R&D Director, Australia

Location: melbourne
Job Type: permanent
Salary: $250000 - $350000 per annum
Contact: Scott Logan
About the company
A large global food company with a mid-sized local business, the best of both worlds between a structured corporate organisation and the agility and engaging culture of a smaller one. They punch well above their weight class - they have some of the biggest customers in the world across retail, QSR and B2B, and their cross-category and multi-channel products are in the overwhelming majority of Austalian households. They have specialised state of the art R&D facilities which honours their commitment to innovation and their love for what they do. Despite the majority of their business being overseas, their Australian team is successful and profitable in its own right, something that is very important to the ELT - they have justified and funded their growth on their own merit, and they've created innovations locally that have been launched all over the world including improvements made to core products. 

About the role
You'll sit on the ELT, own a P&L, build an innovation strategy that feeds into the business' 2030 objectives, and manage a large team of Managers, product developers and technologists based in Melbourne and interstate. You'll take over a stable and capable team, building upon already strong foundations with your high commercial acumen and engaging leadership skills.The growth opportunity here is multi-faceted with known opportunities to leverage existing capabiliies in new categories, lifting and launching popular global products as adapted for local preferences, expanding the range of a particularly successful brand, expanding their value optimisation program, and improving decision making and prioritisation in early ideation.

About you
You're already an R&D leader at a food business and you're most likely already on a development path towards a Director role or equivalent - you might be a GM, a Head of, or potentially an R&D Manager leading a large and complex business unit - you're ready to step up. You don't necessarily need to be 'ready made' to be successful so these aren't essential, but a few things that would be advantageous are:
  • Experience sitting on an ELT
  • Experienced in managing a P&L
  • Understanding of both retail & QSR customers
  • Broad product experience
  • Understanding of global matrix style organisations

If you're an established Director or above and have an interest in a role at this level, we are excited to speak with you as well. 

Why apply?
The best thing about this business is the informal and approachable culture, although they're not a 'large' business locally, you'll find a team that is filled with high calibre people who are often from top tier FMCG backgrounds, a business with a focused and people-first talent strategy that selects for those who have potential and aptitude, and fosters that talent by providing the opportunity to step up. They have the backbone of a big corporate, but the agile spirit of a small one. They have an ambitious growth strategy for which innovation is the fundamental core driver, putting you squarely in the box seat. Aside from that, you can expect the typical executive level remuenration package with bonuses, and future career opportunities that come with it. 

How to apply
Click on the APPLY button to submit your application, or call me (Scott Logan) for a confidential discussion on 0431 557 927. You can also email me at scottl@sde.com.au or connect with me on LinkedIn where we can exchange a message.  

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