Ice Cream Senior RD&I Manager - Sharing and Scooping/Eastern Europe and Nordics

Unilever’s Ice cream business in Europe is large and highly successful. The Europe Ice Cream Regional Design Centre is the driving force behind the creation and delivery of benefit-led, innovative ice cream products across our world-renowned global (e.g. Magnum, CdO, Cornetto, Walls), premium (e.g. B&J, GROM) and regional (e.g. Cremissimo, Ingman, Evga, Cucciolone) brands. The team embrace agile innovation and are fully-connected to countries and markets together with RD&I Local Market Cluster teams to land in the markets global, regional and local-for-local projects. The business reaches across all Ice Cream experiences in four platforms: 1) Sharing and Scooping – familiar in-home tubs, pints and mono-portions, as well as scooping Out of Home (OOH), 2) Indulgence, 3) Refresh and Revive and 4) Fuel-up.

In this role, you will lead the team driving product development across SHARING AND SCOOPING platform and ensure project delivery in close partnership across functions (Marketing; Supply Chain; Procurement) as well as key (external) partners and suppliers (e.g. 3PM, Flavour and Ingredients suppliers). You will bring your passion for Ice cream, and enthusiasm to know consumer and customer needs and trends and use this to shape and deliver brilliant, sustainable, product experiences.

Europe is also composed of different local market clusters. A key cluster that plays a significant role in the success of the EU/ANZ BU is Eastern Europe and the Nordics. This role leads Research Development and Innovation (‘RD&I’) within this region and business partners those countries accordingly, which includes Local Market LT engagement, E2E local compliance, local activations and support, and local market competitor monitoring.

This role will also involve leadership on portfolio strategy working closely the BU RD&I lead in shaping the innovation roadmap and portfolio management.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Sharing and Scooping Ice Cream Product Design

Lead the RD&I design, creation and delivery of innovative Sharing and Scooping products for launch OTIF

Business partnering with local market cluster (Eastern Europe and Nordics) and leading E2E compliance working with EU Lead RA, quality and safety

Deliver functional product specifications and Standard Operating Procedures (SOP)

Champion continuous improvement and inspirational Sharing and Scooping Product Design

Proactively contribute to defining medium-term Sharing and Scooping innovation roadmap

Lead risk assessment, HACCP studies and ensure regulatory compliance

Lead robust intellectual property protection, including: Patents, Designs Trademarks

Lead sustainability, complexity reduction, quality and value improvement

Drive agile innovation

Incorporation of Chefmanship in the development of NPDs and renovation of Core

Technical project leadership

Manage and lead all technical workstreams to deliver project(s), including process design, formulation, packaging, specifications, consumer insight, safety, regulatory and intellectual property

Manage cross-functional resources to deliver against project milestones including: Consumer Insight; Supply Chain; Finance; and Regulatory teams.

Manage and lead `Open Innovation’ partners to deliver project(s), including technical delivery, CDA’s and service agreements

Manage `Sharing and Scooping’ RD&I budget (bought-in and capital), including tracking spend against RD&I activities

Drive robust innovation process and project management (including IPM Navigator, Functional excellence)

Ensure clear management of stakeholder groups (e.g. RD&I VPs, Category Senior VPs, Cluster teams and supplier/partner companies)

Contribute to the growth and development of the EU IC RDC team

Line management and development of Sharing and Scooping team

Actively participate in RDC leadership team and lead RDC strategy implementation

Proactively contribute to recruitment and development of talent including, direct reports, apprentices, UFLP scheme

Essential from Day 0:

Proven experience working with Eastern Europe and/or Nordics businesses with language skills

Working with project finance and the designing strategic innovation business cases

A deep knowledge of and passion for product design and creative product development

Proven ability to translate consumer habits and needs into in-market product innovation

Degree level qualification (or equivalent) and / or relevant experience in a technical discipline preferably in food technology or development

Working with colleagues from different cultures and team building

Desirable from Day 0/Essential as you grow in the role:

Understanding of scale-up and operational implementation

Excellent communication and project management skills

Time management and priority setting

Knowledge and experience in regulatory affairs management

Drive Health and Safety compliance

Professional networking and stakeholder management, external focus

Significant experience of the successful leadership of an innovation portfolio, projects and teams

Significant experience of project management, including with third parties

Relevant experience in ice cream (Sharing and Scooping) development is desirable

Standards of Leadership:

Bias for Action

Building Talent and Teams

Growth Mindset

Consumer and Customer Focus