VP R&D - Europe and Africa

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The purpose of the role
The VP of R&D Europe and Africa is a member of the Executive Management Team Europe & Africa, reporting directly to the Europe & Africa Group President and dotted line to the Global VP of Research and Development. This position is responsible for providing Innovation and R&D strategic leadership to the organization to help drive and accelerate Griffith Foods’ Purpose Driven Strategy.
In this role, you will drive and lead the EUA Innovation & R&D team in the elevation of Food Science, Innovation and Product Development capabilities for Griffith Foods EUA to contribute both regionally and globally to the sustainable and profitable growth of Griffith Foods.
You will represent Griffith Foods externally in a professional manner, maintaining a high-profile posture at all times with major customer accounts, suppliers, government agencies, professional associations as well as internally with all Griffith Foods employees and colleagues.

Responsibilities

• Leads all relevant matters pertaining to Research & Development; encompassing all R&D projects, activities and the commercialization of all products developed in the region (key partner in managing the RAPI model growth initiatives).
• Directly leads Europe & Africa Innovation teams and projects (Proactive and Breakthrough Technology projects) to accelerate and amplify the impact.
• Functions as an active participant on the Global Innovation Council and/or Centers of Excellence and a conduit between regional to global.
• Aligns and executes, together with VP of Marketing Europe & Africa the regional plan in all areas of the Where to Play and How to Win categories.
• Identifies, in conjunction with Sales, Marketing and Engineering Management, promising areas of research or technology addressing unmet needs.
• Evaluates risk assessment, participates in potential acquisitions and assesses new capital equipment opportunities.
• Builds targeted Top to Top customer relationships in alignment with the Europe Commercial Structure & priorities.
• Tracks industry trends, relevant legislation and competitor activities, as well as represents Griffith Foods as an advisor and participant on government, university and industry associations.
• Continually contributes to the profitability of the company and ongoing business operations by initiating, recommending and implementing continuous improvement strategies and initiatives.
• Prepares and submits Europe & Africa annual budgets, strategic plans, estimates, forecasts, statistics, analysis and financial information in conjunction with ongoing business requirements, priorities, policies and procedures related to the Research & Development departments.
• Follows the Griffith Continuous improvement raw material best practices and procedures and ensures they are adopted at the business unit levels.
• Develops and engages key Ecosystem partnerships.
• Champion and owner of 2 specific Capabilities; Food Science and the “building” of Nutritional Expertise. Ensures consistent integration and application of Consumer Insights, Culinary and Sensory capabilities into R&D processes.
• Ensures the execution and measurement of the Health & Nutrition Portfolio Transformation.
• Liaises and collaborates with staff at all levels on matters pertaining to research & development: food safety, regulatory issues, technical coordination, good manufacturing practices, continuous improvement, sales support and customer service.
• Leads, implements and follows all security policies; responsible for maintaining and enhancing the security of all information regarding product formulas and related confidential information.
• Coordinates Europe regulatory compliance to harmonize processes, workflow and capabilities. Oversees the export and market link regulatory opportunities.
• Ensures all required patents are obtained for new products produced by Griffith Foods, utilizing requisite resources in conjunction with Griffith Foods Corporate Council, Legal Counsel, Patent Lawyers and any localized Patent offices.

People Management & Leadership

• As a key member of the Executive Management Team Europe and as an ambassador of the company, operates within defined “core values” and openly supports these operating principles.
• Supervises and manages effectively all department employees (as assigned) with respect to recruiting, selection and hiring, orientation, attendance, health and safety, progressive discipline, employee relations, talent management, succession planning, performance management, salary administration, training and development, delegation of specific responsibilities and employee dismissal.
• Effectively leading, coaching, developing, and motivating the team to achieve the functional objectives and their personal development goals while ensuring and promoting a collaborative culture aligned with our company valued behaviors.
• Builds Regional R&D People Organization Plan and supports Talent programs within the function (inc. personal development programs).
• Conducts Department R&D Team meetings (including direct repots and Business Units R&D Leads), cascading results and general business information, as well as establishing a company culture within Griffith Foods to encourage employees to volunteer innovative ideas, put forward improvements and participate in the development of the Team.
• Proactively and visibly supports the Health and Safety standards, rules and regulations of the organization.

Requirements

• Master’s Degree in Food Science, Food Technology or related field.
• Senior level experience in R&D and/Innovation role in the food industry with responsibility across multiple countries. Typically, this position would require a minimum of 15 years’ experience in progressively responsible positions within the food industry with a minimum of 10 years’ in R&D and/or Innovation Department.
• Proven track record in people management (developing, coaching, mentoring, directing) and budget management.
• Broad depth of knowledge in product development, meat & protein science, snacks, texture systems, Savory Flavours & Spices, emerging technologies, and regulatory requirements.
• Building partnerships and working collaboratively with others to meet shared objectives in a multi-cultural and international environment
• Excellent written, verbal and presentational communication skills. Communicates effectively by developing and delivering multi-mode communications that convey a clear understanding of the unique needs of different audiences.
• Demonstrable experience cultivating innovation, creating new and better ways for the organisation to be successful.
• Track record of consistently achieving results, even under though circumstances.
• Ability to manage complexity, making sense of complex, high quality, and sometimes contradictory information to effectively solve problems. Autonomous and able to manage multiple priorities and timelines, while also uses strong technical and problem-solving skills to approach complex projects.
• Experience attracting and selecting the best talent to meet current and future business needs.
• Ability to manage ambiguity, operating effectively, even when things are not certain or the way forward not clear.
• Fluency in English and other languages would be valuable.
• Ability to travel up to 50% of the time and be able to work across different international time zones.