Key Skills

Job Description

The Challenge We are seeking to recruit for the role of Head of R&D for pladis’ Netherlands region, based at their local office and manufacturing site in Zaandam, Netherlands. The role will be accountable for the Netherlands R&D team in delivering the R&D agenda for this region on time and in full as pladis seeks to accelerate recent growth performance. The position entails The role is primarily product development and commercialization focused, and therefore by association requires very strong formulation and processing competency in food manufacturing. As the role involves stewardship of a product development team, candidates should have strong interpersonal and management skills in order to coach and develop. Key responsabilities Innovation & Product Development Take a lead role in developing and executing the Netherlands R&D strategic pipeline on time in full, consisting of innovation, renovation and technical productivity project pipelines for Netherlands. Drive end-to-end product development from ideation through launch. Technology mapping for Zaandam site identifying opportunities and potential white space, aligned with consumer demands. Custodian for Verkade and Sultana brands and brand identity guardrails. Technical oversight of 3rd parties offering incremental technology capabilities to Zaandam in order to meet consumer needs. Member of the Zaandam NL LT. Technical Leadership Provide leadership and clear direction across formulation, ingredients, processing technology, and product performance. Champion scientific rigour, and continuous improvement. Lean Six Sigma fundamental understanding mandatory, high level qualifications desireable. Lead, coach and develop the Netherlands R&D team. Build a high-performance and inclusive culture. Contribute as active member of UK & Europe R&D LT. What you will bring Degree in Food Science, Food Technology, Chemistry, Engineering or a related scientific discipline. Advanced degree desirable. Significant (typically 5+ years) FMCG R&D leadership experience, 10 years in FMCG food category, ideally baked snacks. Strong product development and commercialization track record. Languages: English fluent mandatory, Dutch / Turkish Desirable High competency in Microsoft office systems High competency in AI Assistants, Agents, & Competency tools. Core Competency Alignment: Product Development Consumer-led product design, baking and chocolate formulation, innovation pipeline delivery, process development, commercialization, technical leadership and continuous improvement. Success Measures Delivery of innovation objectives Successful product launches Product quality and consumer satisfaction Development of technical capability Who are we? Koninklijke Verkade, founded in 1886, with amazing brands like Verkade en Sultana, is part of pladis since 2016. pladis is one of the world's leading snacking companies. We are the proud steward of over 300 years of family baking and confectionery experience. A worldwide community with 16.000 colleagues around the world. Each of us bring our experience in happiness. Each of us is unique, but we find each other as a family of bakers and chocolatiers, hardworking, with pride and purpose. After all these years we believe that biscuits and chocolate bring people together. We are pladis. We bake Happiness. Happiness with every bite. pladis succeeds because of people like you. People who wake up in the morning excited to get to work. Who believe in themselves and their potential. Who want to grow as part of a global community of like-minded colleagues. pladis colleagues care deeply about being the best. About winning, staying the course and never giving up. Whichever part of the world we’re in, whatever our role. Whether we’re baking, working in HR, finance, marketing or many other areas – we win as one pladis team. And while we’re all unique, we share something in common. It’s the code by which we live and work. We call it our ‘Winning Traits & Behaviours’: Purpose Led, Agile, Collaborative, Positive and Resilient. Five aspects of pladis life that define who we are, how we interact and get things done. If pladis sounds like the place where you can thrive and help write the next chapter in our growth story, then check out opportunities around the world and follow us for the latest information from our teams. More information can be found at www.pladisglobal.com Interested? To apply for this job, please send your letter of application and resume to pladis Global via our website. Diversity and inclusion is central to everything we do and is reflected across our business. pladis brings together brands and people from around the globe – and this diversity is our great strength. We’re an equal opportunities employer and believe in encouraging an inclusive environment where we celebrate diversity of thinking and respect everyone’s distinctive qualities and perspectives. All applications will be treated with confidentiality. Third Party or Recruitment Agencies are not welcomed. We aim for an inclusive work environment and invite everyone to apply, regardless of background, age, gender, or preference. Our selection is based on competencies and potential.

Core Responsibilities

Lead the Netherlands R&D team and deliver the regional innovation, renovation, and technical productivity pipeline from ideation through product launch. Provide technical leadership in formulation, ingredients, processing, and product performance while developing the team and building technical capabilities at the Zaandam site.

Requirements

A degree in Food Science, Food Technology, Chemistry, Engineering, or a related scientific discipline is required; an advanced degree is desirable. Candidates should have significant FMCG R&D leadership experience, typically at least five years, ten years of FMCG food-category experience, a strong product development and commercialization record, and fluent English; Dutch or Turkish is desirable.