European Product Manager - Texturants

European Product Manager - Texturants

Location: Germany/ Netherlands/ UK/ France

About Us

For 160 years, Tate & Lyle has been helping customers make food and drink healthier and tastier. We pride ourselves on using our scientific ability to transform plant-based ingredients into solutions that improve the diets of the world. We deliver sweetness, mouthfeel, fortification and stabilisation to small and large food and drink brands. Many of the world’s favourite brands rely on our scientific expertise, inspiring ingredients and smart solutions to address their challenges. We are deeply connected through our purpose – transforming lives through the science of food - to supporting healthy living, building thriving communities and caring for our planet.

We have bold and exciting growth ambitions and are transforming across our business to shape the future of food as a food and beverages specialty solutions partner. 

Tate & Lyle. Science\Solutions\Society

About the Role

As the product line champion, this role will act as the center of product knowledge, defining the product and asset strategy to deliver sustainable growth. This role acts as a key linkage role between Product Line and the OUs, ensuring alignment between Product Line / Product strategies and their ability to support growth of our Categories. This role will manage the portfolio of products in his/her remit, develop competitive value proposition, pricing strategy and work closely with the Operating Units for effective local execution. As an asset facing role, European PM will lead strategic planning / capacity planning, work closely with T&L’s Supply Chain teams to make production decisions so as to maximize efficiency, profitability and capacity.

Texturants is a core product line, so this role is key to managing the continuing profitability of T&L’s business, whilst be a key driving force in capacity expansions and new product development

Strategic Planning

• Support the development of the product strategy, and value proposition and determine products to promote/sell to drive growth. Also work to set the medium/long-term strategic roadmap for the product, identifying growth opportunities ensuring alignment to Product Line strategy
• Provide allocation / prioritization recommendations based on Product Line strategy and capacity
• Define pricing strategy, provide guidance on margin target and set non-negotiable limit price to the OUs
• Build market and competitive intelligence to inform our capacity and pricing

Product / portfolio management

• Continuously define product portfolio maximization recommendations through key product specific projects (existing product development) as well as tail management 
• Manage sample approvals and industrial trials
• Lead product specific projects (e.g. NPD, new capacity, line extensions, customer projects)
• Deal with practical issues (and opportunities) that arise, working with Operation, Quality, Commercial and other teams, so that we can provide good customer experience, grow the product line and manage cost and risk

Commercialization

• Be the link between the commercial/ technical teams and Operations, Quality and the toll-manufacturers to ensure alignment
• Promote the product and support the commercial teams as required to grow the SFDC project pipeline and land new business
• Report on a monthly basis commercial progress, including SFDC project pipeline numbers and progress against key customer projects
• Identify New Product Development (NPD) opportunities, reflecting market appetite and customer demand/trends
• Work with R&D, and Operations and Innovation Lead to implement and launch NPDs

Lead product specific Operations/Expansion 

• Manage capacity requirements with Global Operations
• Work with Global Operations to analyze ongoing supply and demand requirements (aligned to forecast) to ensure feasible product allocation
• Assess, evaluate and implement product changes with cross-region implications 
• Work closely with T&L Operations and Quality team to meets customer’s expectations of product delivery and customer experience
• Handle practical matters quickly to ensure the appropriate people within T&L take ownership and resolve issues

• Work with Texturants Global Product Director and NPD team to expand product lines or with regions to help secure growing customer volumes to support expansions

About You

• Bachelors Degree in Food Science, or related technical industry
• 7 years (min) in the food ingredients industry managing product portfolios
• Problem-solving, practical mindset and willingness to “get your hands dirty”
• Strong commercial acumen is important, identifying and capitalising on industry trends and commercial opportunities, with a proven ability to make choices and prioritise projects in relation to the business opportunity they represent
• Previous experience related to Texturants is helpful with a base knowledge of the products and assets
• Some understanding of how Operations work, and some technical product expertise and/or proven ability to learn it quickly 
• Excellent networking and influencing skills with the ability to develop relationships with a wide range of business partners across all parts of the business
• Ownership, drive, and resilience to move forward tasks across the business
• Some travel to manufacturing sites, customers or ICD center, USA
• Attention to detail and ability to prioritize

Tate & Lyle is an equal opportunity employer, committed to the strength of an inclusive workforce.