Director of Research Development

Director of R&D – Pet Food Ingredients

Location: Italy (Onsite)

Role Overview

My client is seeking an experienced Director of R&D to lead innovation and product development across its pet food ingredient portfolio. This is a senior leadership role combining hands‑on technical expertise, people leadership, and strategic input at European level. The successful candidate will play a key role in shaping future product pipelines, supporting customer‑specific formulation work, and contributing to M&A technical evaluations, while building and leading a high‑performing R&D team in a newly established laboratory environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and develop an R&D team, fostering a culture of innovation, collaboration, and scientific excellence.
• Drive the development of new products across pet food applications.
• Oversee the continuous improvement and optimisation of existing products, focusing on performance, palatability, stability, and cost efficiency.
• Translate customer requirements into tailored formulations, working closely with commercial and technical stakeholders to deliver differentiated solutions.
• Provide technical and formulation expertise to support customer projects and strategic partnerships.
• Conduct technical due diligence and product analysis for potential M&A targets, assessing formulation robustness, scalability, and innovation potential.
• Operate within and help shape workflows in a newly built laboratory, supporting method development, testing, and validation.
• Act as a member of the European leadership team, contributing to R&D strategy, innovation roadmaps, and long‑term growth plans across Europe.

Candidate Profile

• 10–15 years’ experience in R&D within ingredients, nutrition, or pet food/feed-related industries.
• Master’s degree or PhD in Animal Nutrition, Food Science, or a closely related discipline.
• Proven experience working with palatants and/or antioxidants (pet food experience preferred but not mandatory).
• Demonstrated people leadership experience, including managing and developing technical teams.
• Strong formulation mindset with the ability to link customer needs to commercially viable solutions.
• Comfortable operating in a senior, cross‑functional and international environment.
• Business‑professional English required (Italian advantageous but not essential).

Compensation & Benefits

• Competitive base salary.
• Annual bonus.
• Comprehensive insurance policies.

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