R&D Director

Do you have the appetite to Grow Your Magic?Consumers everywhere are increasingly conscious of the quality of the food they eat. Puratos develops, produces and distributes a unique range of ingredients for bakers, pastry-chefs and chocolatiers who demand the very highest quality.Founded in Belgium in 1919, Puratos is growing rapidly with over 11000 employees in 75 countries, with a consolidated turnover of over €3 billion in 2024. Our passion for innovation, pioneering spirit and core values continue to propel our global ambitions. This, coupled with our commitment to our communities, is what makes working at Puratos so magical.Position OverviewBased at Guangzhou China, in order to further strengthen our R&D team, we are currently seeking an:D&D Director(Guangzhou, China)Lead and develop the R&D and CTS team and activity. And translate the business strategy into a local R&D and Business Development strategy.Key Accountabilities R&D ManagementDefine the right R&D and Customer technical Support (= CTS) organization, adapted to the business needs; create agility by optimizing resources when needed. Assure a synergistic collaboration between the R&D and CTS teams resulting in a better output and a shorter time to market;Management of the R&D team: recruit talented people, assure good onboarding and continuous training, development, and succession;Manage the R&D department through vision and objectives in line with the strategy of the Group and the country.Innovation, customer projects and Technical SupportManage the innovation pipeline, in line with the Group strategy and guidelines (H&WB, sustainability, focus channels, key customers) and with current and future customer needs. Always assure compliance to local regulations;Boost, promote and enable the development and implementation of strategic and international innovation products and services; make use of the project process tools; assure a good translation to local market needs; assure training for R&D, CTS, MKT, sales…;Be customer centric by driving customer projects: assure R&D and Application Specialists (= AS) to spend resp 30% and 50% of their time with customers, make use of the Go-no Go process; assure product development in line with the customer request and Puratos capabilities; organize and support training sessions for customers;Organize internal product trainings for the business development and operation teamsOrganize competence building projects internally or with external partners, and translate this in new business development and innovation opportunities; Ensure confidentiality and respect Group rules on IP protection in all activities;Assure adoption of digital tools and automation processesGive guidance to the CTS Manager and Team in developing an innovative and creative CTS team which is customer oriented.Support improvement of Profitability and Support OperationsProvide support to operations (production, QC, QA) for the implementation of new ingredients and products on our lines, during the startup of new lines, for process improvement projects, for non-conformities and customer complaints, for approval of 2nd suppliers;Take a pro-active approach to reduce the cost of our products and services, in collaboration with purchase and operations; participate to portfolio optimization projects on raw materials and finished goods;Assure R&D support during external quality audits; assure a perfect and traceable documentation of all relevant R&D activities.Internal and external stakeholder management Be an active member of the management team, and assure good implementation of the projects in the local organization.Create a strong network with the leaders of other countries, contribute to a trustful collaboration, inspire the teams with new products, services, concepts and ideas, and assure a close collaboration that results in a smooth implementation and a shorter time to market;Create a strong internal network with stakeholders from HQ, the region and other countries, in the effort to share best practices, learn, improve and create new solutions to meet customer´s challenges;Create a strong external network with key customers, suppliers, research institutes, local authorities and sectorial associations, to accelerate the detection of future challenges and opportunities, and accelerate the development of according solutions.Profile Education: Master degree in food science or equivalent;Experience: at least ten years in applied R&D from international food industry;Having 5 years’ experience in leading the R&D activity and team from international food industry;R&D experience from bakery, patisserie or chocolate industry is a plus;Knowledge in food regulations;Language: Fluent in English & Mandarin.Soft skill:Strong R&D expertise, scientific curiosity, and digital savviness;Inspiring team leader, attracting and developing a diverse team of talents;Strong Customer orientation and commercial drive (driving projects into sales);Good networker within/out of the organization;Capable of translating a business strategy into an R&D strategy;Self-driven and dynamic with an international mind-set;Ambitious and determined to achieve results and be part of a winning team.OfferPuratos provides a dynamic, entrepreneurial environment that encourages our people to take initiatives and bring ideas that will contribute to the success of the company. Of course, Puratos offers a competitive package (salary, group insurance, healthcare, training…) but additionally, offers you a position that you can further develop and shape.