Global Food Innovation Program Manager

At ALS, we encourage you to dream big. When you join us, you’ll be part of a global team harnessing the power of scientific testing and data-driven insights to build a healthier future.

Reporting to: Executive General Manager Food

Location: Europe (remote / flexible)

ALS is looking for a Global Food Innovation Program Manager to build and run a repeatable, enterprise-wide innovation system across our Food business. Reporting to the Executive General Manager Food , this role will help turn strategic priorities into validated, scalable solutions by driving governance, portfolio management and strong global collaboration — with ALS employees, clients and partners.

You will own the innovation program operating model and platform, ensuring ideas move from intake to pilot to scale in a consistent and practical way. You’ll work closely with Operations, Commercial, Digital/IT and other functions to drive engagement, track impact, and ensure innovation delivers measurable value (growth, efficiency and customer impact). You’ll partner closely with Food GMs and key functional leaders to prioritise initiatives and ensure delivery.

What You’ll Do

• Define and drive the global innovation strategy: partner with ALS Food General Managers to set innovation priorities, objectives and annual roadmaps aligned with corporate strategy.
• Run the ALS Food Open Innovation Program globally: establish a consistent approach to engagement with employees, customers and partners, and support the full innovation lifecycle.
• Own the innovation operating model and governance: manage the structure and framework from idea intake through validation, pilot and scale-up; prepare cases, run gate reviews and track decisions/actions.
• Manage the innovation platform and tools: own platform processes, taxonomy, cadence, configuration and administration; manage vendors, contracting and integrations with support from Digital/IT where needed.
• Drive adoption and engagement: ensure global participation, high-quality submissions, transparent tracking and clear communication across regions (including storytelling and updates).
• Enable scale-up and delivery: create repeatable pathways for scaling initiatives (ops readiness, training, commercialisation, change management and benefits realisation).
• Measure and report impact: maintain dashboards and quarterly reviews linking innovation initiatives to financial, operational and customer metrics; communicate progress to executives with clear, evidence-based reporting.
• Build innovation capability: develop playbooks, training, coaching and simple tools to help innovators and sponsors succeed.
• Promote a strong innovation culture: champion curiosity, accountability and collaboration aligned with ALS values across the global Food network.

What You’ll Bring

• Values alignment: strong ownership mindset and alignment with ALS values (curiosity, safety, commitment, resilience, caring, honesty and teamwork).
• Program / portfolio leadership: experience leading cross‑functional innovation, portfolio or program management at enterprise scale; ideally within multi‑site operations or service environments.
• Innovation platform experience: proven ownership of an innovation platform or idea management system (selection, rollout, governance and adoption).
• End‑to‑end innovation lifecycle: experience taking initiatives from challenge framing and ideation through pilots/validation to scale‑up and benefits realisation.
• Strong facilitation and influence: able to guide diverse stakeholders (Ops, Commercial, IT, Legal, Finance, etc.) without direct authority.
• Commercial and operational thinking: able to link innovation activity to measurable value (growth, customer outcomes, cost‑to‑serve improvements).
• Global mindset: experience working across regions/time zones with cultural awareness and strong remote stakeholder engagement.
• Clear communication: strong written and verbal communication skills; able to simplify complexity, build buy‑in and communicate progress in a clear and engaging way.
• Integrity and compliance mindset: high integrity, comfort working in regulated environments; understanding of data privacy, ethics and security considerations for platforms and experimentation.
• Language & travel: fluent English (additional languages a plus); willingness to travel internationally (approx. 25–40%).

Working at ALS

The ALS team is a diverse and dedicated community united by our passion to make a difference in the world. Our values are important to us, and shape how we work, how we treat each other and how we recognise excellence. At ALS, you’ll be supported to develop new skills and reach your full potential. We invest in our people with programs and opportunities that help you build a diverse career with us. We want everyone to have a safe, flexible and rewarding career that makes a positive impact on our people, the planet and our communities.

Everyone Matters

ALS is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and is committed to fostering an inclusive work environment where the strengths and perspectives of each employee are both recognised and valued. ALS also welcomes applications from people with all levels of ability. Reasonable adjustments to support candidates throughout the recruitment process are available upon request.

Eligibility

To be eligible to work at ALS you must be a Citizen or Permanent Resident of the country you are applying for, or either hold or be able to obtain, a valid working visa.

How To Apply

Please apply online and provide a resume & cover letter that best demonstrate your motivation and ability to meet the requirements of this role.

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