Role Purpose:
This role is responsible for managing end-to-end Flavor Program for Snack Business Units, overseeing product development through to commercialization. Success in this role requires cross-functional collaboration to ensure seamless execution, balancing creativity, operational excellence, and strategic growth to elevate the Pringles portfolio in AMEA (Asia, Middle East, Africa).
Role Responsibilities
1. Drive business growth
- Product Development: Develop products including new flavors, enhance existing flavors and innovate novel concepts aligned with brand strategy and market trends.
- Commercialization: Scale newly launched flavors while refining commercialization processes to improve product quality, margins, and operational efficiency.
- Cost optimization: Deliver cost-savings initiatives by providing technical and process solutions
- Project Execution: Leverage technical feasibility and commercial insights to streamline project implementation
2. Leadership
- Demonstrate expertise as a Technical Expert, Leader, Planner, Coordinator, and Communicator in managing end-to-end Flavor Program
3. Innovation and Creativity
- Exhibit natural curiosity and a bold, creative mindset, embracing outside-the-box thinking and the courage to challenge the status quo.
- Pursuing innovation in technology discovery, evaluation, and application, enhancing product development and commercialization.
4. Technical Expertise
- Understands the flavor delivery mechanisms and sensitive to sensory attributes, such as aroma, taste, texture, and mouthfeel
- Understands seasoning science or its behavioral properties and collaborates closely with suppliers to improve seasoning performance
- Provides technical direction as a Seasoning Subject Matter Expert (SME), ensuring the seamless transition of seasoning flavor design from lab scale to plant commercialization within the planned timeline.
- Possesses experience in production workflows and operational processes, enabling swift troubleshooting, real-time decision making and resolving challenges
- Provides technical advice to Plant Operations, Quality Assurance and Supply Chain teams on seasoning-related matters, including product parameters, shelf life, seasoning wastage
5. Other Duties
- Serves as an individual contributor, directly managing projects
- Requires travel to manufacturing sites, supplier facilities, and regional offices
Knowledge, Skills and Experience
- Bachelor’s degree in food science, Engineering or closely related field and a minimum of 5 years’ experience in food R&D
- Experience in Business-to-Business (B2B) & Business-to-Consumer (B2C) Markets with exposure to project management and timelines
- Strong written and verbal communication skills (English; Malay is highly regarded)
- Proven ability to manage cross-functional stakeholders, fostering collaboration across functions
- Strong R&D and operational expertise, be able to work independently or effectively as a Technical Expert
- Passionate about the food & beverage industry, demonstrating natural curiosity.
- Highly collaborative, adaptable and resilient, with strong time management and problem-solving skills.
- Significant experience in seasoning creation or application
- Culinary passion or strong interest in food innovation
- Experience in the snack manufacturing industry
- No/minimal dietary restrictions (beneficial for sensory evaluation)