Founded in 1853, Lesaffre is an independent, family-owned group based in France and a leading global provider of baker's yeast and yeast extract products. It employs over 11,000 people on five continents and markets bakery, taste improvement, health and nutrition, fermentation and brewery products and services.
Lesaffre South Africa, previously known as Aries Baking Supplies and Bakelab, are entities recently acquired by Lesaffre.
Job DescriptionPosition Summary:
Reporting to the General Manager, the Innovation Manager is responsible for leading the organization's product innovation initiatives. This role plays a critical part in ensuring the consistent quality of the organization's products, driving continuous improvement, and developing new and innovative solutions to meet customer needs.
Mission:
Support Lesaffre South Africa and Bakelab to achieve our growth objectives for the ingredient’s activity.
Collaborate with formulators in the MEA region by providing advice and support.
Lead several formulation projects for the Lesaffre South Africa and Bakelab to develop new solutions meeting customer demand and market trends.
Ensure the efficiency and the cost-competitiveness of our products range.
Comprehensive understanding and close monitoring of the raw materials to assess their possible benefits.
Formulation support for Baking Center technicians by guiding them towards the products best suited to their requests.
Support sales and marketing to help them better understand product.
Provide technical support to operations for daily duties.
Drive innovation and continuous improvement to enhance the organization's product offerings and manufacturing capabilities.
Contribute to the overall competitiveness, customer satisfaction, and long-term success of Lesaffre South Africa and Bakelab
Main Responsibilities:
Product Innovation and Development:
Formula conception of new innovative and profitable product formulas meeting customer preferences while maintaining quality standards.
Update and optimize existing products by carrying out benchmarks and integrating new high-performance raw materials.
Conduct experiments, such as tests in the Baking Center or at customer facilities.
Co- animate the ingredients project review.
Maintain accurate records of all product development and formulation information, including adjustments and modifications, in our IT tools, including LIP.
Provide technical briefings to the sales and marketing teams on the new product developed, including PowerPoint presentations.
Develop and conduct technical training programs on ingredient solutions and functionalities for sales and marketing teams and newcomers.
Collaborate with the operations team to ensure effective and efficient production, including streamline of the raw material references and handling recycling requests and quality complaints.
Lead project funnels in line with sales teams.
Continuous Improvement and Optimization:
Provide training and development opportunities to the Quality and Production teams to enhance their skills and capabilities.
Analyse performance data and customer feedback to identify areas for improvement and drive the implementation of innovative solutions.
Stakeholder Collaboration and Communication:
Collaborate with the Production, Supply Chain, and Sales teams to align quality and innovation initiatives with the organization's overall business objectives.
Communicate effectively with the General Manager and other senior leaders to provide updates, share insights, and address any quality-related concerns.
Represent the organization's quality and innovation functions and serve as a subject matter expert in cross-functional initiatives.
Education and Experience:
Bachelor's degree in Food Science
Minimum 7-10 years of experience in quality management, product development, or innovation leadership roles, preferably in the food manufacturing or consumer goods industry
Proven track record of driving continuous improvement
Technical Skills:
Proficient in using quality control, product development, and data analysis software
Strong understanding of food science, manufacturing processes, and quality management principles
Expertise in implementing and maintaining food safety management systems, such as HACCP and FSSC 22000
Personal Attributes:
Strategic and analytical mindset with the ability to translate data into actionable insights
Excellent problem-solving and decision-making skills to address complex quality and innovation challenges
Strong leadership and team-building skills to effectively manage the Innovation within the business
Effective communication and interpersonal skills to collaborate with cross-functional stakeholders
Commitment to continuous improvement and the development of innovative solutions
Working Conditions:
Combination of office-based and production facility work.
Ability to work under pressure and meet tight deadlines, including occasional weekend or overtime work.
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree in Food Science
- Minimum 7-10 years experience in quality management, product development, or innovation leadership
- Experience preferably in food manufacturing or consumer goods industry
- Proven track record of driving continuous improvement
- Proficient in using quality control, product development, and data analysis software
- Strong understanding of food science, manufacturing processes, and quality management principles
- Expertise in implementing and maintaining food safety management systems such as HACCP and FSSC 22000
- Ability to provide technical training and briefings (e.g., PowerPoint) to sales and marketing
Lesaffre Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Lesaffre and has not been reviewed or approved by Lesaffre.
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Healthcare Strength — U.S. postings and employer-verified listings describe comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage, in some cases starting on day one. Subsidiary and job materials also point to strong health plans across certain U.S. entities.
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Retirement Support — Job postings and U.S. materials indicate a 401(k) with company match, sometimes with day-one eligibility. Employer-verified benefit lists also include retirement plans as part of the core package.
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Strong & Reliable Incentives — Performance bonuses and employee discounts are referenced as part of total rewards, and shift differentials can materially increase pay in roles with nonstandard hours. These elements provide additional pathways to boost total compensation beyond base pay.
Lesaffre Insights
What We Do
A key global player in fermentation for more than a century, Lesaffre, with a €2.7 billion turnover, and established on all continents, counts 11,000 employees and 96 nationalities. On the strength of this experience and diversity, we work with customers, partners, and researchers to find ever more relevant answers to the needs of food, health, naturalness and respect for our environment. Thus, every day, we explore and reveal the infinite potential of microorganisms. To nourish 9 billion people, in a healthy way, in 2050 by making the most of our planet’s resources is a major and unprecedented issue. We believe that fermentation is one of the most promising answers to this challenge.
