priorities by resource allocation and ensuring success by identifying competence level;
• Seeks opportunities for new products/tools or enrichment of existing products
• Drive decisions by effectively networking with relevant stakeholders/decision-makers in R&D, marketing and other business units and markets in and outside of FCP

Product I&R

• Plan, co-ordinate and execute all specific technical tasks in concept ideation, prototyping, production design detailing, pre-production design validation and start-up of production
• Manage progress and potential scope changes through proactive and open communication
• Deliver solutions at defined quality, time and cost in order to fuel science-based innovation transfers into our business unit(s)
• Responsible for technical services R&D Lab as it pertains to product testing, analysis, and validation on new products as well as analyzing and correcting R&D activities

Leadership/people development

• Lead project teams primarily by coaching, motivating and inspiring
• Lead a team of highly skilled technicians/scientists
• Establish goals and metrics for the team, ensuring alignment with the program unit goals and organizational goals, and evaluates performance against established goals
• Provide scientific and professional leadership and work cooperatively with cross functional teams to ensure development and maintenance of high quality, scientifically sound standards for food  products
• Pursue effective working relations with international food and food ingredient standards development organizations, suppliers, and other technical institutes working on food ingredient quality and ingredient or flavour research
• Establish and maintain effective working relations with scientific and trade organizations in the fields of food, food ingredients, and nutrition
• Organize group, identifies personnel needs, empower scientific staff and leads recruitment of scientific positions to ensure accomplishment of organizational and group targets
• Strive for continuous improvement
• Ability to create a climate of innovation – has passion for new knowledge, experiences and challenges

Ideal Candidate Profile

Education

• MSc degree in a relevant technical field (Food Science/Technology, Material Science, Chemistry, Product Technology, etc.).
• Preferably with a PhD in the food science field

Experience

• Minimum 10 years’ experience in R&D, Innovation Management in the food and beverage sector

Technical skills

• Fluent English
• Knowledge of product development processes and prototype modeling methods
• Excellent project and time management skills
• Proficient computing skills
• Sensory training and experience
• Solid knowledge of performance reporting and financial/budgeting processes

Soft skills

• Strategic Thinking and Change Management
• Analytical Thinking and Problem Solving
• Drive for results
• Building strategic partnerships
• Influencing and impact including conflict management
• Program and Project Management
• Monitoring and Measuring
• Developing People