Business Analyst - Open Innovation

About the Role:

In this role, you will serve as a strategic sparring partner to our Open Innovation Streams by monitoring the global technological innovation landscape across key priority areas. You will conduct research and provide critical interpretations of technology investment trends including VC funding, public grants, and competitor investments while supporting the Streams in partner scouting, competitive profiling, and patent analysis leveraging group capabilities and external platforms.

You will drive cross-fertilization and strategic storytelling across the organization, acting as a translator between science and business for Open Innovation and broader Strategic Innovation stakeholders.

Reporting Structure

Reports to: Head of Open Innovation

Main Responsibilities:

Technology Innovation Landscaping

You will monitor technological trends, patents, and local innovation ecosystems across priority areas, preparing insightful dashboards and reports that identify new business opportunities.

Throughout all project phases, you will support the innovation pipeline with critical market and investment data, crafting compelling narratives that bridge technical concepts with commercial value.

Tools & Systems

Additionally, you will support as the functional lead for specialized Open Innovation tools, coordinating security, risk, and licensing with IT and Procurement. You also will collaborate with Strategic Leadership and Digital partners to build autonomous trend-monitoring systems that shape our long-term technology strategy.

Stakeholder Management

You will partner closely with key internal stakeholders (such as Food Trend, S&I Laboratories, DTS, CSR, and Sustainability) to gather specialized intelligence for decision-making

About You:

You hold a master’s degree in technology/Innovation Management, Engineering, Business Administration, or a related discipline (or a Bachelor’s degree paired with equivalent depth of experience).

You bring around 10 years of professional experience in technology strategy, competitive intelligence, R&D support, or innovation management.

A technical or scientific background (e.g., Food Science, Biotechnology, Materials Science, or Chemistry) or previous experience within a regulated industry (food, pharma, biotech) is a strong asset. Proven expertise in technology trend analysis, patent landscape screening, and investment intelligence (including VC funding and grants) is also important.

You will need to be comfortable working with digital analytics, trend monitoring platforms, and data-driven tools, with an active interest in AI applications. This role’s environment requires cross-functional collaboration with strong critical thinking and project management skills, allowing you to translate complex scientific data into clear strategic narratives for executive stakeholders.

Finally, you bring genuine passion for emerging technologies, forward looking environments and innovations.

Nice-to-Haves

Familiarity with specialized tools and platforms such as:

• Patent landscape databases (Espacenet, LexisNexis, Google Patents)

• Trend monitoring and investment intelligence platforms (Crunchbase, CB Insights, PitchBook)

• Data visualization and analytics tools (Tableau, Power BI, or similar)

• AI-assisted research and analysis capabilities

What We Offer:

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About Ferrero:

Ferrero began its journey in the small town of Alba in Piedmont, Italy, in 1946. Today, it is one of the world’s largest sweet-packaged food companies, with many iconic brands sold in countries all over the world. Find out more about Ferrero at ferrero.com.

DE&I at Ferrero:

Ferrero is committed to building a diverse and inclusive culture in which all employees feel welcomed and appreciated and have the same opportunities. We believe all our people are equally talented in their own way. In nurturing the curiosity and natural abilities of our employees, we provide them, generation after generation, the means to succeed personally and professionally, enabling them to craft their journey at Ferrero. The diversity of our talents is what makes our work environment multicultural, innovative, and highly rewarding.

Find out more here.