Senior Technical Development Director - Food/Nutrition

Brenntag•Philadelphia, PA

8d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Technical Development Director for Food & Nutrition North America will be responsible for leading a team of Technical Development Managers acting as a working manager to drive the commercialization for the sensory components, such as sweet and savory flavors, aroma, and natural color, in addition to our full line of functional ingredients in the North American food industry. The Technical Development Director will have specific customers and supplier relationships for certain strategic partners. The primary categories of focus include, but not limited to, beverages, baked goods, dairy, confectionary, meat, and plant-based meat and dairy alternatives.

Requirements

Strong people leader and influencing skills with proven track record for leading and motivating team
Self-motivated and task oriented
Logical, critical thinker with an inquisitive and strategic mind
Proficiency in written and verbal communication
Team player with collaborative and engaging work style
Able to present ideas and solution concepts to colleagues, customers, as well as large industry audiences
BS or MS in food science.
Min 15 Yrs’ experience in food product development and or technical sales in the food industry
Deep understanding of functional food ingredients and functionality in food systems.
Understanding of unit operations and unit processes in various end applications included but not limited to beverage, dairy, bakery, and prepared foods industries
Well versed with current market trends and key players in the food industry
Aware of the regulatory landscape as it related to food products in North America
Functional knowledge of word processors, database software, sales tools, spreadsheets, presentation modules
Requires up to 50% travel, or as needed by the business.

Responsibilities

Lead and direct a team of TDM’s to support the development of our functional and specialty ingredient pipeline and commercialization across North America.
Develops and implements marketing and innovation strategies to increase sales and profitability.
Work with Brenntag’s strategic supplier partners to learn their product portfolio, and understand the key technical attributes as it relates to their applications in food products
Work with product and marketing category managers, to identify and strategize entry into the potential target accounts in the geographies assigned
Secures additional suppliers or products which offer profitable opportunities or identifies opportunities within new industries which could lead to profits.
Set up processes for prioritizing customer targets and project development along with developing KPI’s to drive deeper penetration of our specialty portfolio and growth for our organization
Visit the accounts with the commercial sales team weekly, and engage with customer’s R&D to define customer’s needs for innovation or solutions at the technical level
Engage with supplier partners and suggest best solutions to the customer
Engage with the innovation & application team to accelerate customer projects through our own application kitchens, as needed
Follow up with the customers to drive the project and ensure successful commercialization of the products in scope
Attend product trainings and extend training to the field account managers in their assigned regions as necessary
Conduct all functions of business with safety as the top priority
Work with Management on organizational priorities, goals, and objectives
Participate in all periodic team meetings and communicates activities for action/follow-up/execution as necessary
Attend internal and external training sessions for continued development of product and industry knowledge