ARLA - Innovation Stronghold and Category Director - Milk & MBB - Aarhus

Do you understand the ins and outs of the beverage industry? And would you like to impact the way we work with innovation in Arla?

Then you should join us to set the direction for our Milk and MBB category, acting as decision-maker and key point of contact between our R&D functions and the wider business.

“We’ve reorganised our Innovation department, which means that you’ll be joining us at an exciting time where you’ll have the opportunity to impact the way we operate cross-functionally. What is more, you’ll get to work with other senior leaders to define the future for your category – almost becoming your own organisation within the organisation,” explains Innovation VP Sandra Irene Jørgensen.

About the job

As innovation director, you will be strategically and operationally innovation/R&D responsible for our Milk and MBB category. Therefore, you can look forward to working with science, technology and nutrition specialists across Innovation to ensure that a road map of both short and long-term activities are established and executed to deliver the strategy.

Moreover, you will work alongside senior leaders from supply chain and commercial functions, forming an executive team responsible for the short, mid and long-term agenda for the category. Thus, constituting an equal-sided unit, you will pin-point areas that define the parameters for the strategy. These units are referred to as stronghold units and are fundamental in Arla’s new organisational structure.

Dividing your time between the operational and strategic work within your category, your key tasks will be to:

• Head 2 teams with a total of 17 employees, one for each area of the category, each managed by a senior manager reporting directly to you
• Drive the long-term road maps for each area with your teams to ensure that we maintain a technical and product-related competitive advantage
• Drive strategic discussions with the decision-making leaders from supply chain and commercial functions
• Participate in the development of our Starbucks ready-to-drink business with our partner Starbucks

Who are you?

The key to success in this position will be your ability to balance short, mid and long-term agendas, not letting your selfside-tracked by the here-and-now issues, nor losing sight of the future. Equally important is your aptitude for change management, as you will be instrumental in driving forward a new way of operating and working together within Innovation as well as your category.

In order to drive this, you:

• Hold a master’s degree in e.g., food technology or innovation – it could also be that you have experience working with the categories, in the beverage industry or other FMCG’s
• Have exceptional communication skills enabling you to deliver clear-cut messages of technically difficult material to non-technical stakeholders and at all levels in the organisation
• Are curious by nature and driven by the desire to get to know and understand your category, its products and the technical know-how/science needed to stay competitive long-term
• Have a holistic and strategic approach to your tasks and the ability to tie specialists to your category by fostering a sense of unity across teams
• Bring an assertive nature enabling you to stand your ground and set a clear direction for your category’s innovation/R&D strategy
• Have solid stakeholder management skills

What do we offer?

Our goal has been to create a unit that is diverse in business understanding and professional expertise, and you will be adding to the mix your special skills and talents.

Moreover, you will be joining an organisation committed to professional development. Our positive and collaborative culture will bring out the best in you. And you’ll join a market leader who produces nutritious household-favourite brands to bring health and inspiration to the world, naturally and sustainably.

Application and contact

If you want to drive innovation and help shape the industry, then seize this exciting opportunity. We process applications on a continuous basis and close the job opening once the right candidate has been found.

For additional information, please call Innovation VP Sandra Irene Jørgensen on +45 7643 4469.

Apply online: Innovation Stronghold and Category Director - Milk & MBB - Aarhus (arla.com)

We have a purpose for Good

At Arla, we strive to unlock the highest potential in each other while working together to create a sustainable future of dairy. We call it Stronger People Stronger Planet and it is deeply anchored in our organisation and founded on our commitment to respecting human rights, increasing access to healthy dairy nutrition, inspiring good food habits, and improving the environment for future generations. In order to succeed we need to hire people with a sustainable mindset. Could this be you?