Product Development Manager

Ornua (meaning “new gold”) is Ireland’s largest exporter of Irish dairy products, proudly bringing the unique taste of Irish dairy to the world for over 55 years.

Ornua is a dairy co-operative which sells dairy products on behalf of its members, Ireland’s dairy processors and, in turn, Irish dairy farmers. It is Ireland’s largest exporter of Irish dairy products, exporting to 110 countries worldwide. Headquartered in Dublin, Ornua has annualised sales of over €3.5 billion and a global team of 3,000 employees.

Ornua is structured across two divisions: Ornua Foods and Ornua Ingredients. We operate from 10 business units worldwide, including 16 production facilities, and have sales and marketing teams working in-market across the globe in Africa, Asia, Germany, Ireland, the Middle East, Spain, the UK, and the US.

Ornua Foods Deutschland

Ornua Foods Deutschland is responsible for the packing, distribution, sales, and marketing of Ornua products including butter, butter spreads and cheese to all leading retailers in Germany and Austria.

Ornua Foods Deutschland’s head office and packing facility is in Neukirchen-Vluyn, Dusseldorf.

Why Ornua?

• Our co-operative ethos lies at the heart of how we do business as a purpose and values-led organisation, creating value for Irish dairy farming families.
• Our Values lie at the core of everything we do. Our five values encourage us to Seek and Embrace New Ideas, Make It Happen, Be Our True Selves, Show You Care, and Achieve Great Things Together.
• Dynamic Working policy in place which facilitates flexible hours and hybrid working.
• Professional growth and development opportunities to advance your career including Global Mobility opportunities.
• Comprehensive Benefits with regional specific offerings that start Day One.

WHY THIS ROLE IS VALUABLE

As Ornua Germany Product Development Manager you will be responsible to deliver the Germany Product Development & Innovation calendar against the ambitious 5-year growth plan.

You will, in close partnership with the Dublin based Innovation & Packaging team deliver successful product development whilst optimising cost, maximising quality, and minimizing environmental impact to ensure we meet and exceed our sustainability targets.

Serve as the technical and creative leader of all Ornua Germany Product Development , while managing effective communication and coordination between local Marketing & Brand Innovation, PMO/Commercialization and Operations along with the Global R&D Foods team and other internal departments, Functions, teams and external resources; as well as building strong collaboration networks with the Global Brands team.

KEY AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY:

• Bring a science & technology, consumer & category insights and foresights thinking approach to product and process Innovation & development.
• Initiate, investigate and implement sustainability from the start best in class practices through formulations, process, technologies, ingredients in Kerrygold Germany; working in close partnership with the Ornua Sustainability team, Supply Chain, Ops, Global Procurement and Finance teams.
• Leverages the Global Innovation Product Development team which includes product development, process engineering, process engineering, packaging development and sensory.
• Utilize Innovation and Technology infrastructure in Ornua and with our local/overseas partners.
• Work cross-functionally with Commercialization/PMO, Marketing, Brand Innovation, Sales, Finance and Operations to ensure an innovative and continuous pipeline of new products that delight the customer and the consumer and are a major contributor to the company’s growth.
• Assess and implement new technologies and ingredients resulting from both in-house exploratory research and through partnering with third party manufacturers, key vendors, academics, and public research.
• Connect internal partners across R&D technology platforms and the enterprise with external R&D groups/third party manufacturers to find optimal solutions to address customer-driven opportunities.
• Ensure that all new Germany Dairy product trends and technologies are monitored, maintaining awareness of competitor and other category activity, advising key stakeholders as appropriate.
• Key member of the local and Global Innovation Steering Committee

KEY REQUIREMENTS:

• At least 5 - 10 years of Product Development & Innovation launch experience (Product, packaging & process development) with tangible examples of cost optimisation, enhancing quality and ensuring sustainability in a medium to large organization, strong preference to CPG/FMCG
• Serve as technical consultant & expert to Kerrygold Germany on formulation / processing issues on assigned projects / products.
• Commercial awareness of how Innovation contributes to customer experience and purchase decision making.
• Be able to drive results through clear communication and seasoned influencing skills.
• Steward of the Global R&D annual operating budget that supports Germany business unit Innovation launch objectives.
• Experience working in a matrixed, global team and working across cultures and geographies.
• Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously whilst being able to inspire change, efficiencies and continuous improvement within a commercial environment.

ORNUA COMPETENCIES:

• Curious & Forward Looking: Exhibits consumer-centric creative thinking to help win in the category; responds positively to changes and looks ahead to anticipate tasks.
• Ownership – takes responsibility for results; clarifies accountabilities, overlaps, and gaps.
• Working Together – is supportive & co-operative, encourages & supports cross-functional working.
• Communicative – communicates confidently, adapting style for different situations.

Ornua has ambitious growth plans and we’re building a team to help enable and accelerate that growth. We are looking for people who share our values, are curious, forward-looking, take ownership and work together to build a future for themselves and Ornua.

How do you want to make your impact?

To learn more, please visit Ornua at www.ornua.com

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