Director, Food Applications

POSITION PURPOSE:

The Director, Food Applications is responsible for developing the strategic vision and overseeing the day-to-day operations of the food and culinary science team. This role is specifically focused on leading the team towards a customer-centric approach to innovation, fueled by both scientific and business acumen to accelerate growth of the Solutions & Ingredients business of Ajinomoto Health & Nutrition North America, Inc.

This role will work closely with a cross-functional team that includes sales, marketing, regulatory and innovation to champion application of new and existing ingredient technologies into product concepts and prototypes based on customer needs and consumer trends in the food and beverage industry. The ideal candidate will accelerate our aggressive growth ambitions to support our company mission of, Eat Well, Live Well.

EDUCATION, CERTIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE:

A bachelor's degree- master's degree- or PhD in Food Science- Chemical Engineering- Culinary Science- or a related discipline

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

• Strategic mindset with strong technical and business acumen.
• A robust technical R&D background- enabling you to provide strategic leadership and guidance to the food science and culinary team
• People management experience of at least 10 years is essential, with proven experience leading and inspiring teams of 10+ individuals.
• Familiarity with navigating cross-functional relationships, including global work matrices.
• The ability to effectively manage multiple priorities, meet deadlines, and stakeholder expectations in a fast-paced-matrixed organization
• Ability to communicate and influence at all levels in the organization making the complex seem simple.
• Strong communication, collaboration, and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to engage and build relationships effectively across different functions and levels of the organization
• Self-motivated, independently directed
• Must be able to lift 25 pounds
• Willing to work extended hours if required
• Willing to conduct work travel
• Must be safety oriented.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Provide day-to-day oversight of the food science and culinary team of 10+ full-time professionals, establishing priorities and key timelines in order to exceed customer expectations and advance the interests of the business.
• Create a customer-centric growth strategy: Identify capability gaps, grow and develop talent, define and execute a compelling strategy that aligns with the 2030 business roadmap.
• Strategically allocate resources that align with the prioritization of key activities.
• Provide thought leadership to technical and cross-functional teams on a range of topics critical to building and executing a robust customer-centric applications development team.
• Play a key role in understanding and translating the voice of the customer through collaboration with our commercial team.
• Motivate and empower our team of talented food professionals to drive results and ensure they achieve their full potential
• Independently initiate, investigate, and implement new ideas/improvements to accelerate business success.
• Demonstrate strong leadership and change management skills, including the ability to challenge the status quo.
• Maintain a customer-focused, external mindset, including staying on top of consumer, competitive, and macroeconomic trends.
• Apply advanced technical expertise in ingredient technology and/or product development to direct the design and validation of new concepts or technologies that expand our current competencies.
• As an engaged thought leader in the industry, develop and foster peer relationships, participate in leadership roles in the food science community, act as a technical leader for the Ajinomoto brand through patent applications, external speaking engagements, media interviews, and related activities (including acting as a moderator and judge on panels relevant to the business; contributing to peer-reviewed journal articles, etc.)
• Identify and develop strong partnerships with internal global experts as well as external experts/organizations to develop or advance business interests
• Attends and presents at global development meetings, trade shows, and customer visits with key internal and external partners.
• Oversee the documents processes, formulas, ingredients, and results related to production tests, samples, and product evaluations consistent with Ajinomoto standard operating procedures
• Perform all work in accordance with Ajinomoto GMP, Allergen, and Quality Programs and participate in annual training for these programs
• Perform other duties as assigned.

PERKS

Benefits:

• Competitive salary & benefits package including Medical, Dental, Vision, 401k with match and profit-sharing eligibility, life insurance, disability and paid time off
• No waiting period for medical, dental, & vision benefits
• Wellness Program
• Mental Health Support via Lyra Health
• Caregiver Support via Wellthy
• Parental Leave
• Annual wellness reimbursement (gym membership/equipment)
• Free tobacco cessation program
• 11 paid holidays
• Work-Life Integration
• Employee perks and discount program