Product Development Manager

Job Title: Product Development Manager, Green, LIPTON Teas & Infusions

Work Location: Amsterdam Science Park

WL:  2A

Job Type: Full Time

Travel required Travel within Europe to attend business meetings, supplier meetings, retailer presentations/external meetings (~8 trips per year) excluding any training.

Role Summary
The Product Development Manager, Green is an exciting role within the Lipton Teas & Infusions business. As part of a health-led growing segment, you will be responsible for the full technical delivery of Green Tea projects, across multiple brands with global market reach. This role is based in the Amsterdam Science Park and reports directly to the Senior Product Development Manager, Green Tea. You will be part of a technical team focussed on green teas and a wider global R&I team who are predominately based in Amsterdam. 
In this role you will be responsible for the full technical leadership of Green Tea projects, including product renovation; innovation creation and market development, in line with our brand and global business needs. You will have the opportunity to work for a selection of our most treasured and loved brands, including Lipton & Pukka and with your expertise, have a direct impact on how our innovations land into market.

On a day-to-day basis and together with the Global R&I Green Tea team in Amsterdam, you will drive the co-creation and delivery of deliciously balanced, healthy and innovative green tea products, in line with consumer led habits and insights. 
You will have many interactions across the business - both local and global – and will mostly work with project teams where you will be a leading member, alongside R&I & Marketing programme leaders, Product & Packaging Developers, Regulatory & Legal Managers and Quality Managers to name several.
As the Research & Innovation Product Development Manager for Green Tea globally, you will directly ensure that our full product offering appeals to our consumers’ preferences and is representative of our brands tone of voice. You will also be directly responsible for the full technical delivery of the projects that you lead with the wider Green Tea team and project teams, across all brands and channels.
  
Your role is crucial to our global Green Tea business and programme, given the footprint of our brands and the markets they span. You will have the opportunity to engage with our customers and senior stakeholders and support our brands and innovations alike. You will also be an important link to our technical sites – factories and third-party partners - to co-drive the implementation of our innovations to the highest quality standards.

Key Tasks in this role
Lead the full technical delivery of Green Tea projects, aligned with programme and business priorities. Your overall responsibilities will include creative product concept design; compelling and compliant claims development; outstanding product design; laboratory scale prototype development; insight led consumer studies; costing and comparisons; quality assessments; technical scale-up and risk assessment; industrial trial and sampling plans; technical label data creation in line with regulation; industrial handover into manufacturing in line with factory quality standards and defined CRQS.
•    Responsible for the full technical delivery of global Green Tea projects, cross-brands
•    Drive active business partnership across key interfaces, including but not limited to Marketing; Supply Chain; Procurement; Finance; Country General Managers; Regional Presidents; Global Brand, R&I, Supply Chain executives
•    Scope new incoming projects to define feasibility, complexity levels and resource requirements
•    Define and shape compelling product concepts fit for project and programme deployment, in collaboration with cross-functional partners
•    Co-design consumer studies based on defined concepts, claims, competitive landscape and organise the end-to-end product sample creation and placement through to results de-brief
•    Deliver outstanding product design in line with project scope, technical feasibility parameters, claims and cost targets
•    Oversee tasting sessions from prototype through to final recipe development, ensuring all prototype/recipe evaluation outcomes are documented and next steps summarised
•    Ensure sourcing opportunities are defined and enabled for the relevant material portfolio and all product designs
•    Lead the creation of all relevant technical and label data for your projects and maintain high quality specifications as part of project delivery 
•    Drive the seamless technical implementation of all global Green Tea projects into the relevant sourcing unit/third party manufacturer, including factory trial risk assessments, supporting analytical measurements and any testing requirements to support efficacy and/or claims
•    Successfully manage project complexity, including existing products vs. innovation; technical recipes; ingredients and related specifications
•    Support key partner relations for programme and portfolio needs, in hand with Procurement teams
•    Deliver R&I input into the relevant gatekeeping and board meetings to share progress and forward looking plans
•    Prepare product toolkit, bringing to life the technical execution, benefits and overall storytelling
•    Contribute to the overall success of the global Green Tea programme by supporting internal business events and stakeholders and external engagements 

Stakeholder Management and key interfaces
●    Reporting to the Senior Product Development Manager, Green Tea
●    Working with the R&I & Marketing programme leaders; Product & Packaging Developers; Regulatory & Legal Managers and Quality Managers to name several. 
●    Exposure to key stakeholders, including Chief R&I Officer; Global Brand Directors; Functional Chief Officers and Directors; Regional President and General Managers
●    Partner to Green Tea Procurement and strategic herbal and flavour suppliers.

 Skills and Experience 
•    Proven track record (>5 years) in the Food & Beverage industry, particularly in roles directly connected to product formulation design and technical management
•    Proficiency in project management and planning
•    Experience in risk management
•    Good computer literacy/experience with proven ability to learn new systems
•    Strong and creative problem-solving skills
•    Team and people leadership skills, irrespective of any direct line management
•    Stakeholder management and strong communication skills 
•    Fluent in English language. Fluency in any other European language is a nice to have
•    University degree/diploma or equivalent experience in Food and Beverage innovation or product development.

Who we are looking for in this role
●    A self-motivated leader with the ability to build strong relationships with ease and drive an open and supportive culture 
●    Passion for Food & Beverages and the world of innovative possibilities
●    A great networker with the ability to connect across a global multi-disciplined workforce and build critical alliances
●    Responsible and accountable by nature, with high autonomy
●    Your work is of high quality with attention to detail and you drive the same from others
●    You can navigate change and refocus priorities according to business needs
●    You are a good listener and great problem solver who understands how to navigate opportunities and challenges in a positive and outcome driven way
●    You are bold and act with intentionality in all that you do
●    You can lead a project team of successful, empowered and dynamic individuals with clear purpose and intentionality.