Head of Innovation Science (m/f/d)

Your responsibilities:

• Leads, develops, and mentors the Innovation Science team, ensuring strong scientific capability and high performance.

• Defines scientific strategy for early‑feasibility assessments in alignment with R&D Enteral Nutrition priorities.

• Leads the design and development of complex formulations for clinical nutrition products and target delivery systems including scale‑up feasibility. Oversees analytical method development for early innovation and development projects.

• Leads process development and process optimization for pharmaceutical and non‑pharmaceutical products, including feasibility of new technologies and proof of concept studies (in-vitro digestion).

• Generates scientific knowledge on production processes, ingredient interactions, analytical approaches and emerging technologies.

• Drives innovation development including generation of new product ideas and concepts, design of feasibility projects as well as proactive seeking for opportunities to enhance current methods.

• Provides strategic scientific recommendations to guide early go/no‑go decisions within innovation pipelines.

• Provides early experimental evidence and technology insights that support IP generation. Provide scientific statements for IP or support patent oppositions experimentally

• Represents Innovation Science towards internal stakeholders (BU Nutrition, Regulatory, IP, Quality, Production, Clinical, Procurement).

• Collaborate closely mainly but not exclusively with R&D Enteral Nutrition, Portfolio Management, Medical Scientific and Clinical Affairs, Intellectual Property, Regulatory Affairs, Quality and external partners, supporting cross‑departmental alignment to ensure smooth transition of innovation projects into formal development phases.

• Ensure scientific integrity, reproducibility and compliance in all innovation activities.

• Owns the Innovation Science cost center, define annual budgets and ensure efficient use of resources (equipment, consumables, personnel).

• Decide on acquisition and implementation of complex equipment and software

Your profile:

• Academic background in a scientific or engineering discipline relevant to clinical nutrition, formulation science, pharmaceutical technology or chemical engineering
• Minimum of 8 years work experience in a similar role, ideally within a global Matrix driven organisation in the pharmaceutical/life science/medical nutrition sector
• Professional Experience in a Research Centre or University background
• Remarkable knowledge on food proteins, nutrition, manufacturing processes related to complex food/pharmaceutical formulations
• At least 3 years of experience in Product design (Formulation, Processing and Technology) and Project management in and R&D environment
• Experience in the fields of emulsion technology, Heat Treatment, Encapsulation, enzymatic processing and processing of complex fluids in general as well as in-vitro digestion
• Sound understanding of Scientific Principles in product and Process development
• Good skills in the field of innovation and Development
• Experience and Capability to Lead an international team
• Good skills in communication and presentation and Activity management
• Very good English and German language skills (written & spoken)
• Good computer skills (MS Office incl. COPILOT, Sharepoint, Matlab, Endnote, Origin pro, ELN etc.)