Product Design and Development Manager (m/f/d)

Short Intro and About the Job The Product Design and Development Manager (PDDM) oversees R&I activities at the Manufacturing site, supporting new products designed for the Chinese market. As an integral member of the R&I organization, the PDDM will work within cross-functional project teams and interface with the IDDC team responsible for pre-industrialization development, as well as the China Business Unit R&I team based in China. Specifically, the PDDM will: Lead the R&I technical execution of innovation projects, including training site staff, preparing and validating trials, supporting audit preparations, and facilitating industrialization efforts. The PDDM acts as the R&I representative for the Manufacturing applicant. Ensure technical R&I documents meet high standards and are delivered promptly. Follow established innovation processes and governance under the direction of the Innovation Project Leader. Strengthen the team’s expertise through active participation. As part of the Global SN R&I IDDC Team China, the PDDM will engage as required in early recipe design and development activities according to the needs of the Innovation Pipeline for the Chinese market. Main responsibilities include: Collaborating closely with the entire R&I organization, regulatory bodies, marketing, and the manufacturing site to deliver the China Innovation pipeline and product registration. Serving as the technical lead during formulation design and development, with particular emphasis on the industrialization phases of new product development. Ensuring new recipes are validated at the manufacturing site following R&I procedures and aligned with Chinese regulations for registration and commercialization. Providing essential support for first-time-right registration and commercial activities. About You Experience as a food developer or in R&I, ideally with infant formula, Medical Nutrition, dairy processing, and spray drying Master's degree in Food Technology or equivalent experience Excellent stakeholder management skills for effective communication across business functions and levels Fluency in German; professional English required; Chinese is desirable About Us, We offer and What's next Nutricia Research Centre for Specialized Nutrition is a state-of-the-art Life Science innovation center for the development of new product concepts for Specialized Nutrition. We create formulas that provide clinically substantiated health benefits to vulnerable consumers – infants, toddlers, elderly, and patients. For Specialized Nutrition R&I (SN R&I) division, we are looking for a Design & Development Manager to join the SN R&I Innovation Design and Development Center (IDDC) department, in the China Team, focusing on Infant milks & Foods for Special Medical Purposes (FSMP). This position is located at the Manufacturing Site in Fulda, Germany, as the Applicant for Registration, and is part of the global R&I organization, reporting directly into the SN R&I IDDC China Team. The Manufacturing site is the Milupa factory in Fulda and produces infant and specialized medical nutrition as part of Danone with the successful brands like Aptamil, Milumil, Neocate and many more. You love strong brands - we love strong personalities! Become part of our team and enjoy benefits such as: Company pension plan Vacation and christmas allowance Free supply of water and fruits Transportation subsidy Free parking Fitness studio cooperation Support of bike leasing offers Subsidized lunch Access to corporate benefits