Product Development & Support Manager

Share our taste for life!
Together with you, we want to empower you to achieve this mission. We value you as a person and actively support you on your professional journey, while caring for your future. Join our big little family and let’s make products for you and the world to love. Do you share our taste for life? 

To strengthen our R&D Team, we are currently looking for an enthusiastic Product Development & Support Manager.

Your role:
As Project Leader for Product Developments you: 
Develop new products. These projects can be customer demands (re-active), innovations (pro-active) or cost/quality upgrades. 

• Are responsible for the overall coordination and planning of your projects. This implies guiding a functional team (R&D, marketing, commercials, customers, production…).    
• Guide the development process, which includes includes:
  • You discuss and guard the project scope (define the desired product characteristics) and report on the project status regularly with all project stakeholders.
  • You translate the project goal into a technical product definition.
  • You plan, follow up and interpret lab analysis.
  • You plan and follow up pilot trials and industrial scale-up trials in production.
  • You initiate cost price quotations and draft technical data sheets.
  • You collect and manage all necessary data and inform departments accordingly (production, quality, masterdata,…) in order to launch the new product.

As Product Expert you:

• Become a reference contact for the sales channel.
• Build up an in-depth recipe and ingredient knowledge of our portfolio.
• Know and have a good understanding of the production plant capabilities and processing conditions (fat crystallization)
• Follow up competitor products and market trends.
• Give technical support in case of launching new innovations or complaints. If needed also on location at the customer.
• Organise or assist in customer visits to Vandemoortele and visits to the customer.
• Build up specific technical knowledge through contacts with suppliers & customers, internal networking and literature, patents, seminars, institutes etc.

What’s in it for you?    

• You will join our big little family: Our associates are the beating heart of our company – they bring the flavour to our organisation. We cherish each member, prioritising their well-being and supporting their professional journey. As a global family business, we foster a human-centric approach where everyone feels welcome.
• We value you as a person: At Vandemoortele we value each one of our associates and recognise their unique contributions to team successes. We place great importance in giving our associates the freedom to shape their own professional journey. You will have flexible working hours and the opportunity to work from home.
• We care about your future and we support your professional journey: We believe in the power of our associates and the value of their actions and support their career aspirations by offering internal mobility and promotional opportunities. We embrace individual ambitions and encourage our associates to create a successful professional journey and entrust them to take ownership.
• We make products for you to love: We are a team of passionate food enthusiasts. In our mission to shape a tasty future we strive to create a wide range of food solutions that connects people, cultures and traditions.

Are you the one we’re looking for?

• You hold a master’s degree in engineering (Bio-engineering, industrial engineering, etc.) or equal by experience.
• A first experience within R&D is considered a plus but not a must. 
• Above all you are ambitious, energetic, driven and open to receive and give challenges. Your drive and enthusiasm will motivate you to go the extra mile in engaging others.
• As a food Lover, you are passionate by food.
• Your excellent communication and persuasion skills enable you to motivate, drive and engage your internal (R&D, production, purchase, logistics, master data,…) and external stakeholders.
• You are proactive and you are a driver for change. At the same time, you are pragmatic, problem-solving and looking for initiative.
• You are able to work together on major projects and you like to take ownership.
• You have excellent interpersonal and communication skills, both written and verbal, in English, Dutch is considered an asset.

Join us in making sweet memories!
We look forward to welcoming you to our delicious journey!
Submit your updated CV and compelling cover letter (optional) highlighting your relevant experience and motivation.
For questions or additional information, mail us: Joselien.neyt@vandemoortele.com