Product Design & Development Manager - Specialized Paediatrics Growth

Research & Innovation

Are you an R&I/Product Development professional with a strong scientific and technical background? Are you passionate about holistic product design, cross‑functional innovation, and improving health outcomes for vulnerable consumers? We have an exciting opportunity as Product Design & Development Manager (PDDM) – Specialized Paediatrics (Growth Category).

Our team’s mission is to design and deliver clinically substantiated, consumer‑centric nutrition solutions for infants and children with specialized needs.

Key priorities include:

• Leading holistic product design from concept to commercialization.
• Developing liquid and powder formulations combining SN and FSMP requirements.
• Driving cross‑functional collaboration across R&I, Marketing, Science, CBU’s, Pilot Plants and Supply Points.
• Ensuring product designs meet business, nutrition, medical, and cost requirements.
• Continuously improving ways of working, knowledge sharing, and technical excellence.

As a PDDM part of the Specialized Paediatrics – Growth Team, your key responsibilities include:

• Work cross-functionally to deliver holistic products to market.
• Be the technical lead within the technical stages of formulation design and development up to commercialization of a new product reformulation/innovation/renovation.
• Co-build the product brief together with your key stakeholders in marketing & science.
• Innovation (holistic) product implemented in-line with project/product brief quality and time.
• Lab/pilot plant activities generated and created in-line with key decision requirements.
• You work closely together with stakeholders in CBU’s, R&I Global, Supply Points, Pilot Plants on trials and alignments on the final results.
• Lead discussion to identify opportunities in continuous improvement in ways of working/knowledge capture and land them in the teams.
• Lessons learned (technical, ways of working, leadership) and shared with relevant communities.

Meet Your Future Manager! You will report to Marlou Bijlsma, Team Leader Growth.

About you

You are a team player who can easily connect with cross functional departments and strong in stakeholder management. You have strong communication skills to communicate with all levels and can easily build effective working relationships. For this role it is important to have a proactive attitude with a strong eye for detail.

In addition, you fit this role perfectly because you are/have:

• A master degree in a relevant field (process, food, laboratory, etc.).
• Approx. 3 years of experience in R&I or product development.
• Scientific Mindset (to understand SN and FSMP) and Consumer NPD understanding.
• Experience with Product Design and Development based on Consumer insights.
• Proactive in work and communication and strong in prioritizing.
• Stakeholder management experience, strong networker (internal and external).
• You have change agility, a business acumen mindset, result driven (based on technical expertise) and able to work autonomous.
• You are a strong Team Player with a collaborative mindset.
• Critical thinking and problem solving.

About Danone

At Danone we are committed to our mission “bringing health, through food to as many people as possible”. We are working together to make sure that our brands, like Nutricia and Nutrilon, create real benefits for people, communities and the planet. You will be part of one of the largest Certified B Corps™ in the world. Being B Corp means to be part of a select movement of companies verified to be meeting the highest standards of social and environmental criteria and using business as a force for good.

Our state-of-the-art research and innovation center builds bridges between food and science and is global in reach, founded on over 125 years of experience in life & food science, technology and user experience and is at the forefront of pioneering advances in specialized nutrition.

We offer:

All Danoners receive a complete package of benefits. This includes a competitive salary and yearly bonus, a premium free pension, 30 days of annual leave (with the opportunity to purchase more) and you will receive a monthly health care allowance. In addition, you can get discount on your gym membership, and we offer initiatives focused on nutrition, physical, and mental health. We provide continuous learning opportunities through workshops, online courses and training sessions.