Product Director - Preservation & Fermentation - Kerry

About Kerry



Kerry is a global leader in taste and nutrition, dedicated to creating a world of sustainable nutrition. Our innovative solutions span across food, beverage, and pharmaceutical industries, leveraging our deep expertise in taste, nutrition, and functional ingredients. We are committed to making products people enjoy and feel better consuming, while also ensuring sustainability and health benefits.





About the Product Portfolio



Our Fermentation and Preservatives Portfolio focuses on developing natural, clean-label solutions for food preservation. By harnessing the power of fermentation, we provide alternatives to traditional chemical preservatives, enhancing the safety, quality, and shelf life of food products. Our portfolio includes a range of fermentation-derived ingredients used in various food categories, from bakery and meats to soups, sauces, and dressings.





Key responsibilities





Role Priorities (1 - 3 years)





+ Drive Market Growth: Lead market-leading growth in sustainable nutrition, aiming to become the market leader in fermentation and preservatives.


+ Strategic Influence: Shape and influence EUM (End-Use-Markets)strategies to ensure a clear, competitive, and well-understood technology strategy.


+ Innovation and Value Proposition: Drive innovation to help customers achieve great taste and nutritional improvements, while clearly communicating the differentiated technology value proposition.


+ Financial Optimization: Set and communicate target margins and pricing guardrails to optimize financial performance.


+ Demand Forecasting: Develop and maintain a long-term view of demand for SKUs within the product portfolio to inform supply planning and raw material strategies.


+ Service Excellence: Establish a market-leading service model for the product group.





Key Individual Accountabilities





+ Technology Strategy: Define and drive the technology strategy, ensuring alignment with EUM and sub-region strategies.


+ Competitive Intelligence: Maintain competitive intelligence from both technical and market positioning perspectives.


+ Product Performance: Enhance product performance through customer differentiation and margin optimization, leveraging the breadth and depth of the portfolio.


+ Technology Approvals: Conduct regular reviews to inform regional technology business development managers on the application of fermented organic acid technologies in systems sales.


+ Market Credibility: Build and maintain technology credibility internally and externally, engaging with key customers to drive credibility in fermented organic acid technologies.


+ Product Readiness: Ensure market readiness with current and new products.


+ Global Expertise: Act as a global expert in technologies, managing the technology set to leverage capabilities worldwide and promoting the use of differentiating raw materials.






Qualifications and skills






+ Education: Bachelor's degree in a business or technical field (or equivalent experience). Postgraduate/Master's qualification is desirable.


+ Experience: 8-10+ years in a senior leadership position within the food and beverage industry, with extensive knowledge of fermentation and preservative technologies.


+ Leadership: Proven experience in influencing senior leadership, managing ambiguity, and driving strategic initiatives.


+ Technical Expertise: Deep understanding of fermentation processes, clean-label ingredients, and their applications in food preservation.