Portfolio & Product Category Team Lead (Fixed Term Contract Mat Cover)

  • Full-time

Company Description

We believe amazing things can happen over a cup of coffee.

Everyone’s coffee experience is unique – that’s why we bring this flavour into our careers. We keep our care and guidance individual to you. We celebrate achievements and support one another in a workplace that’s committed to doing the right thing – all across the world.

Our goal is simple but ambitious. Jacobs Douwe Egberts: a coffee for every cup.

JDE is a €5 billion global business retaining a start-up feel and containing some of the leading brands in Coffee and Tea – Kenco, L’OR, Tassimo and Douwe Egberts to name a few.

The UK represents a top 5 global market for JDE and continues to be a growth engine for the category, driving premiumisation by leading the single-serve partition with the Tassimo brand and premiumising the instant coffee segment through Kenco, L’OR and the Douwe Egberts brands.

Working with us is an exciting opportunity to make a difference in the world’s largest pure play coffee company.

Job Description

This is a Maternity Cover position for The Portfolio & Product Category Team Lead. The role reports to the R&D Category Manager Instants Portfolio & Product Development -  you will be at the heart of the Instants coffee business, representing the bulk of our business and an area where continuous innovation is a necessity to maintain and grow our market position.

Your main responsibility will be to lead the portfolio management and product development work by determining and implementing product solutions within the global instant coffee network, supporting the Category Manager in creating and implementing portfolio guidelines. This role is critical to the fast-paced instant coffee category and will determine and specify product and process solutions to support the company’s growth alongside projects that drive productivity.  The role will support all global instant coffee sites and provides a unique opportunity to shape our portfolio in both Instant Pure coffee and Instant Mixes & Specialty drinks category.

The role requires frequent interaction with R&D, Manufacturing and Business stakeholders. You will also guide team efforts to successful solutions, mentoring team members in delivering projects to best quality.

Key responsibilities;

  • Lead and support product design, understanding consumer needs and developing products to meet them.
  • Executes R&D projects successfully delivering projects to cost and timelines
  • Manages and screens projects to align with portfolio and menu card rules
  • Ensures best of class execution of projects within the team, by mentoring and frequent project check-ins
  • Helps coordinate daily project activities and relevant gate pre alignments for running projects and reports timely with key stakeholders
  • Offers and identifies opportunities for portfolio optimisations
  • Lead best practice and quality of delivery approach in the team
  • Supports the category by providing technical guidance and trial support to the category, owning the product elements of the qualification process.

Qualifications

To be successful in this challenging role, you should have a University degree (Food Science/Technology/Chemical Engineering or similar) with at least 5 years of experience in R&D, in various positions including product development and industrial implementation in FMCG, preferably in the food and/ or beverage industry.

Furthermore, you’ll bring

  • Proven leadership qualities and a track record of successes in delivering products to market
  • Excellent technical skills and problem-solving skills
  • Excellent project management experience
  • Experience in an international environment, dealing with different cultures.
  • Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
  • Sound awareness of consumer and sensory tools
  • Fluency in English

Additional Information

What’s it like to work at JACOBS DOUWE EGBERTS?

We are proud of our passionate and driven associates who challenge the status quo and pursue mastery in everything they do. Our goal is simple and ambitious – JACOBS DOUWE EGBERTS: A coffee for every cup

Working with us means you’ll be making an impact in a fast-paced, collaborative environment. We work as a team, celebrating success and support one another. Our associates work with a diverse group of like-minded people in an innovative environment committed to doing the right thing across the globe. Your achievements here will get noticed.

Jacobs Douwe Egberts is a global coffee & tea company, serving consumers in more than 80 countries through iconic brands including: JACOBS, TASSIMO, MOCCONA, SENSEO, L'OR, DOUWE EGBERTS, KENCO, PILAO and GEVALIA

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