Baking Center Manager

As a global key player in the field of microorganisms and fermentation, Lesaffre designs, manufactures and markets innovative solutions for Baking, Food Taste & Pleasure, Health Care and Biotechnology.

Family group born in northern France in 1853, now a multi-national and a multicultural company, Lesaffre is committed to working with confidence to better nourish and protect the planet.

In close collaboration with its clients and partners, Lesaffre employs 11 000 people in more than 50 countries.

Lesaffre achieves a turnover of 3 billion euros.

Job Description

Key responsibilities

Manage the local Baking Center team

training & baking skill development

continuous evaluation and optimization of the performance & personal efficiency (reporting, technical competencies, involvement) of the team

set & evaluate annual objectives for the team members (annual review)

be involved in salary reviews & negotiations

participate to the recruitment of new Baking Center staff or technologist for the sales team

Manage the local Baking Center activities

operative (short-term) and strategic (long-term) planning of the Baking Center activities & its resources

budget responsibility (OPEX & CAPEX, preparation & monitoring)

suggest (technical) investments or replacements when needed

receive and operate requests of the other departments (e.g., Marketing, Sales, …) or customers & transfer these requests into planning & activities

collect & evaluate feedback from team members, colleagues, and customers to continuously improve the quality of the activities

Technical development and services

manage technical support organization for internal & external customers (troubleshooting, product launches, starting help, recipe creation)

if requested visit customers in their facilities to provide technical assistance

participate & conduct technical seminars and trainings

prepare cost-in-use and recipe cost calculations

quality control in collaboration with quality management

Market observation & trends monitoring

CRM – report & evaluate relevant customer information (observed during visits or receptions) to sales team and Regional BC Manager

monitoring of changes in consumer habits

observe and report competitor’s activities

providing & organizing samples of new competitor’s products to be benchmarked

reporting this information within his/her organization

New Product Development & Innovation

suggest possible evolutions of local product range & marketing mix in accordance with market trends, innovations, customer & consumer needs

regular exchange with & participation in regional networks & communities (APAC BINK) to gather information about new regional & international products & services (LINT <-> APAC <-> subsidiaries)

in case of no local product development, organize regular contact with production plants & formulation centers to get to know about new locally developed products & services (min. once per year with the main collaborators)

organize & conduct baking trials on these new products

Reporting

about Baking Center activities (visits, receptions, trainings, customer relation, market observations, projects & baking trials) to…
to local line manager according to local interval & procedures
to Regional BC Coordinator on quarterly basis
collect & report the BC KPI according to LINT procedure monthly

Other responsibilities

supervise the proper technical condition of the Baking Center facility and equipment
contact with authorities and enforcement of the relevant legal provisions
maintain contacts with third parties (e.g. institutes, raw materials suppliers, associations, equipment producers, know-how suppliers, educational institutions, …)
adherence to hygienic and safety rules

Qualifications

Education and experience
Bachelor’s degree in food science, cereal science etc. Master, PhD preferred (everything in combination with bakery education/experience)
Minimum 5 years experience with working in leading position in a bakery or a comparable industry
Fluent English in writing and speaking

Knowledge

Management – specialist

Finance – junior

Development – junior

Sensory Analysis – junior

Baking Theory – specialist

Baking Practice – specialist

Project Management – specialist

Client Relation – specialist

Training skills – specialist

Technical skills

managing skills and interest to drive a team on a short term horizon (baking test requests, visit requests, reception requests, …) and medium term horizon (market observation, product validation & development, new raw material and technology identification, …)

baking experience

management including HR, projects, materials and finance

ability to operate reporting in accordance with responsibility in these domains

customer orientation (representation of Lesaffre’s interest in the bakeries and of the bakers in the Lesaffre organization)

planning and organization experience regarding events (baking tests, demonstrations, …), projects and staff while respecting resources, the expected deliverables and deadlines

internal and external networking skills

communication skills to be comfortable in communicating with multi-disciplinary interlocutors in national and English language

Managerial & Behavioral Skills

Coach – Able to communicate, promotes career development, encourages initiative, promotes team spirit, works alongside team, shows respect, able to listen and to show empathy

Pioneer – Able to encourage innovation, is open to change/new ideas

Visionary – Able to motivate teams by working on meaningful projects

Entrepreneur – Able to create and organize a team, encourages responsibility, able to make decisions, able to undertake proactive and responsive actions

Achiever – Able to drive performance, able to work in the field, sets high targets for self and team, shows enthusiasm and competitive spirit

Global Company Player – Able to make decisions, promotes cooperation, is customer oriented and ensures

top quality service, able to work with others on cross-functional projects, shows transparency and Group spirit

Manager – Is stable and open-minded, strives for personal development

Other Skills & Knowledge

Sense for accuracy and details (meticulous)

Strong organization and communication skills

Open minded and flexible

Free thinking

Analytical skills

Systematic

Wide range of knowledge

Creativity

Additional Information

Lesaffre Values

Know, understand and demonstrate the Lesaffre values of

TRUST,

ENTREPRENEURSHIP,

PASSION,

HUMILITY, AND

RESPECT with work colleagues and business partners.