Job description

To expand our New Product Development (NPD) Team, we are looking for a
Product Developer. Are you ready to make an impact within a mission-driven
organization? Do you want to use your creativity and project management skills to
develop products that really make a difference? Then we warmly invite you to
get to know Joannusmolen and our growing NPD team!

What does the position entail?

• Responsible for coordinating various product development projects in accordance with our innovation process, from customer demand to market implementation.
• Collaborating with various departments and managing a (multidisciplinary) project team to ensure that projects are completed on time and successfully.
• Developing and optimizing (new) products for private label brands, taking into account international laws and regulations, procedures, and quality standards for organic (baby) food.
• Organizing and executing test productions in our factory to ensure they run smoothly
• Responsible for coordinating improvement projects, such as analyzing and reducing production losses.
• Keeping the recipe database and product specifications within the systems up to date and managing them.
• Proactief bijhouden en signaleren van trends en ontwikkelingen, met name op het gebied van babyvoeding, gezonde voeding/tussendoortjes en functionele ingrediënten
• Het actief onderhouden van contacten en samenwerken met externe partijen zoals leveranciers en klanten
• Het opvolgen van sample aanvragen voor interne en externe beoordelingen conform de gewenste specificaties

What are we asking for?

Als Product Developer heb je een natuurlijke passie voor food, affiniteit met ons productieproces en beschik je over gedegen productkennis en inzicht in onze processen. Met jouw sterke vaardigheden in stakeholdermanagement weet je de juiste mensen te verbinden en samen tot optimale resultaten te komen.

You are proactive, a real go-getter, and can effortlessly manage multiple projects at the same time, keeping track of all steps from start to finish. You continuously strive for the best results and dare to think creatively to further improve our products and processes. At the same time, you are approachable, curious, and open in your way of working together. What else we ask:

• A completed higher professional education or university degree, for example in Food Technology, Food Innovation, or Food & Business.
• At least 3–5 years of relevant work experience.
• Experience in coordinating projects and you get energy from meeting deadlines.
• A persuasive personality with organizational talent and good communication skills who inspires others and creates support.
• Knowledge of nutrients and functional ingredients and associated laws and regulations
• Knowledge of nutrients and functional ingredients and associated laws and regulations
• You are fluent in both Dutch and English, both spoken and written. German is an advantage

What do we offer?

• A temporary position as Product Developer with the possibility of a permanent contract
• A flat organization with short lines of communication, enabling quick decisions and swift action
• An environment where you matter! You will be given the space and responsibility to make an impact
• A varied role in a collegial working environment and within a driven team
• A competitive salary based on relevant work experience. Supplemented with 26 vacation days, travel allowance, and vacation pay accrual
• We provide a non-contributory pension.
• Personal development through training and courses is possible as a Product Developer.

Our company

Thanks to its in-depth knowledge of the baby food category, Merenda Foods develops relevant products that are in line with the latest trends and developments. Merenda Foods uses legumes and special grains as a basis. We then combine playful and challenging shapes with fruits and vegetables. Low in salt, low in fat, oven-baked, not fried, no added sugar, etc. The modern production facility is fully robotized and built to produce as efficiently as possible, allowing for a complete focus on controlling the process and the quality of the products. Sustainability has been in our DNA for 40 years. We are constantly driven to devise and implement solutions that help make the world a little more livable for ourselves and future generations. We see it as an important mission to pursue that goal together with our customers and suppliers.

Our team

We believe in a future where children grow up in a beautiful and healthy world. The Merenda Foods team consists of a group of enthusiastic, diverse people who all make an important contribution to our mission. Everyone has their own unique qualities and is given every opportunity to build entrepreneurship, ownership, impact, and trust. All of this contributes to a high level of job satisfaction at Merenda Foods.