Manager, Global Product Innovation, Chocolate
Barry Callebaut Lebbeke, East Flanders, Belgium
Food and Beverage Manufacturing · 10,001+ employees
About the role
Lead the global chocolate innovation roadmap by translating consumer trends and emerging technologies into scalable product concepts. Manage the end-to-end development lifecycle while collaborating with cross-functional teams to ensure successful industrial implementation.
What they look for
Requirements
Requires a Master's degree or PhD in Food Science, Engineering, or a related scientific discipline. Candidates must have at least 5 years of experience in food industry R&D with strong expertise in chocolate formulation and processing.
Full description
We are looking for a Global Product Innovation Manager, Chocolate to lead the development of next-generation chocolate solutions that delight consumers, inspire customers, and drive business growth across global markets.
In this strategic R&D role, you will transform consumer trends, customer needs, and emerging technologies into differentiated, scalable chocolate innovations. You will work at the intersection of science, creativity, and commercial impact, bringing new concepts from idea to industrial implementation across our global manufacturing network.
Your Key Responsibilities
- Drive the global chocolate innovation roadmap, aligned with business and growth strategies.
- Translate consumer and market trends such as health, sustainability, and premiumization into innovative product concepts.
- Lead the end-to-end product development lifecycle, from ideation and formulation to pilot testing and global launch.
- Develop and implement new chocolate technologies, ingredients, and processing solutions.
- Ensure products are scalable, manufacturable, and compliant with quality and regulatory requirements.
- Partner with global and regional customers to co-create innovative chocolate solutions.
- Support commercial teams with technical expertise during customer presentations and innovation workshops.
- Collaborate closely with R&D, Operations, Quality, Sourcing, Marketing, and Sales teams to ensure successful project delivery.
- Build and share technical knowledge across the global R&D community, promoting best practices and capability development.
What You Bring
- Master's degree or PhD in Food Science, Food Technology, Engineering, or a related scientific discipline.
- Minimum 5 years of experience in product development, innovation, or R&D within the food industry.
- Strong expertise in chocolate and/or cocoa, including ingredients, formulation, processing, and applications.
- Commercial awareness and understanding of global market dynamics.
- Ability to translate scientific insights into consumer-relevant and customer-focused solutions.
- Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills.
- Fluent English; additional languages are an advantage.
- Willingness to travel internationally (approximately 20%).
Who You Are
You are a consumer and customer-focused innovator with a passion for delivering impactful solutions. You thrive in cross-functional and multicultural environments, build strong partnerships, and combine technical excellence with an entrepreneurial mindset. You are curious, forward-thinking, and motivated to shape the future of chocolate.
What We Offer
You will join a global innovation team at the forefront of chocolate development, working on exciting projects with international customers and colleagues. This is a unique opportunity to make a tangible impact on products enjoyed by consumers around the world while advancing your career in a dynamic and innovation-driven environment.
Ready to create the next generation of chocolate innovations? We'd love to hear from you.
