Product Design and Development Manager (m/f/d), Fulda

Die Danone Company ist eines der weltweit führenden Lebensmittelunternehmen in den Kategorien Milchfrischeprodukte (Dairy), Mineralwasser (Waters), frühkindliche Ernährung (ELN) und medizinische Nahrung (AMN). Weltweit arbeiten rund 100.000 Mitarbeiter an einer gemeinsamen Mission: „Durch gesunde Ernährung die Lebensqualität möglichst vieler Menschen zu verbessern.

Tasks

• The Product Design and Development Manager (PDDM) oversees R&I activities at the Manufacturing site, supporting new products designed for the Chinese market. As an integral member of the R&I organization, the PDDM will work within cross-functional project teams and interface with the IDDC team responsible for pre-industrialization development, as well as the China Business Unit R&I team based in China.
• Specifically, the PDDM will:
• Lead the R&I technical execution of innovation projects, including training site staff, preparing and validating trials, supporting audit preparations, and facilitating industrialization efforts. The PDDM acts as the R&I representative for the Manufacturing applicant.
• Ensure technical R&I documents meet high standards and are delivered promptly.
• Follow established innovation processes and governance under the direction of the Innovation Project Leader.
• Strengthen the team’s expertise through active participation.
• As part of the Global SN R&I IDDC Team China, the PDDM will engage as required in early recipe design and development activities according to the needs of the Innovation Pipeline for the Chinese market.
• Main responsibilities include:
• Collaborating closely with the entire R&I organization, regulatory bodies, marketing, and the manufacturing site to deliver the China Innovation pipeline and product registration.
• Serving as the technical lead during formulation design and development, with particular emphasis on the industrialization phases of new product development.
• Ensuring new recipes are validated at the manufacturing site following R&I procedures and aligned with Chinese regulations for registration and commercialization.
• Providing essential support for first-time-right registration and commercial activities.

Profile

• Experience as a food developer or in R&I, ideally with infant formula, Medical Nutrition, dairy processing, and spray drying
• Master's degree in Food Technology or equivalent experience
• Excellent stakeholder management skills for effective communication across business functions and levels
• Fluency in German; professional English required; Chinese is desirable