Product Specialist - Americas

Probiotic Product Specialist - Americas

As Probiotics Product Specialist - Americas you will play a key role in the growth of our regional Probiotics business, as you will primarily be responsible for the successful execution of new custom projects from product development to first delivery. As such you will coordinate these projects with multiple stakeholders both internal and external. You will manage customer specific requests, be involved in the life cycle management of the existing product portfolio and support key business initiatives for improvement and development of our regional offer.

The position reports to the RPLM Lead - NA, Probiotics and will be fully integrated in the Probiotics Product Management team.

Key responsibilities and tasks

Support the sustainable growth of the North American and Latin American Probiotics business through:

• executing new customer projects, in particular for custom products as finished formats, blends, or single ingredients
• coordinating and facilitating interactions with regional tollers, with IFF manufacturing sites and IFF support functions
• assisting the Product Managers in supporting customer specific requests and in the management of the product lifecycle and the development of the regional offer

You will be expected to drive to success customer and improvement projects with a good sense of autonomy, while benefiting from the support of multiple functions and expertise. You will orchestrate teamwork around newproducts (custom and regional SKUs) and will be the voice of the business in support of the product managers to our external partners and to our internal support teams.

Responsibilities include, but not limited to:

• Work alongside North American and Latin American sales and product management team to assess customer opportunities
• Work with product development team to design proposed formulations, samples, packaging development and regulatory requirements for future product launch
• Assemble information required to fully define the product being create
• Provide input (i.e., cost estimates, packaging options, etc.) to assess feasibility of success and help prioritize and progress customer projects to a successful conclusion
• Initiate and oversee progress of all product workflows in our business systems related to SKU creation and modifications to existing SKUS (internal and external).
  • Gathers information to fully define the requested change and its associated impact
  • Enters the request to make the modifications
  • Works with relevant internal departments as necessary to review and ensure the requested changes get implemented correctly
  • Works with the Account Team to manage transition plans
• Coordinate with customer quality and regulatory teams to identify/resolve product issues
• Manage customer special (non-standard) requests for product information and samples
• Occasionally lead cross functional projects to help drive key business initiatives and continuous improvement
• Support the Product Managers in the development of the regional offer in terms of formulation, primary and secondary packaging
• Be an active member of the IFF Health Sciences team (in particular Probiotics product management team and regional Health Sciences team): participation to regular team meetings, occasional participation to tradeshows and customer meetings when necessary, back up other product specialists
• Coordinate and provide administrative support for Madison site visits for probiotic customers

Job Requirements:

• Not intended as an entry level position
• Bachelor's degree in technical or marketing field
• Minimum years of experience required will depend on the nature of the related experience and the level of education (e.g., Bachelor's vs Master's Degree vs. PhD)
• The ideal candidate will have experience with probiotics and be familiar with customers and product requirements associated with dietary supplements (preferred), food & beverage, Pediatric Nutrition and/or Pharma
• Prior experience with probiotics manufacturing operations and/or quality management systems is preferred.
• Examples of relevant backgrounds include technology/R&D, project management, business development, marketing, sales, and quality assurance
• Previous work experience in a company with a complex organizational structure
• A proven track record of strong project management skills for both short and long-term projects

Key skills and competencies required:

• Detail oriented
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to influence others and accomplish goals as a strong cross-functional partner; team player
• Project management capabilities: excellent communication, planning & anticipation, data analysis, attention to details and follow up skills, ability to manage and prioritize multiple projects simultaneously, identify and manage risks
• Practical and solution finder mindset, achiever
• Customer centric mindset, willingness and ability to learn (technical, business). Excellent customer interaction and communication skills
• Proficient in the use of Microsoft Office. High aptitude and easiness to learn and use any other software, tools or systems related to the function if needed
• Fluent in English
• Ability to travel occasionally

We are a global leader in taste, scent, and nutrition, offering our customers a broader range of natural solutions and accelerating our growth strategy. At IFF, we believe that your uniqueness unleashes our potential. We value the diverse mosaic of the ethnicity, national origin, race, age, sex, or veteran status. We strive for an inclusive workplace that allows each of our colleagues to bring their authentic self to work regardless of their religion, gender identity & expression, sexual orientation, or disability.

Visit IFF.com/careers/workplace-diversity-and-inclusion to learn more