Head of Innovation EMEA

The organisation

At Jack Link’s they like to ‘Feed your wild side’. With a wide array of delicious, high-quality protein snacks they cater to the adventurous spirit in all of us. This global leader in the protein snack category is a family of brands that include Jack Link’s, BiFi, Peperami and Minuets. Their goal is to become the number one in branded protein snacks. As strong brand believers and brand builders with strong core values they are category creators, innovators and leaders.

The story of Jack Link’s starts with Jack’s great-grandfather Chris, who left Germany to make a new life in the US in 1885. He brought along delicious meat recipes that became legendary in no time to farmers and lumberjacks that tasted it. Producing tasty meat products soon turned out to be a new family tradition, that was successfully passed on from father to son. Decades later, this resulted in Jack Link’s trying out old family recipes to produce beef jerky while on a hunting trip with his son. Today, Jacks Link’s still is a family-owned company, with Jack and his son Troy working side by side to crafting high-quality, delicious protein snacks.

Their protein snacks – over a hundred products – are enjoyed by consumers all around the world. The company operates a total of eleven manufacturing and distribution facilities in four countries. In 2014 Jack Link’s acquired the BiFi and Peperami brands from Unilever, as well as a plant in Ansbach, Germany. An EMEA head office was established in the vibrant city of Amsterdam, which has been showing double-digit growth with a customer–centric and consumer–driven approach.

The company has a strong market position with BiFi in the Benelux, Germany, Austria and Switzerland, Peperami in the UK, Jack Link’s across Europe and Minuets in Spain. Their current focus is to expand even further, with emerging markets like the Nordics showing great potential for growth. The company has also pinpointed chicken and plant-based snacks as important growth drivers. While maintaining a global perspective and ambition, they always manage and execute locally.

Company culture

The EMEA office is adopting Jack Link’s core values like be real, show awesome character, stewardship and accountability. The commercial team of about 70 employees – which has about 30 nationalities – operates sales driven and hands on. They like to grow fast and take calculated risks, because this has proven to be structurally profitable. The company is investment-oriented with long term horizons. They are hardworking team players with plenty of time for fun.

The position

The Head of Innovation leads the innovation strategy for the EMEA brand portfolio. You head up the innovation strategy for the company’s four brands: BiFi, Peperami, Jack Link’s and Minuets. This new role focusses on expanding the appeal, trial and repeat in key markets like Germany, Belgium, UKI and The Netherlands. You develop a sharp and penetration-driven innovation pipeline and closely collaborate with the German based R&D team. Building a strong knowledge of consumer trends and insights enables you to lead the company to sustainable double-digit growth, year on year. It also ensures a relevant and meaningful presence in the branded protein snacks category and an effective and efficient innovation strategy. You cultivate a spirit of innovation throughout the EMEA commercial team, led by relevant, actionable and quantified consumer and shopper insights. Jack Link’s EMEA is looking for a strategic and pragmatic Head of Innovation with a track record in brand building and excellent leadership skills. This role is a key member of both the Marketing Leadership Team and the Commercial Leadership Team. The Head of Innovation reports to the Marketing Director EMEA.

Candidate profile

• 15+ years of marketing experience in FMCG and at least 5 years of innovation experience
• Track record in brand building and leading front end innovation projects
• Cross functional team leadership experience
• Effective communication, strategic and influencing skills, good project management, presentation, and analytical skills
• Highly self-motivated, resourceful and resilient, consumer and customer focused, action oriented, innovative and creative
• Entrepreneurial, highly self-motivated, ambitious, energetic, results driven, team player, hands-on
• Fluent in English, fluency in languages like Dutch or German are a plus

Competences

• Planning and organising, project management, progress monitoring
• Entrepreneurship and commercial thinking
• Market- and customer orientation
• Vision and strategy
• Innovativeness
• Persuasiveness and impact
• Independence and tenacity

The offer

• Taking the lead in innovation to grow four brands in the EMEA market
• Developing business plans and filling a long-term innovation pipeline by collaborating with various (international) stakeholders
• Being part of several collaborative teams
• Working for a fast-paced, entrepreneurial, growing, international leader in branded protein snacks with several A-brands
• An independent role within an ambitious team of go-getters that closely collaborate, work hard and have fun together
• Fulltime position with hybrid working options

Interested?

You can apply for this position by using the link below. For more information please contact Josceline Bogaers, Managing Director, 06-10082366.