Job Description:
Localisation: Aimargues (30 minutes from Montpellier)
Segment: Royal Canin
Type of contract: permanent contract
Royal Canin has a centralized formulation model allowing a unique nutritional profile around the world for the global wet & dry product portfolio combined with the use of locally available raw materials. A recipe is the synthesis of Royal Canin knowledge in term of science, raws, process and nutrition.
Formula Portfolio coordinator is in general accountable for the formula portfolio of one standard size factory (~100 formulas) and drive the deployment of global formulas for innovation in every market ensuring nutritional consistency. He/she contributes to factory continuous projects (Product performance, Non-Quality Costs and formula cost optimization…). He/she visits the factory at least once a year to deep dive and activate continuous improvement and new formula implementation.
He/she is the link between R&D and VCO (Value Chain Operation) teams. He/she collaborates every day with R&D associates based at the Campus (Global Formulators, Formulators from other regions, Design R&D Team and R&D experts) and in the regions such as factory teams, regional commercial team and regional VCO leadership team.
What are we looking for?
- Graduated MSc as scientist in food/feed/nutrition/chemistry or veterinarian specialized in nutrition
- Ability to work with remote people. High learning agility (people, results, mental). Should have the people agility to work and influence interfaces (commercial, supply, manufacturing, R&D, Marketing)
- High interpersonal skills: conflict management, influencing
- 10 years in a technical R&D position (Formulator, Product Design, Nutritionist)
- Experience in feed or petfood company is a strong advantage
What will be your key responsibilities?
Accountable for delivering innovation, renovation recipes and recipes for supply destressing, on-time in-full
Responsible to provide feasibility assessment to Global Design on the global development formula, raising key blockers to deployment
- Responsible to define the optimum deployment formula based on local raw materials, factory and regulatory constraints, in compliance with product specification, formula logic, Q&FS standards, claims
- Responsible to correct pet product performance out-of-target results
- Deliver the reference formula for legal text creation
Responsible of formulation strategy definition locally and regionally, co-constructing it with Commercial team
Support new Raw Material (RM) and new supplier development process (including Material Risk Assesment)
- Identify the “ideal RM portfolio”: identify to source new kind of raw materials, opportunities to maximize or reduce usage Build with commercial the RM portfolio required for a new site
- Responsible to deliver the forecast on cost and volumes to commercial team, considering reformulation roadmap
Accountable for the full nutritional profile of the Raw material
Responsible for raw material sampling plan definition
- Show case this impact of RM Non-conformance on Finished products
- Strong collaboration with the Raw Material Scientist who will manage RM investigation in collaboration with SQA
- Responsible to update the nutrient Matrix to guarantee nutritional precision with the subsequent reformulation
- Responsible to perform the Risk Assessments for raw materials shortage or deviations, proposing and activating reformulations to lower the overall business risk while ensuring business continuity
Accountable of nutrition precision and Product Performance during Formula lifecycle
Responsible for the formula consistency and nutritional philosophy within one plant where Royal Canin products are manufactured.
- Is responsible to perform the level 1 nutritional Risk Assessment during Product-related incident process (PRIMP) or coordinate it with the Nutritionists, and support the factories with overall investigation and root cause analysis
- Responsible to define the top levers to reduce invisible consumer complaints on his/her portfolio and lead action plans in case of consumer complaints spike with Formulation root cause
- Define CAPA actions with factory management teams on products and monitor their implementation
- Deploy and implement the continuous improvement actions defined at global level
- Accountable for formula optimization
- Is accountable to perform regular optimization of the portfolio for Cost and Green House Gas equivalent (GHG), remaining in compliance with nutritional constraints, pack labelling, claim substantiation and other regulatory requirements
- With Commercial partner, co-construct and execute roadmaps to reduce cost and carbon emissions: is responsible to identify opportunities, prioritize the most relevant ones for the business and participate to project teams (QuEST or QES) to execute the opportunities
R&D representative in factory: train people on scientific knowledge, portfolio, and innovations
Member of the Global Formulation department:
Work in close collaboration with the other formulators of the region
- Work in close collaboration with the Raw Material Scientist of the region, delegating appropriate tasks, and supervising corrective actions on Raw Materials in particular
- Perform double-verification of formulas for all factories across the globe
- Act as a back-up for formulators of other regions when required
- Leads global formulation projects when required
- Contribute to Internal Knowledge Management by sharing and capturing new insights, as well as integrating new knowledge or practices generated by the formulation community
What can you expect from Mars?
Work with diverse and talented Associates, all guided by the Five Principles.
Join a purpose driven company, where we’re striving to build the world we want tomorrow, today.
A strong focus on learning and development support from day one, including access to our in-house Mars University.
An industry competitive salary and benefits package, including company bonus.
#TBdigital
Skills Required
- MSc in food, feed, nutrition, chemistry or veterinarian specialized in nutrition
- Minimum 10 years in a technical R&D position (Formulator, Product Design, Nutritionist)
- Ability to work with remote teams and influence cross-functional stakeholders (commercial, supply, manufacturing, R&D, marketing)
- High interpersonal skills including conflict management and influencing
- Experience in feed or petfood company
Mars Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Mars and has not been reviewed or approved by Mars.
-
Healthcare Strength — The benefits package is positioned as comprehensive, with broad medical coverage and additional protections like life insurance and short- and long-term disability. Mental health support is emphasized, including free mental health services and wellbeing programming under initiatives such as Mars Be Well.
-
Parental & Family Support — Paid parental leave is highlighted as market-leading in the U.S., with an example of 18 weeks fully paid for both parents. Additional family-related leave types such as sick time for caregiving and bereavement leave are also described as part of the overall package.
-
Retirement Support — Retirement offerings are described as strong, including 401(k) matching (with a 6% match cited) and pension plans in some cases. The broader package also references retirement savings options and contributions aligned to local market practice, supporting long-term financial security.
Mars Insights
What We Do
For more than a century, Mars, Incorporated has been driven by the belief that the world we want tomorrow starts with how we do business today. This idea is at the center of who we have always been as a global, family-owned business. Today, Mars is transforming, innovating and evolving in ways that affirm our commitment to making a positive impact on the world around us. Across our diverse and expanding portfolio of confectionery, food, and petcare products and services, we employ 133,000 dedicated Associates who are all moving in the same direction: forward. With $40 billion in annual sales, we produce some of the world’s best-loved brands including DOVE®, EXTRA®, M&M’s®, MILKY WAY®, SNICKERS®, TWIX®, ORBIT®, PEDIGREE®, ROYAL CANIN®, SKITTLES®, WHISKAS®, COCOAVIA®, and 5™; and take care of half of the world’s pets through our pet health services AniCura, Banfield Pet Hospitals™, BluePearl®, Linnaeus, Pet Partners™, and VCA™. We know we can only be truly successful if our partners and the communities in which we operate prosper as well. The Mars Five Principles – Quality, Responsibility, Mutuality, Efficiency and Freedom – inspire our Associates to take action every day to help create a world tomorrow in which the planet, its people and pets can thrive.
