Role description

We are looking for an experienced, driven and hands-on manager as our Head of R&D and Business Development (Food & Beverage) to lead our R&D (for all products) and sales teams within our Food & Beverage product division. You will help us further grow our internal capabilities, while scaling our international organization. Your responsibility will be to set the foundation for developing products that exceed our customers' expectations while guiding our sales team towards fast growth. As part of our leadership team, you will move between strategic, tactical, and operational responsibilities on a daily basis, helping us to achieve our mission and challenge the status quo of our industry.

Your Mission

Research & Development and Business Development will be the main functions of your role, while the stronger focus will be on R&D.

R&D

As Head of R&D, you will be the technical and disciplinary head of the R&D function (currently 9 direct/indirect employees in GER and UAE), focusing on technology, innovation, product management and aligning of our Flavour Development function. Your objectives include:

• Develop R&D strategy: Identify trends and create a long-term R&D strategy that aligns with the company's innovation goals.
• Innovation Roadmap: Establish a roadmap for technological transformation and drive the development of new product categories to support business growth.
• Lead R&D projects: Take ownership of our R&D project portfolio and oversee all technical areas related to flavours, including product application, pilot plant, ingredients technology, extraction/distillation, biotechnology, flavour development, manufacturing technologies, encapsulation, and application technology for Food & Beverage.
• Build our Product Management Team: Create a strong product management team to convert innovation into business impact, collaborating with sensory and data engineering teams.
• Team Leadership: Build and lead a high-performing team of scientists, engineers, and product managers, expanding the function internationally and establishing a local Swiss team.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work with marketing, sales, quality, procurement, and subsidiaries to develop competitive product solutions and align strategies.
• Knowledge Management: Foster a culture of knowledge sharing and use project/content management tools to enhance capabilities and prepare for growth.
• Resource Management: Efficiently manage budgets and allocate resources to maximize ROI.

Business Development

As Head of Business Development, you guide and align our business units' MDs for Food & Beverage in Germany and the UAE and later establish a Swiss branch. You will help our CEO build a commercial function within our organization. Your objectives include:

• Strategic Planning: Define strategy, expansion roadmap, and go-to-market playbook with local MDs.
• Performance Management: Set objectives, monitor performance, and drive progress through accountability.
• Team Building: Support local MDs in creating market-leading teams and, if needed, establish an international Growth and Market Expansion Team in Switzerland.
• Market Expansion: Lead the creation of local entities, onboard initial clients, and manage teams to meet deadlines.
• Resource Planning: Determine resource needs, collaborate with the talent team to recruit and develop necessary talent.
• Execution and Growth: Oversee the execution of market launches and coordinate ongoing sales efforts with a hands-on approach, including managing key customer relationships.
• Partnership Development: Identify and establish key partnerships and develop sales via a distributor network to expand business contacts.

Minimum Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in leading an R&D and/or Business Development function
• Degree from a top-tier university with a degree in chemistry/biochemistry/biotechnology or similar
• Profound understanding of
  • relevant technologies, products and markets
  • management best practices in an innovation and growth environment
• Driven: Highly motivated individual with a hands-on mentality and excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Entrepreneurial: Excellent organizational, planning and prioritization skills with proven ability to build from scratch while taking ownership and responsibility.
• Growth mindset: strong pursuit of improvement and growth and proven track record of making an impact in a rapidly growing global organization.
• Impact-driven and persistent: motivated by moving the needle meaningfully, especially during trying times requiring persistence and courage.
• Analytical and to the point: ability to identify and examine relevant information and translate it into sizable operational plans with clarity, humility, and a willingness to question one’s own assumptions / desire to constantly improve.
• Operational excellence: process-driven, great at solving problems, and confident in making decisions. Superb organization skills, a keen eye for detail and an exceptionally high bar for accuracy, quality, and timely delivery. Similarly, you hold your team to the same level of standards.
• Willingness to frequently travel for business to visit our international hubs (bi-monthly/quarterly Germany/EU, occasionally international)
• Excellent English language skills

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in the Flavour & Fragrance Industry
• Business Degree/MBA from a top-tier university
• Fluency in German

Our Process

• Initial call to align expectations
• Interview with the hiring manager
• Take-home challenge to present onsite

Contact

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at any time.

About us

At Arethia, we fuse our long-standing reputation with a continual push for progress. A rapidly expanding player in the flavour industry, Arethia specialises in delivering innovative taste solutions and co-creating products that consumers love. For more than 70 years, Arethia has been known for its close collaboration with customers and the highest quality standards. With over 250 employees spread across Germany, Switzerland, Dubai, and Indonesia, we aim to shape the future of flavours with a culture that values agility, transparency, and talent.