Project Manager Process & Product Development

As Project Leader Product & Process Development you, together with your fellow project leaders, are responsible for the development and implementation of new products and improvements within our Private Label range. You are the linking pin between Marketing, Sales, Procurement, Production, QA and external suppliers. In this role you focus on growth in export outside the Benelux, which means you will frequently coordinate with our colleagues from Business Development

No two days are the same. One day you work in the development centre on new formulations and product concepts, the next you supervise a trial production on site or coordinate a project with a customer or supplier. It is precisely this combination of innovation, technical expertise and collaboration that energises you.

Specifically, you will work on:

• Independently managing Private Label and strategic development projects;
• Identifying market, consumer and technological trends and translating them into new product ideas;
• Developing, testing and optimising formulations, products and processes, as well as preparing, executing and evaluating trial productions and test programmes;
• Coordinating the full product development process, from concept phase to production implementation of new products for export;
• Drafting and maintaining product specifications and formulations;
• Analysing test results and consumer feedback to further improve products;
• Supporting the engineering and optimisation of production processes;
• Actively collaborating with internal stakeholders and external suppliers of raw materials, semi-finished products and machinery;

As Project Leader you will join a close-knit team of 12 colleagues who work in Maastricht and Tilburg. You report to Enrique Munoz, the R&D Manager, and work closely with the Private Label Coordinator.

You are an enthusiastic and entrepreneurial professional with a passion for food and innovation. You combine creativity with a structured approach and easily connect people. In addition, you have:

• A completed HBO degree, preferably in food technology or food science;
• At least 2 years of experience as a Product Developer, R&D Specialist or a similar role within the food industry;
• A strong affinity for food and experience leading multiple multidisciplinary projects and setting the right priorities;
• A proactive, results-oriented and entrepreneurial mindset. You have strong communication skills and the ability to bring stakeholders on board during change;
• Preferably, you have experience with Innovation Process Management;
• Your base will be our office in Maastricht, but you are willing to travel to our other locations in Tilburg or Helmond;
• Dutch and English; knowledge of German or French is an advantage due to the focus on export outside the Benelux.

Van Geloven is an organisation with an open and collegial atmosphere, where there is room for your personality, talent and ideas. We also offer:

• A gross monthly salary between €4700 and €5900 based on full-time;
• 8% holiday allowance;
• A bonus of up to 9.5% of your annual salary;
• 40 days' leave per year (25 holiday days + 15 ATV);
• A one-year contract with a view to a permanent position;
• The opportunity to work on well-known and beloved snack brands together with an enthusiastic and committed team;
• A working environment where entrepreneurship, innovation and collaboration are central and there is plenty of room for your ideas;
• Hybrid working options allowing you to work from home two days a week on a full-time basis.

With almost 1,000 employees in the Netherlands and revenue of approximately €400 million, we are pursuing ambitious growth plans. We are the market leader in frozen snacks and meal components for retail and foodservice, with strong brands such as Mora, Van Dobben and Bourgondiër.

We turn snack moments into shared moments of joy.

At Van Geloven, we work with enthusiasm and an entrepreneurial spirit on great brands, with safety as our top priority. While we cherish the cultural identity of our three locations, you can see our shared core values Connection, Improvement and Responsibility reflected everywhere. Do these values resonate with you, and would you like to help build our growth plans?