Job Description
Job Summary
It is an exciting time to be part of IFF’s Taste Innovation team as the Technology Scout. Do you want to work closely with our successful internal R&D and IC&D team and help the team identify Open Innovation opportunities?
The Technology Scout will accelerate science to market and significantly grow the Taste portfolio through technology advancement. This position requires a strong scientific background, excellent interpersonal and communication skills, and a strategic, forward-looking mindset.
You will connect the innovation teams with science, provide strategic and technical assessments of new Taste ingredients, technologies and identify potential strategic partnership and acquisitions.
While technical communication is key, negotiation skills and the ability to close deals are also important aspects of the position. The primary function is to identify, evaluate and manage these opportunities to accelerate the innovation roadmap that supports our growth ambition.
Job Responsibilities:
- Identify major industry topics inline the business unit strategy and with Global Innovation Program Directors as well as R&D Directors
- Identify and quantify drivers of change in established and adjacent target markets including new regulations, technological disruption, value enablers.
- Define technological solution sets to meet customer needs in current and future markets and in support of market strategy development and effectively communicate to key stakeholders on technology, trends, gaps, unmet customer needs, and program plans/status.
- Build teams and work collaboratively with scientists, engineers, business leaders and strategy teams.
- Determine the range of viability for emerging technologies, considering performance, cost, scalability, manufacturability, and profitability under different regulatory scenarios and in different markets.
- Define and execute projects to advance emerging technologies to market through research, validation, and laboratory and pilot testing.
- Collaborate with external partners including suppliers, customers, universities, entrepreneurs, startups, agencies, and other water ecosystem partners to execute sponsored research, license technology, validate solutions, complete pilots, and build relationships that lead to commercial partnerships.
- Develop and manage relationships with networks of universities globally, acting as IFF’s main point of contact and leader on when/how to engage with university partners for maximum impact.
- Drive the incorporation of new innovations into IFF’s solutions portfolio through a strong understanding of customer needs, emerging technology, and regulatory developments.
- Engage with stakeholders to define IFF’s position and deliver written reports that outline the technology landscape, drivers of market change, opportunities, risks, uncertainties, and technology recommendations.
- Engage in thought leadership activities internally and externally including technical client/conference presentations, publishing white papers, participating in panels, and posting on social media
Key Areas
- Research: Research the latest developments in their industry or related fields, read industry publications, and connect with experts
- Attend events: Attend technology conferences, university symposiums, and trade shows.
- Visit: Visit universities, research centers, start-ups, and medium-sized companies
- Search: Use all modern search tools to stay abreast of new innovations and identify new opportunities.
- Meet companies: Meet with companies to learn about their innovation pipeline.
- Analyze: Use Technology Landscape Reports to analyze the tech horizon and identify potential breakthroughs
- Align: Align potential breakthroughs with our organization's strategic goals
Job Requirements:
- Ph.D. or MSC degree in Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics (STEM) field
- 10 years of relevant experience in the flavor or related industry.
- Experience working with university researchers and technology transfer offices.
- Experience with IP / patent filing and/or review
- Strong business acumen and experience developing and executing strategy.
- Effective communication across multiple levels of business and technical fluency ranging from university professors, customers, colleagues (technical and non-technical), management, to senior leadership.
- Excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills
- Experience conducting quantitative and qualitative market research, including venture funding analyses, market maps, competitive analyses, SWOT analyses, or product deep dives.
- Independent, self-directed research, including proposal generation and defense.
- Lead the day-to-day execution of technology assessment efforts, including analysis comparing alternatives, characterization and quantification of performance, and comprehension and development of requirements based on mission needs.
- Distill complex topics into core concepts understandable by a general audience.
- Collaborate as part of a team environment
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